Covington

‘Not a Single Witness’: Trump Lawyer Continues to Deny Quid Pro Quo Despite Bolton Book Leak

Just one day after a leaked excerpt of John Bolton's upcoming book revealed that he directly witnessed President Trump condition Ukrainian military aid on a politically beneficial investigation, Trump's personal lawyer Jay Sekulow claimed during Monday’s impeachment trial that "not a single witness” made such a claim.“Not a single witness testified that the president himself said that there was any connection between any investigation and security assistance, a presidential meeting, or anything else," Sekulow stated.During the House phase of the impeachment process, prominent Republicans, such as Representative Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), based their defense of the president largely on the second-hand nature of the testimony provided by witnesses such as ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland.That strategy, which was taken up by the president's lawyers on the Senate floor Saturday, appeared unchanged during Sekulow's opening remarks on Monday — despite the revelation that Bolton allegedly witnessed Trump's orchestration of a quid pro quo."What we've done on Saturday is the pattern that we're going to continue today as far as how we're going to deal with the case. We deal with transcript evidence, we deal with publicly available information. We do not deal with speculation, allegations that are not based on evidentiary standards at all," Sekulow said.Based on an excerpt of Bolton's upcoming book "The Room Where It Happened," The New York Times reported on Sunday that the former national security adviser heard Trump in August tying $400 million in military aid to a public announcement of investigations by Ukrainian officials. The president and his allies have consistently argued that Trump never made that explicit connection.Following the Bolton news, which broke Sunday night, Trump tweeted the he “NEVER” mentioned the alleged quid-pro-quo to Bolton.“If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book,” Trump said.Several Senate Republicans appeared willing Monday to vote to compel Bolton’s testimony when the upper chamber votes on witnesses and documents later this week following the conclusion of opening arguments.“I think it’s increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton,” Senator Mitt Romney (R., Utah) told reporters.Senator Susan Collins (R., Maine) also appeared open to hearing more from Bolton, saying in a statement that the report “strengthens the case for witnesses.”

Fox News Anchor Chris Wallace Tears Into Conservative Pundit: ‘Get Your Facts Straight!’

Sparks flew Monday on the Fox News set between Fox News anchor Chris Wallace and conservative contributor Katie Pavlich, with Wallace demanding his colleague get her “facts straight” after Pavlich insisted that certain witnesses had not been called in the impeachment trial.Moments before President Donald Trump’s defense team began its arguments in the Senate impeachment trial, Pavlich noted during Fox’s pretrial coverage that while Republican senators are now weighing whether to call former National Security Adviser John Bolton following his bombshell claims, the House should have presented a more thorough case.“The Senate is not the House, the House did not come with a complete case, and every impeachment beforehand, the witnesses that were called had been called in the House before being brought to the Senate,” she insisted. “So there are questions here about the process.”“That’s not true, that’s not true," Wallace interrupted. “They hadn’t all been called in the House, and in the Clinton impeachment, they’d been called by the general independent counsel. They had not been called by the House.”After Pavlich claimed that was due to an “extensive Justice Department investigation,” Wallace agreed but pointed out that she was “just wrong” to claim that all impeachment witnesses were previously called by the House.“Let me finish. Before the articles were sent to the House, the grand jury material in the Clinton impeachment were handed to the House as part of the articles and given to the Senate,” the right-wing pundit said. “They were not given after the House voted for those articles. That is the difference. The process does matter.”Kellyanne Conway Melts Down Under Grilling by Fox NewsAs anchor Bret Baier attempted to have Wallace give his “final thoughts,” the Fox News Sunday host—who has a history of tangling with the network’s opinion personalities—continued to highlight that what Pavlich said “just isn’t true.”“The fact of the matter is that the whistleblower information was given to the inspector general, who gave it to the Justice Department,” Wallace declared, clearly perturbed. “The Justice Department decided not to investigate, and that is why it went to the House.”“So to say that in the Clinton investigation these people were interviewed by the House, one, they weren’t,” he continued. “And to say it wasn’t done by the Justice Department, because the Justice Department refused to carry out the investigation. Get your facts straight!”“Okay, let’s tone it down,” Baier jumped in.Wallace tearing into a pro-Trump Fox News contributor came just moments after he said on-air that the news that Bolton claims Trump told him that Ukrainian military aid was frozen unless Ukraine investigated the Bidens was obviously big news since Trump supporters were “spinning like crazy” afterward.Fox News Host Hits Trump for Attacking Chris Wallace: You’re ‘Not Entitled to Praise’Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

There Is No Going Back If Iran Sinks A U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier

It would mean war.

Government records show that Kobe Bryant's helicopter used to be owned by the state of Illinois

Bryant's helicopter was owned by an operator called Island Express Holding Corp., which purchased it from Illinois in 2015.

'Draconian' travel curbs needed to halt spread of virus: scientists

Governments need to implement "draconian" travel curbs to stop a mystery coronavirus in China becoming a global epidemic, a team of experts mapping the outbreak said Monday. Scientists at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) presented a briefing warning that the spread of the deadly SARS-like virus that first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan was accelerating. "We have to be prepared that this particular epidemic may be about to become a global epidemic," said Gabriel Leung, head of the team.

Coronavirus panic spreads as death toll rises

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday confirmed a fifth case of coronavirus in the United States, CNN reported. The latest two cases were in California. Both patients are being treated in hospitals, authorities said. All five of the U.S. patients had recently traveled to Wuhan, the city in central China at the heart of the outbreak of the flu-like virus. Chinese health officials on Sunday warned that the virus can spread before infected people have symptoms, potentially increasing the challenge of containing its spread. The death toll in China has risen to at least 80, with more than 2,700 confirmed infections, according to The Associated Press.Chinese officials released data Sunday offering an early indication of the effect of the deadly outbreak on the world's second largest economy. Liu Xiaoming, vice minister of transport, said overall travel had declined on the first day of the Lunar New Year by 29 percent compared to a year ago, CNBC reported. Rail travel was down by nearly 42 percent. In an effort to contain the virus, authorities have banned most travel in parts of central China where the epidemic started. The government has urged people to stay home and canceled big public events. On Sunday, China Railway Chengdu also announced the suspension of several high-speed train routes, including some to Shanghai.World stocks dropped on Monday as concerns mounted about possible economic fallout from the outbreak, Reuters reported. The MSCI All-Country World Index, which follows shares in 47 countries, fell by 0.4 percent to its lowest in two weeks. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell by 1.4 percent. U.S. stock index shares also were down sharply several hours before the opening bell as investors sought safe-haven assets, including Treasury notes.More stories from theweek.com GOP senators seemed enthralled with Dershowitz's Trump impeachment defense. Elizabeth Warren found it 'nonsensical.' Mike Pompeo is a disgrace Survivors gather at Auschwitz to mark 75th anniversary of its liberation

Philippines stops issuing visas on arrival to Chinese nationals on virus fears

The Philippines' Bureau of Immigration will temporarily stop issuing tourist visas on arrival to Chinese nationals to help ensure the country remained free of the new coronavirus, its head said on Tuesday.

British man dies in US immigration detention in Florida

* Death of man, 39, initially attributed to hanging * UK Foreign Office said to be in touch with man’s wifeA British man has died while being held in US immigration detention in Florida, the Guardian has confirmed.The death was first reported by BuzzFeed News, which said the man was 39 years old and that the cause was initially attributed to asphyxiation due to hanging. The incident was reported to have occurred on Saturday last week.“Our staff are in contact with the US authorities following the death of a British man in Florida,” said a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office in London.Foreign Office officials are understood to have been in contact with the deceased man’s wife, as US officials investigate the circumstances of the death.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the Guardian.In a statement to BuzzFeed, the agency identified the deceased man as Ben James Owen and clarified he had died at the Baker county detention center in Macclenny, Florida. Officials said Owen had entered the US on a temporary visa in July and had been arrested on suspicion of felony aggravated stalking, felony false imprisonment, domestic assault, and violating the conditions of his pre-trial release. The agency said the case remained under investigation.The incident marks the fifth death at a detention centre in the 2020 fiscal year, which begins in October 2019. There were eight deaths in Ice detention in the 2019 fiscal year.The immigration detention population in the United States has soared under the Trump administration. Last year Ice detained 510,854 people, compared with 396,448 in 2018. The administration has also increased its use of detention facilities, mostly run by private security companies, with a new concentration of detention centres opening in the deep south.Medical provision and mental health care at detention facilities has come under increased criticism under the Trump administration after a spate of high profile deaths since 2017.At the end of last year House Democrats on the oversight and reform committee launched an inquiry to investigate a “troubling pattern of abuse and poor treatment” of migrants in custody.

Taliban says it gunned down U.S. military plane in Afghanistan, killing all personnel onboard

The Taliban said it had shot down a U.S. military plane in the central Afghan province of Ghazni on Monday, killing all personnel onboard.

Sen. Lindsey Graham's 'testimony' should convict Donald Trump in impeachment trial

Between what Sen. Graham said in 1999 and the evidence presented over the past few days, the case should be open and shut.

A Dangerous Game: Russia and America Keep Flying Their Planes Near Each Other's Borders

Nuclear chicken anyone?

Sex Offender Charged With Killing His 5 Infant Children on Day He Was Due to Be Released From Prison

Paul Perez, 57, was charged in the deaths of the children born between 1992 and 2001.

This online dashboard tracks the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus across the globe in real time

The dashboard uses CDC and WHO data to show the number of infected people and deaths, and where infections are concentrated.

Helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant reportedly received special permission to fly in thick fog

Details are still emerging about the circumstances surrounding the helicopter that killed Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others including the pilot, but the flight was reportedly granted special approval to fly in challenging weather conditions.Fog was thick Sunday morning in the Los Angeles area when the helicopter took off and made its way toward Gianna Bryant's youth basketball tournament, but air traffic control at Burbank airport gave the pilot Special Visual Flight Rules clearance, allowing the aircraft to enter Burbank's airspace.A Federal Aviation Administration official said air traffic control's approval would not have extended to Calabasas, where the helicopter crashed. By that point, the official said, it would have been up to the pilot to determine if conditions were appropriate to continue or transition to instrument flight rules.Witnesses near the site of the crash described conditions as so foggy that people had trouble driving, per The New York Times. "I couldn't see anything, not even a silhouette," said Scott Daehlin who heard the sound of the helicopter flying low before making impact with a nearby hillside. "My first thought was what in the world is a helicopter doing out here in this fog?" Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com GOP senators seemed enthralled with Dershowitz's Trump impeachment defense. Elizabeth Warren found it 'nonsensical.' Mike Pompeo is a disgrace Survivors gather at Auschwitz to mark 75th anniversary of its liberation

Underwater bombs damage Syria's offshore oil facilities

Bombs planted underwater off Syria's coast exploded Monday, damaging oil facilities used to pump oil into one of Syria's two petroleum refineries, state media and the oil minister said. Oil minister Ali Ghanem told state TV that the bombs were planted by divers in the facility used to pump oil to the coast. "The aim of the attack is to cease (oil) imports into Syria," Ghanem said, adding the ministry's experts are evaluating and fixing the damage.

Icelandic volcano swell signals potential eruption

Small earthquakes and a so-called "inflation" of the mountain, signalling a potential volcanic eruption, have been reported near Iceland's famous "Blue Lagoon," local authorities said Monday. The Icelandic Met Office declared a state of uncertainty over the weekend, following days of several smaller earthquakes and a swelling of the mountain. For nearly a week, a series of earthquakes have been shaking the area around Grindavik, not far from the steaming waters of the "Blue Lagoon," a popular geothermal spa in southwestern Iceland on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Sanders Leads, Klobuchar Climbs and Buttigieg Drops in Iowa

(Bloomberg) -- Senator Amy Klobuchar has broken into the top three Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa for the first time, a poll released Sunday showed. It was the third poll of the day to show her rival, Bernie Sanders as the frontrunner in an early state.An Emerson University poll showed Sanders leading in Iowa with 30% while Joe Biden followed with 21%. Klobuchar was in third with 13% ahead of Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg who had 11% and 10%, respectively. The poll was conducted from Jan. 23-26 and has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.Since December, Sanders has risen 8 percentage points in the Emerson poll. Conversely, Buttigieg fell 8 percentage points. Klobuchar’s rise comes on the heels of an endorsement from The New York Times.Two New Hampshire polls released Sunday morning by CNN/University of New Hampshire and NBC News/Marist both also found Sanders in first.(Disclaimer: Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. He is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)This post is part of  Campaign Update, our live coverage from the 2020 campaign trail.To contact the author of this story: Emma Kinery in Washington at ekinery@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Magan Sherzai at mcrane19@bloomberg.net, Virginia Van NattaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

North Korean Leader's Aunt Re-Emerges After Husband's Execution

SEOUL, South Korea -- The aunt of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, has re-emerged in Pyongyang, the capital, the country's media said Sunday, dispelling rumors that she was purged after her powerful husband was executed on charges of plotting a coup to topple Kim in 2013.North Korea's state-run media said Kim Kyong Hui, the only sister of Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, accompanied her nephew to an orchestra performance Saturday for Lunar New Year's Day. Photos released in state media showed her dressed in black and sitting with her nephew, his wife, his sister and other top leaders in the front row at a theater in Pyongyang.The fate of Kim Kyong Hui has been a subject of intense speculation since her husband, Jang Song Thaek, once considered the second most powerful man in Pyongyang, was executed in 2013. North Korean media last mentioned her name a few days after her husband's execution when she was appointed to a committee for the state funeral of another top party official.She then disappeared from public view, triggering rumors that she may have been executed, too. South Korean intelligence officials dismissed such rumors, saying that she was hospitalized for poor health but not purged.She remains the closest blood link that Kim Jong Un has to his father and paternal grandfather, both of whom ruled North Korea before him.Kim Jong Un's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, is still revered like a god among North Koreans. The current leader often stresses his bloodline when he needs to legitimize his rule or wants to consolidate his people around him in the face of an external crisis. The public appearance of his aunt, a daughter of Kim Il Sung, reminds North Koreans of that blood link.Kim Jong Un needs his people's loyalty more than ever. After a year and a half of largely fruitless diplomacy with President Donald Trump, Kim said late last month that his country would no longer hope for a diplomatic breakthrough with Washington. Instead, he said his country should prepare to endure international sanctions by tightening its belt and building a "self-reliant" economy.Until her husband, Jang, was executed, Kim Kyong Hui had been the pre-eminent female face of the Kim family that has ruled North Korea since its founding seven decades ago.The current leader's father, Kim Jong Il, allowed his sister to hold key jobs in his government. But the diminutive, frail and reportedly sick sister seldom appeared in public during her brother's rule.But that changed after Kim Jong Il fell ill with a stroke in 2008. She and her husband raised their public profile and acted like parent-like figures as Kim Jong Un was groomed as heir apparent. After Kim Jong Il died, the couple further strengthened their power as they helped Kim Jong Un engineer purges of top officials to establish himself as supreme leader and continue the family dynasty.Jang's power became so expansive through the military and other key branches of the government that the current leader felt threatened.Kim Jong Un had him executed on charges of corruption, sedition and numerous other charges in late 2013. He also ferreted out those close to Jang, who was accused of building a network of followers in the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, the government and the Korean People's Army.The executions of Jang and his followers were watershed moments for Kim Jong Un's efforts to establish himself as a monolithic leader. In 2017, North Korean agents plotted the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the current leader's estranged half brother, in Malaysia. Kim Jong Un may have regarded his half brother, the eldest son of his father, as a potential threat to his throne at the family-run regime, analysts say.After Kim Kyong Hui disappeared from public view, Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, replaced her as the main female face of the family.It remained unclear whether, Kim Kyong Hui, 73, will resume an active public life. In North Korea, invitations to leadership gatherings -- and how close people are placed to the current leader -- are often barometers of whether an official is favored in the government.Before rumors emerged that she had been purged, her presence had been a powerful reminder to top generals of where the root of the regime lay, and she was even seen as a regent helping guide her nephew through the North's treacherous internal politics to ensure a smooth generational change. The offspring of those who fought to help Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather, establish himself as top leader form the loyalist core of the elite in Pyongyang today.But her relationship with her husband had always been a subject of speculation. Even before Jang's downfall, analysts in South Korea had speculated that the couple had a troubled marriage, especially after their only child, a daughter, committed suicide in France in 2006. In a party meeting in 2013 that condemned Jang as a traitor, he was called a depraved and corrupt womanizer.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company

Susan Collins: Bolton’s Contradiction of Trump ‘Strengthens the Case’ for Calling Impeachment Witnesses

Senator Susan Collins (R., Maine) said Monday that John Bolton’s confirmation that President Trump tied the provision of military aid to Ukraine to the opening of politically beneficial investigations “strengthens the case for witnesses” in the ongoing impeachment trial.Collins — a key target of Democrats’ efforts to get Republicans to call witnesses — added that the leak from Bolton's upcoming book has “prompted a number of conversations among my colleagues" about how the impeachment trial should proceed.> My statement on Bolton developments. pic.twitter.com/3M59J7suts> > -- Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) January 27, 2020Collins’s statement comes after Senator Mitt Romney said earlier Monday that it was “increasingly likely” that Republicans would vote to hear testimony from Bolton.“I think it’s increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton,” Romney told reporters. “I have spoken with others who have opined upon this.”According to a manuscript of Bolton's impending book obtained by the New York Times, the former national security adviser directly witnessed Trump saying in August that some $400 million in congressionally appropriated military aid would only be provided if Ukrainian officials announced investigations into Trump's political opponents.In the buildup to the trial, Collins was on the forefront of Republican efforts to allow for the calling of witnesses, after Trump and other allies suggested that Republicans should immediately vote to acquit.“We should be completely open to calling witnesses,” Collins said on January 10. “I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement on how to proceed with the trial that will allow the opportunity for both the House and the president’s counsel if they choose to do so.”Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been particularly privy to Collins’s requests, in an effort to keep the Republican 53-47 majority unified. The Kentucky Republican submitted a last-minute change to the rules of the trial last week, after Collins expressed disproval at the proposed length of opening arguments.Senate Republican aides had said last week — prior to the Bolton news — that it was increasingly unlikely that more than three Republicans would vote for witnesses.

Why The Ninth Circut Court Reluctantly Dismissed The Kids' Climate Case

This was not a problem for the courts.

Epstein probe gets 'zero cooperation' from Prince Andrew: U.S. prosecutor

Britain's Prince Andrew has provided "zero cooperation" to U.S. authorities probing sex trafficking allegedly carried out by deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein and co-conspirators, a prosecutor said on Monday. The FBI and U.S. federal prosecutors contacted Prince Andrew's lawyers and requested an interview with the prince, who socialized with Epstein, Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said at a news conference in front of Epstein's mansion.

CDC Split With China on Coronavirus Spread as Possible U.S. Cases Hit 110

As authorities in China scrambled to handle a coronavirus that has killed at least 81 people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday described a surging potential crisis even as they pushed back on the latest thinking from Beijing about just how easily it spreads.Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters that the number of confirmed cases stateside had reached five—and that there had been a total of 110 “persons under investigation” for the virus in 26 states over the past week.Thirty-two of those people tested negative, and there had been no confirmed person-to-person transmissions inside the country, Messonnier said on Monday. The confirmed cases in the U.S. include patients in Orange County, California; a man in his 30s in Washington state; a woman in her 60s in Chicago; a passenger who felt ill after flying into Los Angeles International Airport; and a student at Arizona State University who does not live in university housing, the CDC said on Sunday. All of the U.S. cases appeared to involve patients who had recently traveled from Wuhan, China—the epicenter of the deadly virus. Seventy-three people were still being evaluated for the virus as of Monday.Fifth U.S. Case of Coronavirus Confirmed in Patient Who Traveled From Wuhan, China“We understand that many people in the United States are worried about this virus and how it will affect Americans,” Messonnier said, adding that “risk depends on exposure,” which for Americans remained “low” on Monday.In each U.S. case, health officials have said they will trace the patient’s contacts and identify anyone who may have had prolonged exposure, then monitor those individuals for symptoms. In the U.S., anyone who has had close contact with confirmed patients has not been quarantined unless and until they display symptoms.That policy came into question over the weekend, when China’s health minister Ma Xiaowei said “the ability of the virus to spread is getting stronger” and that authorities in that country now believe the virus can spread during the incubation period—even before infected patients become symptomatic. A study published last week in the journal Lancet appeared to bolster that contention.But Messonnier said the CDC had not seen “any clear evidence of patients being infectious before symptom onset” as of Monday, even if authorities in the U.S. “are being very aggressive and very cautious in tracking close contacts” of infected individuals.“This outbreak is unfolding rapidly, and we are rapidly looking at how that impacts our posture at the border,” said Messonnier. “I expect that in the coming days, our travel recommendations will change.”Experts said that even as statements from Chinese health officials had to be viewed through a political lens, outright dismissal of asymptomatic transmission was premature.Eric Toner, a senior scientist with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the University’s School of Public Health, called the question “nuanced.” “It’s hard to know why the [Chinese] minister was so sure,” said Toner. “The evidence we have seen is quite suggestive of pre-symptomatic transmission, at least in some people, but not conclusive. He may have information that we do not.”For now, officials were still screening passengers at five American airports: Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Of course, fewer travelers are coming out of Wuhan in the wake of a travel lockdown late last week; Messonnier said the CDC had screened approximately 2,400 people in those airports so far but that “the number of people coming from Wuhan is declining.”Though Chinese authorities halted travel from Wuhan to stop the spread of the virus, the U.S. is among several countries—including France and Russia—that were given special permission to evacuate diplomats and private citizens. In addition to the 81 dead in China—76 of whom reportedly lived in Wuhan—nearly 3,000 people across the world, including a 9-month-old baby girl in Beijing, had confirmed cases of the virus as of Monday morning. Aside from the five cases in the U.S., more have been reported in Thailand, Taiwan, Australia, Macau, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, France, Canada, Vietnam, and Nepal. There had been no deaths from the virus reported outside of China as of Monday morning. But the new fatalities in that country over the weekend, including an 88-year-old man in Shanghai, stoked fears that the government had failed to contain the infection’s spread. Beijing announced Monday morning that it would push back the official end of the Lunar New Year holiday to Thursday from Sunday in order to “reduce mass gatherings” and “block the spread of the epidemic,” according to a statement from China’s cabinet.Meanwhile, Wuhan’s mayor, Zhou Xianwang, on Monday offered to step down, along with the city’s party secretary, Ma Guoqiang, in order to “appease public indignation.” He said the pair were prepared to take responsibility for the crisis after days of public outcries from citizens, on social media and elsewhere.“Our names will live in infamy, but as long as it is conducive to the control of the disease and to the people’s lives and safety, Comrade Ma Guoqiang and I will bear any responsibility,” Zhou reportedly said Monday.Dr. Adrian Hyzler, chief medical officer for Healix International, which provides medical information to travelers, told The Daily Beast the CDC will know much more about how easily the virus spreads once the incubation period—estimated at a maximum of 14 days—has passed in the five U.S. cases. “If, as the Chinese are saying, patients are contagious before symptoms develop, then it is much harder to control,” he said.Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that the CDC cleared 32 people who tested negative for the virus out of 110 potential cases.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Coronavirus 'has become rampant,' but shows no signs of mutating into deadlier form

China's central government announced Sunday that it's taking the reins in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus from local officials in Hubei province, home to the virus' city of origin, Wuhan.Ma Xiaowei, the head of the country's National Health Commission, said "we are now in a critical period of prevention and control." It appears the coronavirus is becoming more contagious — Zhou Xianwang, the mayor of Wuhan, said experts will likely soon confirm another 1,000 infection cases. Meanwhile, the death toll resulting from the disease rose to 56, including the first fatality in Shanghai."The virus has become rampant," said Gao Fu, the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.But despite the severity of the situation, Gao also doled out some optimism. He said the virus hasn't shown any signs of mutating into a more deadly form, and revealed that a vaccine may soon be available.Most of the cases are confined to China, but a third case was confirmed in the United States, after a person in Orange County, California, tested positive. The patient is being treated and is reportedly in "good condition." Read more at The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com Fox News poll finds independents want the Senate to convict and remove Trump by 19-point margin Mick Mulvaney denies knowing about Ukraine conversation between Trump and Bolton Mike Pompeo is a disgrace

'Great for the bottom line but awful for society': More than 350 Amazon workers slammed its climate policies in defiance of a crackdown on dissent

Amazon confirmed it won't allow employees to 'publicly disparage' the company.

Paula White, Trump's spiritual adviser, calls for 'satanic pregnancies to miscarry'

Paula White, a controversial televangelist who joined the White House in an official capacity last year, is arguing that the content of a sermon she delivered on Jan. 5, which mentioned adversaries of President Trump and soon after advocated for divine forces to cause the miscarriage of babies in “satanic wombs,” was taken out of context.

Nighttime mortar attack on US Embassy in Baghdad injured 1

A top U.S. commander said Monday that mortars were used in an attack on the American embassy in Baghdad that injured one person and caused some material damage the previous night, not katyusha rockets as was initially reported by staffers and a statement from the military. Gen. Frank McKenzie, a top U.S. commander for the Middle East, told reporters traveling with him that the mortar attack started a fire that was put out. A military statement had said five rockets hit inside Baghdad's Green Zone, where the embassy sits.

America's F-35 Has Some Problems, And Iran Has Taken Notice

Could Iran shoot one down?

Judges rebuke Macron for criticism over case of murdered Jewish woman

French President Emmanuel Macron drew a sharp rebuke from the country's top magistrates on Monday for criticising a court ruling on the 2017 murder of a Jewish woman in Paris. Sarah Halimi, an Orthodox Jewish woman in her sixties, died after being pushed out of the window of her Paris flat by a neighbour shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great" in Arabic).

Navistar loses lawsuit against US Army and Oshkosh over vehicle buys

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has dismissed Navistar's complaint against the U.S. Army and Oshkosh Defense over the service's decision to avoid competition for a vehicle procurement effort.

Greta Thunberg slammed the Associated Press for cropping a black activist out of a photo of her at Davos

"You didn't just erase a photo. You erased a continent," Ugandan climate change activist Vanessa Nakate said in a tweet responding to the slight.

The outbreaks of both the Wuhan coronavirus and SARS likely started in Chinese wet markets. Photos show what the markets look like.

The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak likely started in a Chinese wet market, where livestock and poultry are sold alongside animals like dogs and civets.

F-bombs and death threats: Kobe Bryant, Mike Pompeo and the abuse of women journalists

Treatment of Mary Louise Kelly after Mike Pompeo interview and Felicia Sonmez after Kobe Bryant's death shows how often women reporters are attacked.

Georgia inmate who came close to execution in 2017 dies

A Georgia death row inmate whose planned execution was halted in September 2017 by the U.S. Supreme Court after his lawyers argued his death sentence was tainted by a juror's racial bias has died, according to the state Department of Corrections. Keith “Bo” Tharpe, 61, died of natural causes Friday, Georgia Department of Corrections spokeswoman Joan Heath confirmed in an email Sunday. In 1991, a jury convicted Tharpe of murder in the September 1990 slaying of his sister-in-law, Jacquelyn Freeman, and sentenced him to death.

Nigeria had no warning on potential U.S. travel ban: minister

Nigeria had no warning from Washington that it could be added to the list of countries subject to a U.S. travel ban, information minister Lai Mohammed said on Monday, adding such a move would be "hasty" and send the wrong signal to investors. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would add more countries to his travel ban list. While he gave no details, a source familiar with the proposal said the tentative list included seven nations - Nigeria, Belarus, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Sudan and Tanzania.

After Book Leak, Republicans Face a Choice on Whom to Believe: President Trump or John Bolton?

John Bolton's allegations in his forthcoming book about President Trump withholding Ukraine aid put Senate Republicans in a tight spot.

The U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship: A Successful Catastrophe?

Is it time to admit the U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ships are a failure? Yes. And no—maybe.

South Carolina shooting: Two dead and four wounded after gunman opens fire in bar

Two people are dead and at least four are wounded following a shooting at a South Carolina bar on Sunday morning.The Darlington County Coroner's Office identified Dicaprio Collins, 21 and Bryan Robinson, 29 as the victims of the shooting at Mac's Lounge in Hartsville, South Carolina.

US Army picks 6 to work on autoloader for extended-range cannon

You won't recognize many of these companies, as the Army departs from turning to big, traditional defense contractors to solve a field artillery problem on the battlefield.

Confusion as WHO corrects China virus global risk level

The World Health Organization, which has sometimes been criticised for its handling of past disease outbreaks, admitted an error on Monday in its risk assessment of China's deadly virus. In a footnote, the WHO explained that it had stated "incorrectly" in its previous reports on Thursday, Friday and Saturday that the global risk was "moderate". The correction of the global risk assessment does not mean that an international health emergency has been declared.

A new report indicates that the deadly Chinese coronavirus may not actually have originated at a wet market in Wuhan

Scientists found that 13 out of 41 cases were linked to the market and that the first reported case of the virus was also not linked to the market.

Family of 5 found dead in North Carolina home: All died of single gunshot wounds

A family of five and their dog were found dead Friday in their Vanceboro, North Carolina home.

Iran general warns of retaliation if U.S. threats continue

The chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard warned on Monday that it will retaliate against American and Israeli commanders if the United States continues to threaten top Iranian generals.

Poland, Israel condemn resurgent anti-Semitism at Auschwitz commemoration

The presidents of Israel and Poland called on Monday for greater efforts to combat anti-Semitism as the world marked 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp amid concerns over a resurgence of anti-Jewish prejudice. "Our duty is to fight anti-Semitism, racism and fascist nostalgia, those sick evils that ... threaten to eat away at the foundations of our democracies," Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said at a venue near the former camp, which is now a museum. Polish President Andrzej Duda, who did not attend Israel's national Holocaust Memorial last Thursday because he was not allowed to speak, thanked Rivlin for his presence at Auschwitz.

Three Rockets Fired at U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, One Person Injured

The U.S. embassy in Baghdad was attacked with rocket fire on Sunday, leaving one person injured.Three rockets struck the embassy, including one that apparently hit a dining area. A U.S. official told CNN the one casualty was a minor injury.“The security situation remains tense and Iranian-backed armed groups remain a threat. So, we remain vigilant,” a State Department spokesman said. “We call on the Government of Iraq to fulfill its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities.”The embassy sits in Baghdad's Green Zone, which was secured by American forces in 2003 and has since been home to several embassies and the base of many international operations in Iraq. The Green Zone has been attacked with rocket fire numerous times in recent months.“Violent acts against our diplomatic facilities are simply unacceptable,” commented Representative Michael McCaul, (R., Texas), the lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “We must ensure the safety of American diplomats, troops and other Americans in Iraq.”Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah led a two-day siege on the U.S. embassy in early January, with members surrounding the embassy and trying to break in. Partly in response to the siege, President Trump ordered the January 2 killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.Iran retaliated to the killing by firing ballistic missiles on U.S. military positions in Iraq. Pentagon officials say 34 U.S. troops suffered concussions or traumatic brain injuries as a result of the strikes.Meanwhile, the U.S. and Iran are still jockeying for influence in Iraq and the capital city of Baghdad.“The Iranian presence here in Baghdad is very extensive,” Fox News reporter Trey Yingst told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s like an octopus’ tentacles, it’s reaching all over.”

Terror as jihadists target key northeast Nigeria road

The bus driver sensed straight away that he and his six passengers were in trouble when the gunmen, dressed in Nigerian army uniforms, stopped their vehicle at a checkpoint. For weeks there had been reports of jihadists disguised as soldiers abducting travellers. The kidnapping around two weeks ago was part of a wave of identical attacks targeting the key Damaturu road -- the main lifeline linking Maiduguri and its roughly two million people to the outside world.