A U.S. health official who alleges in a whistleblower complaint he was removed from his position for prioritizing science in the government’s coronavirus response is set to tell lawmakers Thursday that the public must be told the truth and not have information “filtered for political reasons.”“We must know and appreciate what we are up against. We have the world’s greatest scientists – they must be permitted to lead,” Dr. Rick Bright says in text of his opening statement, posted ahead of the hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health.The lawmakers want to know more about the federal government’s response to the outbreak, which has killed more than 84,000 people in the United States.f“While it is terrifying to acknowledge the extent of the challenge that we currently confront, the undeniable fact is there will be a resurgence of the COVID-19 this fall, greatly compounding the challenges of seasonal influenza and putting an unprecedented strain on our health care system,” Bright says. “Without clear planning and implementation of the steps that I and other experts have outlined, 2020 will be darkest winter in modern history.”Bright says he began warning leaders at the Department of Health and Human Services in January about a “critical shortage” of protective equipment that health care workers in the United States would need to treat COVID-19 patients.“I pushed HHS to ramp up U.S. production of masks, respirators and other critical supplies, such as medicine, syringes and swabs. Again, my urgency was dismissed and I was cut out of key high-level meetings to combat COVID-19,” Bright says in his statement.He says he was met with hostility by HHS leaders, and that officials repeatedly ignored outreach from at least one mask manufacturer that said it had idle mask production lines that could be reactivated with government help.“HHS strongly disagrees with the allegations and characterizations in the complaint from Dr. Bright,” the agency said in a statement.Michael Bowen, executive vice president of Prestige Ameritech, confirmed he reached out to Bright about his company’s readiness to produce masks, and says in his own statement to the committee that he warned about mask shortages in the United States for 13 years.Bowen says HHS, the Defense Department, Department of Veterans Affairs and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “could have worked together to secure America’s mask supply.”Bright suggests in his statement that the government take several steps now, including educating the public on basics such as hand washing, social distancing and proper use of masks. He also advocates for boosting production of essential equipment and supplies, having a system to fairly share them across the country, and putting in place a national testing strategy. 
…

The U.S. Navy said on Thursday it had sailed a guided-missile destroyer through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a week before Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s inauguration for a second term in office amid rising tensions with China. China, which considers Taiwan its territory, has been angered by the Trump administration’s strong support for the island, such as increased arms sales. Beijing-Washington ties have also been buffeted by fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Pacific Fleet, in a statement on its Facebook page, said the USS McCampbell had transited the narrow strait that separates Taiwan from mainland China on Wednesday, showing pictures of the ship under way. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the ship had sailed south on what it termed an “ordinary mission,” adding it was continuing in that direction. Tsai, who will be sworn in for her second and final term next Wednesday, won re-election by a landslide in January, vowing to defend Taiwan’s democracy and stand up to China. Both China and the United States have ramped up military activities near Taiwan in recent months, including regular U.S. sailings through the Taiwan Strait, and regular Chinese air force drills near the island. Last Friday, Taiwan said a Chinese air force Y-8 aircraft had briefly crossed into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone, prompting Taiwan jets to warn it to leave. China operates the Y-8 both as a transport and early warning and electronic warfare aircraft. Taiwan has denounced the Chinese drills as attempts at intimidation and has told Beijing it should focus its efforts on fighting the coronavirus rather than menacing the island. China considers Tsai to be a separatist, charges she strongly denies. Late next week, China will open its delayed annual meeting of parliament, where it is expected to release its defense budget for the year, a number closely watched around the region as President Xi Jinping oversees a military modernization plan.  
…

U.S. authorities warned Wednesday that Chinese hackers were attempting to steal coronavirus data on treatments and vaccines, adding fuel to Washington’s war with Beijing over the pandemic.The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said organizations researching COVID-19 were at risk of “targeting and network compromise” by China.They warned that Chinese government-affiliated groups and others were attempting to obtain “valuable intellectual property and public health data related to vaccines, treatments, and testing.””China’s efforts to target these sectors pose a significant threat to our nation’s response to COVID-19,” they said.The two organizations gave no examples to support the allegation.US Plans to Accuse China of Hacking COVID-19 Vaccine ResearchAs all-out global race for coronavirus vaccine accelerates and hackers home in on related scientific research, US officials are preparing to single out long-standing cyber adversary China But the warning added to the battle between the superpowers over the outbreak that began in China and has killed at least 293,000 worldwide, and more than 83,000 in the United States.President Donald Trump has accused China of hiding the origins of the virus and not cooperating in efforts to research and fight the disease.Asked on Monday about reports that the U.S. believed Chinese hackers were targeting U.S. vaccine research, Trump replied: “What else is new with China?… I’m not happy.”Spies, academics targetedThe warning Wednesday also underscored that Washington believes China has continued broad efforts to obtain U.S. commercial and technology secrets under President Xi Jinping’s drive to make his country a technological leader.In February, the U.S. Justice Department indicted four Chinese army personnel suspected of hacking the database of credit rating agency Equifax, giving them the personal data of 145 million Americans.US Charges Chinese Military Officers With 2017 Equifax HackThe four were members of the Chinese army’s research arm and have been charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, economic espionage and wire fraud On Monday, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of University of Arkansas engineering professor Simon Saw-Teong Ang for hiding ties to the Chinese government and Chinese universities while he worked on projects funded by NASA.The indictment said Ang was secretly part of the Xi-backed Thousand Talents program, which Washington says China uses to collect research from abroad.Arkansas Professor Accused of Not Disclosing Ties to China Simon S. Ang is arrested on a wire fraud count after failing to disclosure his close ties with China on an application for a NASA grantAlso on Monday, Li Xiaojiang, a former professor at Emory University in Atlanta, admitted tax fraud in a case focused on his hidden earnings from China, also as a participant in the Thousand Talents program.Senator Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said such cases combined with the coronavirus are forcing China to change its tactics.”Beijing has shifted its recruitment efforts for the Thousand Talents Program online, and it has increased efforts to hack U.S. medical research institutes for COVID-19 information,” he said.Race for a vaccineBeijing has repeatedly denied the U.S. accusations.The FBI warning comes as dozens of companies, institutes and countries around the world are racing to develop vaccines to halt the coronavirus.Many more groups are researching treatments for infected patients. Currently there is no proven therapy.An effective vaccine could allow countries to reopen and potentially earn billions of dollars for its creators.Most expert believe it will take more than a year to get a vaccine fully approved, and much longer to produce enough of it.Government-backed cyber operators in Iran, North Korea, Russia and China have been accused of pumping out false coronavirus news and targeting workers and scientists.Britain said last week it had detected large-scale “password spraying” tactics — hackers trying to access accounts through commonly used passwords — aimed at health care bodies and medical research organizations.Sanctions, compensationIncreasingly, U.S. officials are discussing punishing China and seeking compensation for the costs of the pandemic.In April, the U.S. state of Missouri sued China’s leadership over what it described as deliberate deception and insufficient action to stop the virus.On Tuesday, Republican senators proposed legislation that would empower Trump to slap sanctions on China if Beijing does not give a “full accounting” for the coronavirus outbreak.”Their outright deception of the origin and spread of the virus cost the world valuable time and lives as it began to spread,” Senator Jim Inhofe said in a statement. 
 
…

The Class of 2020 may as well be dubbed the Class of COVID-19.Graduating seniors said an abrupt and socially distanced goodbye to their campuses in March when classes moved online in a matter of days. The pandemic stripped much of the pomp and all of the in-person options from commencement ceremonies. And the graduates now enter a job market in which unemployment is the highest since the Great Depression. Here is how the coronavirus altered seven students’ futures, according to the Wisconsin State Journal: Emily Gray, 23 Hometown: Mount Horeb Major: Paralegal studies Emily Gray needed 140 hours of internship experience to graduate from Madison Area Technical College’s paralegal program. She had accumulated just 40 of those hours when the spread of COVID-19 led to the Community Immigration Law Center’s closure. Panic immediately set in that she would not receive her diploma this May. But instructors were “wildly accommodating” with makeup work, Gray said. The job search began in the winter. Gray doesn’t remember how many applications she submitted, but it was enough to feel good about her chances of landing a job shortly after graduation. She fielded several calls from firms and was in the early stage of setting up interviews when the coronavirus arrived. Companies’ interest ground to a halt. Gray wants to work in immigration law, but she may temporarily set that interest aside and consider other areas of the law that may see a surge in work as the economy recovers, such as workers’ compensation. She’s also broadening the geography of her search. Gray graduated from the University of Minnesota last spring and would love to return to the Twin Cities, but is now considering jobs in Madison and elsewhere in the Midwest. Gray has put her job search on hold — she can only hear “Sorry, we’re just not hiring right now” so many times — and plans to start applying again when positions pop back up. When the immigration center where she interned opens again, she said leaders would welcome her back as a volunteer to gain the experience she lost out on this semester. “Everything’s sort of in limbo,” she said. In this May 5, 2020 photo, University of Wisconsin Bookstore worker Stephanie Blaser packages GPA honor stoles purchased by UW-Madison graduates at the store’s State Street location in Madison, Wis.Bailey Whiting, 22 Hometown: Cambridge Major: Kinesiology Bailey Whiting received her UW-Madison diploma, but she’s already worried about the next one. She plans to apply in the fall to graduate physical therapy programs, which require at least 40 observational hours, though most successful applicants record upwards of 150 hours. Whiting had an internship lined up at American Family Children’s Hospital this summer, but the facility suspended interns from the hospital because of COVID-19. Volunteers are also temporarily banned, scuttling another avenue for her to accumulate observational hours. Depending on how the pandemic plays out, Whiting said she may not tally enough hours and end up pushing her application to the following year. “I’m just really stuck right now,” she said. Whiting found a different job, providing behavioral therapy for children with autism, but the job won’t count toward her observational hours. And COVID-19 restricts her from working inside homes, so she will provide care via video calls, at least initially. Her final semester was filled with coronavirus cancellations: No spring Varsity Band concert, no traveling to Boston with the band to perform at the women’s hockey Final Four tournament. She toyed with the idea of watching the online graduation ceremony but thought she might just wait for the real one instead. Payton Wade, 22 Hometown: Milwaukee Major: Journalism and strategic communications Payton Wade’s excitement for UW-Madison’s commencement ceremony was so high that she sent save-the-date notes to family and friends. Wade, the first in her family to graduate from a four-year university, instead celebrated by watching the online ceremony in her parents’ living room. Rather than receiving real-life flowers and applause, she collected comments and likes on her social media posts. “I’m not really getting the closure of completing my four years here,” she said. In a few weeks, Wade plans to move to Dallas, where she accepted a position as an agent manager at Liberty National. The insurance industry hadn’t really been on her radar, but after several weeks of hearing little back from other companies to which she had applied, the late April employment offer was met with relief. Wade’s relationship with UW-Madison is complicated. She called out the university last fall for a video featuring a nearly all-white student body, an episode that drew national attention. There were moments throughout her four years where she felt unwelcome and wished she were far from the campus where 70% of undergraduates are white. But she is also proud to be a Badger and perceives an improvement in UW-Madison’s racial climate since she started as a student in 2016. Wade hopes her new work schedule will allow her to return to campus for the in-person commencement ceremony. Alex King, 22 Hometown: Sun Prairie Major: Political science and legal studies Alex King capped off his college career in a large venue — just not the one he imagined. Instead of celebrating at Camp Randall, King, a member of the Wisconsin Air National Guard, is serving at State Fair Park, a COVID-19 isolation facility in Milwaukee. As the university shifted to online instruction, King found himself with more free time, so he answered the Guard’s call for volunteers in April. He is among a group of Guard members on standby there, ready to serve if there’s a surge of patients to care for in Wisconsin. “This was an opportunity to dive in and be part of the state’s response to this,” he said. “This is why I joined the Guard: to help people out. It’s an honor to be a part of the effort.” Over the past several weeks, King received personal care assistant training to help the nurses on the front lines of the pandemic. In the future, King plans to serve full time with the Guard as a pilot in the 115th Fighter Wing. His flight training, however, will likely be delayed because of the virus. He is assigned to COVID-19 detail for as long as the Guard needs him. It’s unclear how long that will last, given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus. “It’s very day-by-day,” he said, referring to his new schedule. In this May 7, 2020 photo, a statue of Abraham Lincoln, a traditional gathering spot for photos of graduates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wis., remains fenced-off to visitors.Alyssa Allemand, 21 Hometown: Gibson City, Illinois Major: English Alyssa Allemand applied earlier this semester for a job at Isthmus. A few weeks later, the alt-weekly newspaper announced it would “go dark” during the pandemic. Allemand submitted applications to two other news outlets in late February and early March, both of whom informed her they were no longer hiring. The Edgewood College student knew even before the pandemic that jumping into the journalism field would be a challenge, but COVID-19 has only exacerbated her job prospects. Most media outlets have furloughed or laid off employees instead of hiring more. She considered applying for journalism jobs across the country, but she’s a homebody and the thought of moving cross-country in the middle of a pandemic terrifies her. Serving as editor of the student newspaper helped Allemand recognize how much she wants to be a journalist. While she doesn’t have a job lined up yet, she has hope that something will come through. But just in case, she’s applying for jobs in other fields, too. Nikki Johnson, 24 Hometown: Warrens Major: Recreation management Madison Area Technical College student Nikki Johnson landed her dream job working for Destination Madison in December. Travelers arriving at Dane County Regional Airport turned to Johnson, who staffed an informational booth in one of the terminals, for restaurant recommendations and hotel directions. She loved the part-time job so much she hoped it would turn into a full-time gig, but the pandemic twisted Johnson’s hope of a job offer into a layoff. She said Destination Madison told her when the economy rebounds, she will be one of the first hired back. Johnson suspected she would be out of the job even before the call came in late March and had already started looking for work in a sector of the economy seeing growth: groceries. She jumped at a job listing for Walmart, where she spent several weeks stocking shelves. Johnson still has a full-time job lined up with Dane County Parks. But it’s seasonal and only goes through October. “It’d be nice to have a permanent job so when winter comes around I’m not stuck,” she said. Winter also marks when she plans to complete her other degree in hospitality. She is crossing her fingers that the world looks a little different then and she can cross a real stage. Laura Downer, 21 Hometown: Victoria, Minnesota Major: International studies, German and political science Laura Downer labored over her internship application for the U.S. State Department for months. The “intense” process began in September, and the UW-Madison student set her sights on a position at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. She had spent a year studying abroad in Germany her sophomore year and fell in love with the language and culture. Downer received the internship offer in the winter. The cancellation notification came mid-April. “I saw it coming but it’s also really disappointing,” she said. “It would have been a dream internship — the absolute No. 1 thing I wanted to do.” Downer is unsure how she will spend her summer. She applied for half a dozen positions even before the internship was called off, but hasn’t received so much as a confirmation email. She found some part-time project work in the La Follette School of Public Affairs, where she will finish her master’s degree next year. And her position as student body president was extended through August because elections were postponed this spring. As for the end of her undergraduate career, Downer watched the online commencement ceremony with her parents in Minnesota. A cousin who is also graduating this year may join her on a socially distanced celebration picnic. “We’ll try to find a way to make it special,” she said. “Still, I’m grateful I get a re-do of graduation next year.” 
…

Tina Fey shed tears after announcing that more than $115 million was raised toward supporting New Yorkers impacted by COVID-19 during a virtual telethon.  
“Thank you, thank you,” said a tearful Fey, the host of the Rise Up New York! event Monday evening. The Emmy-winning actress along with other A-list celebrities from Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Lopez and Michael Strahan asked for donations to help relief and recovery efforts.
“Our city is under attack, but we’ve been here before,” Robert De Niro said. “In the last 20 years, both 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy. You can take your best shot but you cannot break our spirit.”
The one-hour benefit was presented by the New York-based poverty fighting organization, Robin Hood, and iHeartMedia.  
Robin Hood said all the donations will provide support for food, shelter, cash assistance, mental health, legal services and education.  
“If you had breakfast today, you are better off than 2 million of your neighbors who woke up hungry,” Fey said.
Mariah Carey performed her 1992 song “Make It Happen.” She sang while her backup singers and pianist performed on separate screens to the upbeat tune.  
“We can make it through this together,” Carey said.  
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Cynthia Erivo, Idina Menzel, Ben Platt and others performed a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s classic song “New York, New York.” Lopez introduced PS22 Chorus, a collection of New York elementary school students who sang Andra Day’s “Rise Up.”
“New York, I know your strength,” said Lopez, a New York native.
Spike Lee shared encouraging words that sports would return someday soon. Streisand and Audra McDonald showed the same optimism about New York City’s Theater District coming back “stronger than ever” after being closed due to the pandemic lockdown.  
New York Giants greats including Strahan, Eli Manning, Phil Simms and Justin Tuck announced an opportunity through a sweepstakes for one fan to play a game of touch football with the players in their own backyard and get a Super Bowl ring. The winner of the sweepstakes and three friends will have a chance to play against the players.
Other musical performances included Sting’s “Message in a Bottle” and Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life.”
Billy Joel closed out the benefit performing “Miami 2017” after being introduced by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The performance was simultaneously shown on 13 of Time Square’s digital billboards. A choreographed lighting show debuted at the Empire State Building that will repeat at 9 p.m. EST throughout the week.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover.
…