FDA Loosens Restrictions on Homosexual Men Donating Blood Amid Pandemic

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The federal government is loosening restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men in light of a blood shortage brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

In revised guidelines published Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended a three-month deferral for men who have sex with men. The previous policy was a full year ban.

The new guidelines will remain in place throughout the pandemic and will be updated to incorporate public comment within 60 days of the emergency being lifted. . .

The three-month deferral also applies to those who recently got tattoos or piercings, as well as former sex workers or injection drug users, who were previously indefinitely banned from donating.

The FDA said experience in other countries like the United Kingdom and Canada with a three-month deferral and improved testing led the agency to make the change. (Read more from “FDA Loosens Restrictions on Homosexual Men Donating Blood Amid Pandemic” HERE)

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Ilhan Omar Suggests Sharia Punishment for Critic Who Accuses Her of Muslim Adultery

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Rep. Ilhan Omar suggested on Twitter Wednesday that a critic should face Sharia punishment for seeming to accuse her of adultery.

Omar, a Minnesota Democrat and practicing Muslim, had earlier commented on news that President Donald Trump had warned the next two weeks of the coronavirus outbreak would be “very painful” for Americans. . .

One Twitter user replied by invoking the Quran’s prohibition against “fornication/adultery.”

Omar took notice, and fired back with a reference to the Muslim holy book’s stance against accusing a woman of unchastity without sufficient evidence. According to Omar, Muslims are commanded to reject such “testimony” and to flog the offender “with eighty stripes” for being “disobedient to Allaah.”

(Read more from “Ilhan Omar Suggests Sharia Punishment for Critic Who Accuses Her of Muslim Adultery” HERE)

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Newborn Dies of Coronavirus in Connecticut; Healthy 30-Year-Old Baseball Coach Dies; Experts Tell White House Virus Can Spread Through Talking or Even Just Breathing

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By NBC Connecticut. The governor of Connecticut delivered heart-breaking news Wednesday about the COVID-19 pandemic and said an infant girl here in the state died of coronavirus.

The 7-week-old baby girl was from Hartford, according to Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.

The unidentified child was unresponsive when taken to the hospital recently and could not be revived. The infant tested positive during a postmortem exam for the virus that causes COVID-19, said Josh Geballe, the governor’s chief operating officer. . .

Dr. James Gill, the state’s chief medical examiner, said the infant had no other known medical conditions, the Associated Press reported. An autopsy has been done but more tests are needed before a cause of death can be determined, he said. (Read more from “Newborn Dies of Coronavirus in Connecticut” HERE)

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Healthy 30-Year-Old Baseball Coach Dies of Coronavirus

By Breitbart. An otherwise healthy 30-year-old baseball coach in New Jersey has died of the coronavirus, according to a report.

District Superintendent Michael Romagnino released a letter on Monday to parents noting that Ben Luderer, a teacher and varsity baseball coach at Cliffside Park school #6, passed away this week.

Luderer took ill last week, and by March 27 was taken to a local hospital where he soon went on oxygen, his family told BuzzFeed.

The family added that Luderer was soon sent home but began spiraling down. By Sunday, he was reportedly unable to move in bed. . .

By 6 AM on Monday, Luderer had died in his bed at home. (Read more from “Healthy 30-Year-Old Baseball Coach Dies of Coronavirus” HERE)

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Experts Tell White House Coronavirus Can Spread Through Talking or Even Just Breathing

By CNN. A prestigious scientific panel told the White House Wednesday night that research shows coronavirus can be spread not just by sneezes or coughs, but also just by talking, or possibly even just breathing.

“While the current [coronavirus] specific research is limited, the results of available studies are consistent with aerosolization of virus from normal breathing,” according to the letter, written by Dr. Harvey Fineberg, chairman of a committee with the National Academy of Sciences.

Fineberg told CNN that he will wear start wearing a mask when he goes to the grocery store.

“I’m not going to wear a surgical mask, because clinicians need those,” said Fineberg, former dean of the Harvard School of Public Health. “But I have a nice western-style bandana I might wear. Or I have a balaclava. I have some pretty nice options.” (Read more from “Experts Tell White House Coronavirus Can Spread Through Talking or Even Just Breathing” HERE)

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‘Shocking’ List of What’s Killed the Most People in 2020

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With millions of Americans concerned about coronavirus, radio host Rush Limbaugh is providing some perspective on the actual number of fatalities from COVID-19 compared to those from other causes.

On his Wednesday broadcast, Limbaugh cited a list from worldometers.info that rounded up the worldwide deaths from Jan. 1 through March 25 of 2020:

“Coronavirus: 21,000 deaths.

Seasonal flu: 113,000.

Malaria: 228,000.

Suicide: 249,000.

Traffic fatalities, 313, almost 314,000 deaths.

HIV/AIDS, 391,000 deaths.

Alcohol related deaths, 581,000.

Smoking-related deaths, 1,162,000.

Cancer deaths, 1,909,000 deaths.

Deaths attributed to starvation, 2,382,000 deaths.

And death by abortion, 9,900,000.”

(Read more from “‘Shocking’ List of What’s Killed the Most People in 2020” HERE)

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Doctor Dies of Coronavirus After Leaving Retirement to Fight the Pandemic

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A retired British doctor who returned to work to help battle the country’s coronavirus outbreak died of the disease this week, according to new reports.

Dr. Alfa Saadu, 68, died Tuesday morning after suffering from the infection for two weeks, his son Dani said in a social media post, Metro UK reported.

He worked at the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, until his passing.

“‘My dad was a living legend, worked for the NHS for nearly 40 years saving people’s lives here and in Africa,” Dani wrote. “Up until he got sick, he was still working part-time saving people.”

Dani told Huffington Post UK that his father was “a very passionate man, who cared about saving people.” (Read more from “Doctor Dies of Coronavirus After Leaving Retirement to Fight the Pandemic” HERE)

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Biden in a Coronavirus Groundhog Day-Like Loop

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By Washington Examiner. Joe Biden is living in reminiscent of the 1993 film Groundhog Day, stuck in limbo and answering the same questions over and over while trying to move on to taking his place as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Isolated in his Wilmington, Delaware home, Biden says that his day starts with two meetings with advisers: one on the status of the coronavirus pandemic and government response and one on the economy.

Later in the day, the former vice president heads to his basement recreation room to his newly-constructed professional studio, where he either gives a live-stream address or appears on a television show.

The hits are often very similar to each other. Biden finds ways to mention that he wants up to $10,000 in student loans canceled for those affected by the coronavirus, a temporary month ban on evictions, and for President Trump to use the Defense Production Act to create medical supplies. . .

Biden tries to strike a balance of firm without being so critical that he comes off as opportunistic. As a result, the former vice president is fading away from the public psyche. A Yahoo/YouGov poll released Tuesday found that Biden is one of the least viable public figures during the crisis, with only 17% of respondents saying that they have heard “a lot” from the former vice president. (Read more from “Biden in a Coronavirus Groundhog Day-Like Loop” HERE)

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Biden Says Coronavirus’ Impact on Health System Hasn’t Changed His Mind on Single-Payer

By CNBC. Former Vice President Joe Biden said Monday that he was not reconsidering his opposition to single-payer health care despite the strain that the coronavirus pandemic has put on the existing health-care system.

“Single-payer will not solve that at all,” Biden said during an interview on MSNBC.

Biden is running against Sen. Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination. Biden is ahead in delegates, 1,181 to 871, out of 1,991 needed to win, according to an NBC News tracker.

Sanders’ “Medicare-for-all” proposal to overhaul the health-care system and implement a single-payer, government-run system was a focus of the race even before the public health crisis erupted in the U.S. and essentially knocked both men off the campaign trail.

Biden has opposed the proposal, citing its costs, and suggested earlier in March that as president he might veto it, though his campaign later seemed to walk back the comments. (Read more from “Biden Says Coronavirus’ Impact on Health System Hasn’t Changed His Mind on Single-Payer” HERE)

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New York Doctor: ‘I Do’ Think an End to Coronavirus Crisis Is ‘in Sight’

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By Daily Caller. New York doctor and Fox News contributor Janette Nesheiwat said that the ongoing coronavirus crisis could be about to peak.

Taking a brief break from treating New York City hospital patients on Tuesday to speak to Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer on “Bill Hemmer Reports,” Nesheiwat said this has been her “busiest week of coronavirus patients” yet. . .

“Do you see an end in sight?” Hemmer asked.

“I do, I absolutely do,” she responded. “I feel we are at the point where we’re getting all the resources and the support that we need whether it’s supplies, whether it’s staff, whether it’s the space to have to put patients. We got that ship. When I saw that ship pull up, I got chilled and I got teary-eyed because I felt that we are now getting all the tools that we need to help take care of our patients.” (Read more from “New York Doctor: ‘I Do’ Think an End to Coronavirus Crisis Is ‘in Sight’” HERE)

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New York, ‘Still in Search of the Apex,’ Sees Another Spike in Coronavirus Cases

By NPR. New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus’ spread in the U.S., has reported yet another sizable leap in confirmed cases. With more than 9,200 new cases, the state’s grand total is more than 75,000 as of midday Tuesday.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is warning that the rise in the number of New York’s confirmed cases is only going to get steeper as testing increases and more time passes.

“We’re all in search of the apex and the other side of the mountain,” he told a news conference Tuesday.

“That’s where the main battle is going to be, the apex of the curve,” he added, referring to graphs projecting the number of COVID-19 cases over time. The top of the curve, in other words, reflects the moment at which the volume of cases reaches its peak. “And then we come down the other side of the mountain. We are planning now for the battle at the top of the mountain.”

New York has reported nearly five times as many confirmed cases of the coronavirus as any other state — a gap that may grow larger as the state ramps up testing. Of the more than 18,000 tests undertaken there since Monday, Cuomo said that roughly half returned a coronavirus diagnosis. (Read more from “New York, ‘Still in Search of the Apex,’ Sees Another Spike in Coronavirus Cases” HERE)

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Federal Judges Rule Killing Babies Is an Essential Service

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Federal judges on Monday blocked officials in Texas, Ohio and Alabama from banning most abortions in those states as part of their orders to postpone surgeries and other procedures deemed not medically necessary during the coronavirus crisis.

The rulings came in a series of legal actions aimed at blocking steps by various Republican-led states cracking down on abortion during the pandemic.

The first of the decisions involved Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s announcement last week that abortion providers were covered by a state order that required postponement of non-urgent medical procedures to preserve hospital beds and equipment during the pandemic.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin ruled that Paxton’s action “prevents Texas women from exercising what the Supreme Court has declared is their fundamental constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy before a fetus is viable.”

The Texas lawsuit was filed last Wednesday after clinics said they were forced to cancel hundreds of appointments for abortions across the state. (Read more from “Federal Judges Rule Killing Babies Is an Essential Service” HERE)

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Armed Vigilantes Chop Down Tree, Block Driveway to Force Neighbor to Self-Quarantine Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

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A group of armed vigilantes cut down a tree and dragged it across a man’s driveway in Maine to force him to quarantine in his home amid fears he could be infected with the coronavirus, officials said.

A man residing on Cripple Creek Road in Vinalhaven, an island off the coast of Maine, called authorities around 3:35 p.m. Friday to report a group of people with guns had cut down a large tree and dragged it in front of his driveway, blocking access to the main road.

The man said he left his house to check his property when he noticed the cable went out. The unidentified man said he retreated to his home and hailed the Coast Guard for help using a VHF radio after a neighbor began yelling at him to get indoors and remain quarantined.

The armed group had dispersed before authorities arrived. Deputies with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Maine Marine Patrol and a Coast Guard boarding party, responded to the scene. The incident remains under investigation.

“Deputies have learned that there is a general belief by some island residents that the Cripple Creek Residents are supposed to be quarantined because they came here from another state and could have COVID-19,” the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in Maine said in a Facebook post. (Read more from “Armed Vigilantes Chop Down Tree, Block Driveway to Force Neighbor to Self-Quarantine Amid Coronavirus Pandemic” HERE)

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Report: Jeffrey Epstein Threw Harvey Weinstein out of His House for Abusing ‘Favorite’ Girl; How Jeffrey Epstein Lured Young Women by Introducing Them to Harvey Weinstein With the Promise of Landing Roles

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By Washington Examiner. Jeffrey Epstein once “kicked” now fellow convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein out of his French home for trying to abuse one of his “favorite girls.”

“Weinstein was at Epstein’s apartment in France receiving a massage from one of Epstein’s girls when he attempted to aggressively convert the massage into something sexual,” Brad Edwards, a lawyer for some of Epstein’s accusers, wrote in a new book excerpt obtained by the Sun. “The girl rejected his advances. As the story goes, Harvey then verbally abused her for rejecting him.”

“Little did Harvey know, this was one of Epstein’s favourite girls at the time and Jeffrey viewed the aggressive mistreatment as disrespectful to him,” the lawyer wrote. “Jeffrey then came into the room, got in Harvey’s face, and kicked him out of his house, delivering the message that he was never to come back.” (Read more from “Report: Jeffrey Epstein Threw Harvey Weinstein out of His House for Abusing ‘Favorite’ Girl” HERE)

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How Jeffrey Epstein Lured Young Women by Introducing Them to Harvey Weinstein With the Promise of Landing Roles – but Their Friendship Ended When the Hollywood Exec Tried to Assault One of the Billionaire Pedophile’s ‘Favorite Girls’

By Daily Mail. Jeffrey Epstein used his connections to disgraced Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein to lure young women into his sex trafficking ring with the promise of landing roles.

According to the Daily Beast, Epstein would flout his Hollywood ties to impress women, introducing them to rapist Weinstein and even helped then-21-year-old Chauntae Davies book a small role in a 2005 horror film produced by a Weinstein-owned company.

But the relationship between the two sexual predators soured when Epstein accused Weinstein of attempting to sexually assault one of his ‘favorite girls’.

Davies says she was a massage therapy student in California when she was recruited into Epstein’s trafficking ring in 2001. She claims she was sexually abused by the billionaire before she escaped in 2005.

Her attorney Brad Edwards confirmed that Epstein introduced Davies to Weinstein, which got her an audition for the 2005 horror film Feast and then the role as ‘Drunk Girl’. (Read more from “How Jeffrey Epstein Lured Young Women by Introducing Them to Harvey Weinstein With the Promise of Landing Roles – but Their Friendship Ended When the Hollywood Exec Tried to Assault One of the Billionaire Pedophile’s ‘Favorite Girls'” HERE)

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