Virus fears: U.S. response too little, too late

Untrained U.S. workers broke quarantine with virus evacuees. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

🗳️ South Carolina’s long been called “the Black primary,” but HuffPost spoke to residents of Columbia who are approaching the election with views and values as diverse as America itself. Read our feature Black At The Ballot. ‌ Get full coverage of Saturday's South Carolina primary on our elections page. By Holly Thomas TOP STORIES ‌ Friday, February 28 ‌ INVESTORS FEAR: U.S. RESPONSE TOO LITTE, TOO LATE  Investment advisers are increasingly worried that U.S. authorities are not doing enough to prevent a widespread outbreak of coronavirus in the country, potentially adding further downside to already-battered markets. Criticisms include the number of people so far tested for the virus, the difficulties of imposing lockdowns on U.S. cities, and concerns that the White House could bungle containment efforts. [Reuters] ‌ STAFF WHO MET VIRUS EVACUEES 'HAD NO TRAINING OR PROTECTION' Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services sent more than a dozen untrained, ill-equipped workers to California this month to receive the Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China, according to the whistleblower’s 24-page complaint. The workers met with patients without protective gear at quarantined California military facilities, then at least one departed on a commercial flight. [HuffPost] ‌ SAUDI ARABIA BARS FOREIGN PILGRIMS Saudi Arabia banned foreign pilgrims from entering the kingdom to visit Islam’s holiest sites over the new coronavirus, potentially disrupting the plans of millions of faithful ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and as the annual hajj pilgrimage looms. The ban reflects fears across the Middle East as cases spiked in Iran, where Iranian vice president Masoumeh Ebtekar is among the infected. [HuffPost] ‌ COURT KEEPS EX-SHERIFF'S CONVICTION, CITES TRUMP PARDON An appeals court has denied former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio’s bid to erase his criminal conviction for disobeying a 2011 court order, saying President Donald Trump’s pardon makes it unnecessary. Arpaio was convicted for disobeying an order barring his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. [AP] ‌ BLOOMBERG ON EX-FELON VOTING RIGHTS: 'THEY'RE NOT GOING TO VOTE ANYWAY' Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg released a plan last month to restore voting rights to convicted felons who have served their sentences, but he didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the issue just a year earlier. In May 2018, the former New York mayor lamented: "I don’t know why we spend so much time ― they’re not going to vote anyway. They’re so few, come on.” [HuffPost] ‌ SYRIAN AIRSTRIKES KILL 33 TURKISH TROOPS, BOOSTING TENSIONS Syrian government airstrikes killed 33 Turkish troops in Syria, boosting tensions between the strongman-led governments in Ankara and Moscow. The escalation raised the possibility of all-out war, with millions of civilians caught in the middle. [AP] ‌ GUAM ISLANDERS FINALLY GET PAID AFTER WAR ATROCITIES  Payments of $10,000 to $25,000 — federal tax money normally reserved for Guam’s coffers — will be made to those native Guam islanders who underwent forced labor or internment, suffered severe injury or rape, or lost loved ones during the U.S. territory’s nearly three-year occupation. A 1951 peace treaty forgave Japan of the responsibility to pay reparations. [HuffPost] WHAT'S BREWING ‌ GOPer TURNS IMPEACHMENT INTO FUNDRAISING BOON  Impeachment appears to have been a boon for Trump, with the president enjoying the highest approval ratings of his presidency. Impeachment has also been a boon for his defender Rep. Elise Stefanik, who in November seeks reelection to the upstate New York seat that she has held since 2015. Stefanik’s most recent campaign filing revealed that she raised $3.2 million in the last three months of 2019. [HuffPost] ‌ WHAT IF SCHOOLS CLOSED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS? On Thursday, Japan took the extraordinary step of asking all schools in the country to close for about a month in an effort to curb coronavirus contagion. Should the coronavirus begin to spread throughout the U.S., as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned, American schools could also be subject to mass closures, creating a potential mess for working parents and the economy. [HuffPost] ‌ BIDEN BETS BIG ON SOUTH CAROLINA “Today was an important day for me,” Joe Biden declared Wednesday at a town hall packed with supporters in South Carolina. Hours earlier, Biden’s longtime friend and the highest-ranking Black member of Congress, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), delivered an emotional endorsement. Biden hopes that a victory Saturday will spur further success in next week’s Super Tuesday contests, where he’s not been as visible due to a lack of resources. [HuffPost] ‌ BLOOMBERG'S NYPD COZIED UP TO A HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSER  Few Americans see the United Arab Emirates as a shining example of human rights. But as mayor of New York, Bloomberg allowed the New York Police Department to initiate and expand a law enforcement relationship with the repressive government there at a time when the UAE was known to be practicing aggressive policies that would be illegal in the United States. [HuffPost] ‌ U.S. RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS KILLED 330 IN A DECADE  Domestic right-wing extremists have killed over 300 people in the United States in the last 10 years, a new study finds, with a deadly attack at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, closing out a decade marked by white nationalist terror. There were reportedly 42 murders in the U.S. committed by extremists in 2019. Of those, 38 were committed by people subscribing to far-right ideologies. [HuffPost] ‌ YOU'RE PROBABLY SUFFERING FROM 'ECO-ANXIETY' A former Los Angeles creative designer, Massman-Johnson, 52, spent decades working with big clients like Disney. When his son and daughter were in elementary school, he and a handful of other parents formed a “green committee” to help teach the kids about environmentalism. Over the next 15 years, passion grew into obsession: The more Massman-Johnson learned more about climate change, the more alarmed he became. [HuffPost] We Belong Here: Black History Month 2020 Black At The Ballot South Carolina’s long been called “the Black primary,” but HuffPost spoke to residents of Columbia who are approaching the election with views and values as diverse as America itself. ‌ Visit our full Black History Month coverage on our dedicated page. Read More BEFORE YOU GO Canada won't pay Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's security costs after March. Camila María Concepción, Netflix series writer and trans activist, dies at 28. How long does coronavirus live on surfaces, does disinfecting work? People are blaming Jordan Peele for ruining classic songs forever. Five signs your partner's porn habits -- or your own -- have become problematic. Wharton School names its first Black female dean in history. Miley Cyrus apparently flashed her boyfriend Cody Simpson to help him sing better. Barbara Corcoran of "Shark Tank" scammed out of $400,000. What to do if you're anxious about coronavirus. The feeling you get after surviving layoffs has a name. These couples live in separate bedrooms, and they're happier for it. Britney Spears shares shocking video of her foot breaking. Quaden Bayles' family forgoes crowdfunded Disney trip to help charities. NYT editor discovers Lady Gaga's "mystery man" is actually her ex. Newborn baby makes epic face in viral birth photo. Love this newsletter? Share it with a friend! 👋 You may have noticed that our website is now www.huffpost.com. Don't worry, it'll still be the same HuffPost you know and love, just with a new URL. Make sure to update your bookmarks! HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media Group. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn more. ‌ Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? - Subscribe here!   ©2020 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email becuase you signed up for updates from HuffPost ‌ Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe