Trumps inner circle

WASHINGTON: In mid-March, President Donald Trump personally pressed federal health officials to make malaria drugs available to treat the novel coronavirus, though they had been untested for COVID-19, two sources told Reuters. Shortly afterward, the federal government published highly unusual guidance informing doctors they had the option to prescribe the drugs, with key dosing information based on unattributed anecdotes rather than peer-reviewed science. While Trump, in a series of tweets and press comments, had made his opinions on the drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, well known, the nature of his behind-the-scenes intervention has not been previously reported. The guidance, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has received scant notice outside medical circles. The episode reveals how the president’s efforts could change the nature of drug oversight, a field long governed by strict rules of science and testing. Rarely, if ever, has a … [Read more...] about Pressed by Trump, US pushed unproven coronavirus treatment guidance

Cryptocurrency miners are going to have to leave Inner Mongolia. Bloomberg today reported that the autonomous region within the People's Republic of China recently banned cryptocurrency mining in an effort to reduce its power consumption in 2021. The Inner Mongolia Development and Reform Commission announced the plan, which has yet to go into effect, on February 25. Bloomberg said the draft plan would ban "new digital coin projects" in addition to the mining of existing cryptocurrencies. It's no secret that cryptocurrency mining requires a lot of power—and not just the kind afforded by modern graphics cards , dedicated processors , and gaming laptops . Turning math into money uses plenty of electricity, too, which is the problem here. A study published by Nature in 2018 estimated that, on an electricity-used-to-dollars-earned basis, cryptocurrency mining required more energy than rare earth mining. A more recent estimate said Bitcoin mining alone uses more power … [Read more...] about Inner Mongolia Bans Cryptocurrency Mining

Staying home doesn’t sound like a very intriguing idea? Actor Kevin Bacon has a plan – he launched the #IStayHomeFor initiation to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. "So if you're home too like me, post a video or photo with a sign like mine, telling who you are staying home for and ask 6 friends to do the same. Post it with the hashtag #IStayHomeFor so I can see and share. Let's spread the word! The more folks involved, the merrier - because we're all connected by various degrees (Trust me, I know!)." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kevin Bacon (@kevinbacon) The actor kicked off the initiative with six famous friends David Beckham, Jimmy Fallon, Elton John, Demi Lovato, Brandi Carlile and Kevin Hart. His inner circle responded and so did the rest of Hollywood. View this post on Instagram A post shared by David Beckham … [Read more...] about Kevin Bacon, David Beckham, Demi Lovato champion #IStayHomeFor amid COVID-19 outbreak

The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions targeting a number of senior Russian officials and businesses over the attempted murder and jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The 27-nation bloc imposed bans on travel and froze the assets in Europe of four members of Vladimir Putin 's inner circle. They are: • Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation An EU statement said the four were listed "over their roles in the arbitrary arrest, prosecution and sentencing of Mr Navalny , as well as the repression of peaceful protests in connection with his unlawful treatment". Meanwhile, the US announced sanctions of its own against Russian officials and businesses. Advertisement Senior members of president Joe Biden 's administration did not immediately identify the Russian officials named in them. Fourteen businesses, most of which it said were involved in production of … [Read more...] about US and EU hit Russia with co-ordinated sanctions over attempted murder and jailing of Alexei Navalny

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing renewed calls to resign as an investigation into sexual harassment allegations takes shape. The Democrat is also embroiled in a COVID-19 scandal after it was revealed the state underreported deaths in nursing homes. Anna Ruch became the third woman to accuse Cuomo of harassment on Monday. A former Biden campaign worker, she told The New York Times the governor touched her and asked if he could kiss her within moments of meeting her at a wedding in 2019. With growing calls for him to resign and even suggestions that he could be impeached, attention has turned to the woman who would succeed him: Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul. Hochul is a Democrat who has served as lieutenant governor since 2015. She was Cuomo's running mate in his second gubernatorial election in 2014 and is his second lieutenant governor, succeeding Robert Duffy. Hochul served in the House of Representatives for New York's 26th congressional district from 2011 to … [Read more...] about Who Is Kathy Hochul? New York Lt. Governor Would Take Over if Scandals Topple Andrew Cuomo