Amid coronavirus fears, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu sees an opening - CNN

Netanyahu has called for a national emergency government, consisting of all of the parties in the Knesset -- except the Arab parties -- to deal with the impact of the coronavirus. "In light of the world and national crisis, we have to unite our strength and form a strong and stable government that can pass a budget and take tough decisions," he said in a statement Sunday.

But he never included the Joint List of Arab parties, accusing them repeatedly of supporting terror in keeping up with his campaign strategy of attacking the political factions that represent some 20% of the country's population.

He suffered a significant political setback on Sunday evening, when Israel's President announced that Netanyahu's main opponent, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, had received enough support from lawmakers to get first crack at forming a new government. But Netanyahu continues to insist it is he, and not his inexperienced rival, who should be leading the country through the crisis.

Netanyahu's supporters see him as uniquely qualified to lead the country in this time of need. The longest serving prime minister in Israel's history has guided the country through several wars, dealt with dozens of world leaders, and largely become the face of Israel. To them, the coronavirus is one more challenge Netanyahu is sure to overcome.

His critics see things differently. They believe he is using a national emergency for his own political ends. Having failed to secure a governing majority after three straight elections, Netanyahu is now trying to leverage the coronavirus to post facto build a government, they argue.

Emergency government calls

On Sunday morning, citing the pandemic, Netanyahu suggested the formation of an immediate emergency government for six months, or a unity government which he would lead for two years, after which rival Benny Gantz would take over as Prime Minister.

Ben Caspit, author of The Netanyahu Years and a frequent critic of the Prime Minister, viewed Netanyahu's calls for unity with utmost skepticism. "It's impossible to disconnect his call for an 'emergency government' or a 'unity government' from the fact that he failed once again to muster a majority in the Knesset," wrote Caspit in Sunday's Ma'ariv newspaper. "This situation is without precedent: a prime minister who has thrice been unsuccessful in his bid to get reelected, who last received the public's confidence back in 2015, but who refuses to hand over the reins and who has been exploiting a national crisis to retain his grip on power."

There was no mention in Netanyahu's statements of his upcoming criminal trial on charges of bribery and fraud and breach of trust, a crucial sticking point since Gantz and his Blue and White party have refused to serve under a Prime Minister who has been indicted.

Originally scheduled to begin on Tuesday, the trial has now been delayed for more than two months after the Justice Minister, considered one of those closest to Netanyahu, declared a 24-hour "state of emergency" in the court system to deal with the spread of coronavirus. Within hours, the three judges appointed to preside over the Prime Minister's case had moved to postpone the trial opening until May 24th.

The coronavirus had done what Netanyahu's high-powered legal team could not -- delay the start of the trial and give him more time to lead the country.

Netanyahu's former Defense Minister, Moshe Ya'alon, who is now one of the top members of Gantz's Blue and White, tweeted on Saturday: "Anyone who criticized us when we warned of the dangers of Israel becoming like Erdogan's Turkey should think carefully about the cynical exploitation of the coronavirus crisis, for personal political needs, by a defendant facing trial."

There is no doubt that Israel is in a state of emergency because of the coronavirus, that will affect the economy, the military, the government, and the people. On the face of it, a unity government made up of the biggest parties might well offer the sort of strong and stable option that mainstream Israel is looking for in these trying times. Much less certain is how to get there.

Over the weekend, Gantz and Netanyahu were still trading barbs. On Sunday evening, Netanyahu accused Blue and White of "lying to its voters" because of its willingness to form a government with the support of the Arab parties. Last week, he tweeted that such a government would be a "disaster for Israel."

Gantz was just as acerbic. "Netanyahu, let's not manipulate the public," he said on Twitter. "If you're interested in unity, why postpone your trial at 1 a.m. and send an 'emergency unity' outline to the press, rather than sending your negotiating team to a meeting. As opposed to you, I will continue to support every appropriate governmental measure, leaving political considerations aside. When you get serious, we can talk."

In 2008, as corruption investigations were closing in on then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Netanyahu said, "A prime minister steeped up to his neck in investigations doesn't have a moral or public mandate to make such fateful decisions regarding the state of Israel." Then the leader of the opposition, Netanyahu called on Olmert to resign, which he did a short time later.

Netanyahu now finds himself staring down his own words, as his critics call on him to heed his past advice.

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2020-03-16 15:28:04Z
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Trump claims coronavirus is under control -- contradicting reality and his own top expert - CNN

The fresh sign of Trump's unwillingness to accept the full, sobering reality of the outbreak came as an anxious America knuckles down to its new self-isolating reality. The country is bracing for the full fury of the virus that is already escalating sharply and is set to subject the foundations of basic life — the nation's health care, economic and political systems — to a fateful test.

The number of US infections raced up to at least 3,485, including 65 deaths, up more than 500 cases in a day and up from a case load of 457 a week ago, showing how the crisis, that may not reach its peak for weeks, is accelerating.

Among his tweets on coronavirus Sunday, Trump suggested that his entire focus was not on the national emergency: He tweeted that he was thinking about a full pardon for his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who admitted lying to the FBI.

Earlier that day, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, warned that the US could face a similar crisis as Italy if citizens do not fully embrace self-isolation and social distancing, which are designed to flatten the curve of infections.

Asked whether hundreds of thousands of Americans could die, Fauci said on CNN's "State of the Union": "It could happen, and it could be worse." Fauci added that the limits on public life were designed to "try and make that not happen."

"If we go about our daily lives and not worry about everything," the death toll could be high, Fauci said. "People sometimes think that I'm overreacting. I like it when people are thinking I'm overreacting because that means we're doing it just right." Fauci also said he had not ruled out calling for a national lockdown in order to stem the spread of the virus.

The administration is expected to release new guidelines on social distancing -- for instance relating to bars and restaurants -- on Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday recommended not holding gatherings of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks. The White House Correspondents Association, which is urging its members to work from home when possible, has instituted a seating arrangement in which every other chair in the briefing room is vacant, and there are mandatory temperature checks for anyone seeking to enter White House grounds.

But serious questions remain over whether Trump's administration -- which was slow to recognize the threat, mischaracterized its impact and seemed most concerned about mitigating political damage -- has now got the federal act together.

Trump flagrantly contradicted Fauci's warnings at a White House briefing Sunday at which he celebrated the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates to 0% to help the shocked economy.

"It's a very contagious virus, it's incredible, but it's something we have tremendous control of," the President said.

Listen to the CNN Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction podcast with chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta here.

In a possible indication of how Trump's repeated misinformation is having an impact, a new poll by NBC and the Wall Street Journal Sunday showed that while seven in 10 Democrats are worried that they or someone in their family may catch the coronavirus, only 40% of Republicans, who are more likely to believe what they hear from the President and in conservative media, feel the same.

Trump's upbeat predictions about the coronavirus crisis did not just contrast with Fauci's warnings, they also clashed with the conditions being experienced by local officials.

"We have been behind on this disease since day one," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, told Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room."

"I believe on any projection that that flattening of the curve is not going to be enough. I don't see it as a curve. I see it as a wave. And the wave is going to crash on to our hospital system."

The coronavirus also dominated the opening exchanges of the CNN Democratic presidential debate on Sunday evening -- with former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders standing six feet apart in a Washington studio to comply with government health guidelines -- both arguing they would be far better at handling the pandemic than Trump.

"This is like a war, and in a war you do whatever is needed to be done to take care of your people," Biden said.

Sanders was scathing about Trump's handling of the crisis.

"First thing we have got to do, whether or not I'm president, is to shut this President up right now, because he's undermining the doctors and the scientists who are trying to help the American people," Sanders said. "It is unacceptable for him to be blabbering with un-factual information, which is confusing the general public."

Progress on testing logjam

One of the big criticisms of the administration's effort has been that it failed to make millions of coronavirus testing kits available sufficiently quickly.

Vice President Mike Pence announced Sunday that as of this week, more than 2,000 labs would come online nationwide with high-speed testing facilities.

He said that the new system would allow all Americans who need to be tested to go to a community site outside their normal health networks for testing. Officials asked that those at highest risk, the elderly and patients with pre-existing conditions be given priority.

Top officials were still unable to give full figures Sunday on how many Americans have now been tested after the disastrously slow roll out of diagnosis kits. The lack of clarity is seriously hampering efforts to keep pace with the disease.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine suggested on CNN's "State of the Union" that an estimated 100,000 undiagnosed infections could already have happened in his state alone.

"We have got a lot of people walking around in Ohio who are positive who've not been tested. Some don't know it. Some may never know it," the Republican governor said.

Despite his calls for national unity, Trump exploded at the media on Sunday after it emerged that his announcement that Google would quickly open a national virus testing website was at best premature and at worst highly misleading.

"The Fake and Corrupt News never called Google. They said this was not true. Even in times such as these, they are not truthful. Watch for their apology, it won't happen. More importantly, thank you to Google!" Trump tweeted.

The President, as is his custom, managed to make the story of coronavirus all about him this weekend. A White House reversal led him to get tested for the disease after interacting with several people last weekend who have since been diagnosed with COVID-19. Happily, the President, who shook hands with top CEOs at a press conference on Friday in contravention of his own government's advice, tested negative for the novel coronavirus, according to the White House.

While Trump's response has been marked by chaos and confusion -- The Washington Post on Sunday reported internal power games raging in the White House over the virus -- true leaders have been emerging all over the country. Governors, mayors and local officials have been making timely, high-stakes decisions and providing accurate information that sometimes surpasses that dispensed in White House briefings, which remain filled with self-congratulation and fawning praise for the President.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin solved one of the big questions of the Trump era: will the bitter recriminations between the White House and Congress -- especially in the wake of the impeachment drama -- stop both sides working together in a time of national crisis?

Mnuchin and Pelosi swapped multiple calls late last week brokering an economic stimulus plan that includes money for sick workers and small businesses hurt by the crisis. The Senate is expected to act on the package this week. The Speaker also said an additional plan for economic mitigation was already on the way.

And the White House is likely to ask Congress this week for another round of funding specifically for the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Veterans Affairs, two White House officials told CNN. Administration officials have discussed relying on the VA to supplement the broader health care system by taking care of civilians in the event the coronavirus crisis worsens.

New problems emerged with the federal authorities' response to the crisis over the weekend, which caused fresh tension with local political leaders.

Meanwhile, the massive lines at airports -- with passengers returning from abroad huddled in unhealthy crowds for virus screening -- suggest the government was unprepared for Trump's sudden orders.

"I want to make known my strong concerns and disappointments with the federal government's lack of preparedness in issuing new directives regarding airport screening," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that a White House staffer called to yell at him after he complained about the long lines at O'Hare airport.

"They should have increased the Customs and Border Patrol numbers. And they should have increased the number of CDC personnel on the ground doing those checks. They did neither of those," the Democratic governor said.

Trump asks Americans not to besiege supermarkets

Hospitals and medical staff are awaiting a spike in patients unsure whether they have sufficient breathing machines and intensive care beds for a rush of gravely ill patients.

Fauci said that in the worst case scenario he wants to prevent there may not be sufficient ventilators available for patients who need them.

"That's when you're going to have to make some very tough decisions," he told CNN's Brianna Keilar.

Fauci's sobering comments came as the fabric of everyday American life ebbed in the biggest economic and societal shutdown of the modern age.

DeWine suggested schools in his state could be out for the rest of the academic year. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an order outlawing price gouging of items like cleansing and disinfecting supplies that are in high demand.

City authorities in Washington, D.C., introduced new restrictions meant to cut down on the numbers of people in bars and restaurants after large crowds were out celebrating St. Patrick's Day over the weekend.

A trade group representing food and retail companies like Clorox, Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo told the State Department and the US Trade Representative they fear other countries cutting off exports to the US, which could exacerbate the public health emergency.

The group is particularly concerned about countries restricting chemicals, ingredients and products they manufacture from getting to the US.

Trump held a call with grocery, food and beverage corporate leaders on Sunday about supply chain concerns.

He urged Americans to stop besieging stores after a weekend in which basic staples like pasta, meat, toilet paper rolls and cleaning products vanished from supermarket shelves.

CNN's Sarah Westwood and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.

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2020-03-16 13:32:42Z
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Satoshi Uematsu, worker who fatally stabbed 19 disabled people in Japan, sentenced to hang - CBS News

A Japanese court on Monday sentenced a former care home employee to hang for knifing to death 19 disabled people and injuring two dozen others in the deadliest mass attack in post World War II Japan. The Yokohama District Court convicted Satoshi Uematsu of the killings and of injuring 24 other residents and two caregivers at the Yamayuri-en residential center in July 2016.

During the investigation and trial, Uematsu repeatedly said he had no regrets and was trying to help the world by killing people he thought were burdens. Advocacy groups said the suspect's views reflected a persistent prejudice in Japan against people with disabilities.

The trial focused on his mental state at the time of the crime. Chief Judge Kiyoshi Aonuma dismissed defense requests to acquit him because he was mentally incompetent due to a marijuana overdose.

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"The attacks were premeditated, and the defendant was acting consistently to achieve his goal," Aonuma said, according to NHK public television.

Satoshi Uematsu, suspected of a deadly attack at a facility for the disabled, is seen inside a police car as he is taken to prosecutors, at Tsukui police station in Sagamihara, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 27, 2016. KYODO / REUTERS

"The crime, which took the lives of 19 people, was extremely heinous and caused damage that is incomparable to any other case," he was quoted by Kyodo News as saying.

Uematsu, his long hair tied in a pony tail and wearing a dark suit, listened as the judge delivered the ruling, according to drawings by an artist in the courtroom. After the judge declared an end to the session, Uematsu raised his hand seeking permission to speak, but was not allowed to do so.

Prosecutors said Uematsu's motive came from his biases and work experience at the home and not from use of marijuana. They said Uematsu was mentally competent and should take responsibility for his actions.

The killings mirrored a plot described in a letter that Uematsu had tried to give to a parliamentary leader months prior to the attack. He quit his job at the Yamayuri-en facility after being confronted about the letter and was committed to psychiatric care, but was released within two weeks, officials have said.

Uematsu, 30, told medical staff and officials that he was influenced by the ideas of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, whose killings of disabled people were seen as intended to improve the perceived master race.

Japan maintains the death penalty despite growing international criticism. A government survey showed an overwhelming majority of the public supports executions. Japan and the U.S. are the only two countries in the Group of Seven industrialized nations that retain capital punishment.

Executions are carried out in high secrecy in Japan, where prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning they are hanged. Since 2007, Japan has begun releasing the names of those executed and some details of their crimes, but disclosures are still limited.

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2020-03-16 12:37:59Z
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Live updates: Coronavirus deaths pass 6,500 worldwide - CNN

Ryanair and Easy Jet planes are seen at John Paul II Krakow-Balice International Airport in Krakow, Poland, on Sunday. Credit: Artur Widak/NurPhoto Getty Images

Airlines are calling on governments across the globe to take further measures over the "unprecedented challenges" faced by the industry during the coronavirus outbreak.

Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance, which represent almost 60 airlines between them, said they were “jointly calling on governments and stakeholders to take action to alleviate the unprecedented challenges faced by the global airline industry amid the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The statement urged governments “to prepare for the broad economic effects from actions taken by states to contain the spread of Covid-19, and to evaluate all possible means to assist the airline industry."

The alliances called on airport operators to evaluate landing charges and fees "to mitigate the financial pressure faced by airlines due to a severe decline in passenger demand.” They welcomed recent moves by some regulators to temporarily suspend slot regulations and urged others to follow suit.

The International Air Transport Association estimates up to $113 billion in revenue losses for global passenger airlines. The alliances warned that the forecasted revenue loss does not include travel restrictions recently imposed by the US and other countries.

European low-cost carrier Ryanair said that it could not rule out the full grounding of its aircraft fleet as a result of the coronavirus.

The airline said in a press release Monday that travel restrictions “many of which have been imposed without notice” have had a significant negative impact, and it expected the result would be the grounding of the majority of its aircraft across Europe over the next seven to 10 days.

"We are working with our people and our unions across all EU countries to address this extraordinary and unprecedented Covid-19 event," the company said.

Ryanair said it was taking immediate action to reduce expenses by freezing recruitment and discretionary spending, implementing voluntary leave options, temporarily suspending employment contracts, and making significant reductions to working hours and payments.

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2020-03-16 12:30:25Z
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Live updates: Coronavirus deaths pass 6,500 worldwide - CNN

Global stock markets plunged Monday as investors were unnerved by drastic action from the US Federal Reserve to cushion the blow from coronavirus and data showed the outbreak has caused an unprecedented economic collapse in China.

Markets were battered across Asia, with Australia's benchmark index crashing nearly 10% in its worst day on record. In Europe, London's FTSE 100 fell 7% in early trading, while France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX dropped roughly 9%. 

A view of digital market boards at the Australian Stock Exchange in Sydney, Australia, on Monday. Credit: James Gourley/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

US markets were poised to suffer heavy losses. Dow futures were last down 1,041 points, or about 4.5%. S&P 500 futures slumped 4.8%, while Nasdaq futures shed 4.5%. There are now more than 3,000 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to government agencies and the CDC.

Investors bailed out of stocks despite a major intervention by the US Federal Reserve on Sunday. The central bank slashed rates to close to zero at an emergency meeting, and said it would purchase another $700 billion worth of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities.

The rate cut is designed to prevent the economic shock leading to the kind of credit crunch and financial market disruptions that occurred during the global financial crisis -- the last time the Fed cut rates all the way to the bottom. 

"I don't think [the Fed] would have done this unless they felt the financial markets were at significant risk of freezing up tomorrow. They're very concerned the financial markets won't work. So I don't know how the markets take solace in this," Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, told CNN Business.

On Monday, airline stocks were badly hit as they announced waves of flight cancellations in response to global travel restrictions. Air France KLM opened 12% lower and IAG, owner of British Airways, fell 16%.

Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, declined 6% to $31.83 per barrel.

Read the full story here

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2020-03-16 11:43:48Z
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Live updates: Coronavirus deaths pass 6,500 worldwide - CNN

Chinese state media has criticized the UK and other Western nations' response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, alleging they have adopted a policy of "total surrender."

In several articles over the weekend, Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times questioned the UK's decision to not introduce stricter social distancing measures -- unlike Italy, France, Germany and Spain.

A member of Spanish Military Emergency Unit (UME) stands guard outside a train station in Madrid, Spain, on March 15. Credit: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

UK government ministers estimate that the outbreak may not peak until 14 weeks from now and have argued that it would be detrimental to implement such measures at this stage of the outbreak.

"Such a laissez-faire mindset and lax measures are considered extremely irresponsible and risk causing a rebound in China due to the growing number of imported infections," one article in Global Times said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, speaks alongside Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris Whitty, left, and Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance during a news conference addressing the government's response to the novel coronavirus outbreak in London on March 12. Credit: Simon Dawson/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Second wave: There are growing fears in Asia of the possibility of a second wave of infections from imported cases.

Undoing the work: Asian countries including China, South Korea, and Singapore have seen caseloads stabilize in recent weeks, thanks largely to a combination of aggressive containment and social distancing measures. But a rise in infections linked to overseas travel has led to concerns that those sacrifices could be undone.

Workers prepare to disinfect a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday. Credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Stricter measures: Governments across the region are now stepping up quarantine and travel restrictions. From Monday, all overseas travelers arriving in the Chinese capital Beijing will be sent to quarantine facilities for 14 days at their own cost, according to state media. And from March 19, Hong Kong will expand it 14-day mandatory self-quarantine to include the UK, alongside 30 other countries and regions.

Singapore has also had success at containing the virus. Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Singapore’s Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said the city state's concern with cases in countries such as the UK and Switzerland is that it "isn’t just about the numbers."

"It is that these countries have abandoned any measure to contain or restrain the virus,” Wong said. “If there’s no attempt to contain, we estimate the number of cases in these countries to rise significantly in the coming days and weeks.”

On Friday, the World Health Organization's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Europe had become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. "More cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic," he said.

Read more here

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2020-03-16 10:29:54Z
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Live updates: Coronavirus deaths pass 6,500 worldwide - CNN

Chinese state media has criticized the UK and other Western nations' response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, alleging they have adopted a policy of "total surrender."

In several articles over the weekend, Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times questioned the UK's decision to not introduce stricter social distancing measures -- unlike Italy, France, Germany and Spain.

UK government ministers estimate that the outbreak may not peak until 14 weeks from now and have argued that it would be detrimental to implement such measures at this stage of the outbreak.

"Such a laissez-faire mindset and lax measures are considered extremely irresponsible and risk causing a rebound in China due to the growing number of imported infections," one article in Global Times said.

Second wave: There are growing fears in Asia of the possibility of a second wave of infections from imported cases.

Undoing the work: Asian countries including China, South Korea, and Singapore have seen caseloads stabilize in recent weeks, thanks largely to a combination of aggressive containment and social distancing measures. But a rise in infections linked to overseas travel has led to concerns that those sacrifices could be undone.

Stricter measures: Governments across the region are now stepping up quarantine and travel restrictions. From Monday, all overseas travelers arriving in the Chinese capital Beijing will be sent to quarantine facilities for 14 days at their own cost, according to state media. And from March 19, Hong Kong will expand it 14-day mandatory self-quarantine to include the UK, alongside 30 other countries and regions.

Singapore has also had success at containing the virus. Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Singapore’s Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said the city state's concern with cases in countries such as the UK and Switzerland is that it "isn’t just about the numbers."

"It is that these countries have abandoned any measure to contain or restrain the virus,” Wong said. “If there’s no attempt to contain, we estimate the number of cases in these countries to rise significantly in the coming days and weeks.”

On Friday, the World Health Organization's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Europe had become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. "More cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic," he said.

Read more here

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2020-03-16 09:29:36Z
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