Buffett remains optimistic about future despite coronavirus

 

FILE - In this May 5, 2019, file photo Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, speaks following the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Neb. Buffett will hold a drastically scaled-back version of Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting on Saturday, May 2, 2020, because of the coronavirus outbreak. No shareholders will be allowed at this year's online meeting, but Buffett will still offer some commentary during a brief question-and-answer session at the event. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett doesn’t know how or when the economy will recover from the coronavirus outbreak shutdown, but he remains optimistic in the long-term future of the United States.

Buffett said Saturday at Berkshire Hathaway’s online annual meeting that there’s no way to predict the economic future right now because the possibilities are still too varied. Berkshire’s meeting was held without any of the roughly 40,000 shareholders who typically attend because of the virus.

“We do not know exactly what happens when you voluntarily shut down a substantial portion of your society,” Buffett said because it has never been done. He said it may take several years to understand all the economic implications of the coronavirus outbreak, but it hasn’t changed his long-term view because the country has endured wars and depressions before.

ADVERTISEMENT

“In the end, the answer is never bet against America,” Buffett said.

It’s not clear how long the virus will continue to weigh on the economy, Buffett said. He said there could still be unpleasant surprises from the virus and the way people react to it.

“You’re dealing with a huge unknown,” Buffett said, so businesses and investors can’t be certain of what will happen in the near future.

Buffett said he doesn’t expect major banks to have significant financial problems during the virus crisis because they are in much better shape than they were during the financial crisis of 2008.

All of the events surrounding the annual meeting, including a trade show where Berkshire companies sell their products, were cancelled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Buffett had a different partner for the question session.

Instead of sitting next to business partner Charlie Munger in an arena filled with shareholders, Buffett was joined this year by Berkshire Vice Chairman Greg Abel, who oversees all of the company’s non-insurance businesses, to answer questions in front of a Yahoo Finance camera.

“It’s certainly a break with years and years of tradition with Buffett and Munger,” said Andy Kilpatrick, a retired stockbroker who wrote a Buffett biography and has attended every annual meeting since 1985.

The fact that Abel appeared alongside Buffett will add to speculation that he could one day succeed the 89-year-old billionaire as CEO, but it likely also reflects the fact that Abel is based relatively close to Omaha, in Des Moines, Iowa. Abel and fellow longtime executive Ajit Jain, who oversees Berkshire’s insurance businesses, are seen as the two most likely successor candidates although Buffett has no plans to retire.

ADVERTISEMENT

Omaha missed out on the profits that comes from all the out-of-town visitors attending the meeting. Local economic development officials estimate that Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting normally provides a $21.3 million boost to the area.

Buffett and Abel discussed the nearly $50 billion loss that Berkshire reported Saturday morning and the huge pile of cash the company is holding.

Berkshire said it lost $49.7 billion, or $30,653 per Class A share, during the first quarter. That’s down from last year’s profit of $21.66 billion, or $13,209 per Class A share.

The biggest factor in the loss was a $54.5 billion loss on the value of Berkshire’s investment portfolio as the stock market declined sharply after the coronavirus outbreak began.

Berkshire’s revenue grew 1 percent to $61.27 billion. The company said revenue slowed considerably in April as the virus outbreak negatively affected most of its businesses. Berkshire closed several of its retail businesses, such as See’s Candy and the Nebraska Furniture Mart, this spring while BNSF railroad and its insurance and utility businesses continued operating while adjusting to reduced demand.

Berkshire is sitting on a pile of more than $137 billion cash because Buffett has struggled to find major acquisitions for the company recently and he wants to be prepared to endure any crisis. Edward Jones analyst Jim Shanahan said it was striking that Buffett didn’t find any bargains to invest in at the end of the first quarter.

“The lack of investment activity really sticks out,” Shanahan said.

Buffett said that Berkshire sold roughly $6.5 billion of stock in April when it unloaded his company’s roughly 10% stakes in the four largest airlines. Buffett said he decided that he made a mistake in how he valued airlines, so he sold all of Berkshire’s American, Delta, Southwest and United Continental airline stock.

Buffett said he hasn’t made any big deals during the coronavirus crisis because he hasn’t seen any on attractive terms. He said many companies have been able to borrow money in the market in the past two months because the Federal Reserve stepped in to keep markets moving, so they haven’t turned to Berkshire for help.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. owns more than 90 companies, including the railroad and insurance, utility, furniture and jewelry businesses. The company also has major investments in such companies as Apple, American Express, Coca-Cola and Bank of America.

Emerging from lockdown: ’46 days in the house was enough’

 
(AP) — From the United States to Europe and Asia, people in many parts of the world are emerging from their homes as virus-related restrictions begin to ease and springtime temperatures climb.

But the global pandemic took a turn for the worse in other places. India on Sunday reported more than 2,600 new cases, its biggest single-day jump. That followed record increases in neighboring Pakistan and Russia the previous day. There was also worrying news from Afghanistan, where about a third tested positive in a random test.

China, which reported two new cases, is seeing a surge in visitors to tourist spots, many newly reopened, after domestic travel restrictions were relaxed ahead of a five-day holiday that runs through Tuesday.

Nearly 1.7 million people visited Beijing parks on the first two days of the holiday, and Shanghai’s main tourist spots welcomed more than a million visitors, according to Chinese media reports. Many spots limited the number of daily visitors to 30% of capacity or less, keeping crowds below average.

Masks were worn widely around the world, from runners in Spain to beach-goers in the southern United States. In New York City’s Central Park, joggers moved past each other without a glance on Saturday, and a steady stream of folks left tips for a trio working their way through a set of jazz standards alfresco.

“It’s great to have an audience after all these weeks,” saxophonist Julia Banholzer, a native of Germany, said. “All my dates have been canceled through September, and I don’t know if any will come back this year. New York is a tough place, but this is just another tough period we need to get through.”

Neighboring New Jersey reopened state parks, though several had to turn people away after reaching a 50% limit in their parking lots. Margie Roebuck and her husband were among the first on the sand at Island Beach State Park. “Forty-six days in the house was enough,” she said.

In Spain, many ventured out Saturday for the first time since a lockdown began on March 14.

“I feel good, but tired. You sure notice that it has been a month and I am not in shape,” Cristina Palomeque said in Barcelona. “Some people think it may be too early, as I do, but it is also important to do exercise for health reasons.”

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez asked citizens to remain vigilant. COVID-19 has caused more than 25,100 deaths in Spain.

“Until we have a vaccine, we are going to see more outbreaks,” Sánchez said. “What we need to guarantee is that these outbreaks do not put our national health system in danger.”

The divide in the United States between those who want lockdowns to end and those who want to move cautiously extended to Congress.

The Republican-majority Senate will reopen Monday, while the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives stays shuttered. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to convene 100 senators gives President Donald Trump, a Republican, the imagery he wants of America getting back to work, despite health worries and a lack of testing.

In India, air force helicopters showered flower petals on hospitals in several cities Sunday to thank doctors, nurses and police who have been at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic. U.S. Navy and Air Force fighter jets flew over Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., on Saturday in honor of health care workers.

The number of confirmed cases in India neared 40,000 as the country of 1.3 billion people marked the 40th day of a nationwide lockdown that has upended lives and millions of jobs. The official death toll reached 1,301.

Afghanistan’s health ministry said Sunday that 156 people were confirmed positive out of 500 randomly tested in Kabul, the capital. Ministry spokesman Wahid Mayar called the results concerning and said that more cases would surely be found if the government was able to conduct more tests.

Russia announced 9,633 new cases Saturday, and Pakistan, nearly 1,300, both one-day highs. More than half of Russia’s new cases were in Moscow, which is considering establishing temporary hospitals at sports complexes and shopping malls to deal with the influx of patients.

The virus has killed more than 240,000 people worldwide, including more than 66,000 in the United States and more than 24,000 each in Italy, Britain, France and Spain, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. Health experts warn a second wave of infections could hit unless testing is expanded dramatically.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and those with health problems, it can cause severe illness such as pneumonia, or death.

There are economic factors to consider as well. The shutdown of businesses has plunged the global economy into its deepest slump since the 1930s and wiped out millions of jobs.

Singapore announced Saturday it will let selected businesses reopen from May 12 in a cautious rollback of a two-month partial lockdown, and Sri Lanka said the government and private sector should resume work from May 11 “to ensure a return to normalcy in civilian life and to revive the economy.”

Bangladesh, which opened thousands of garment factories last month, confirmed 552 new cases on Saturday. The South Asian country’s health care system is fragile, and authorities say they would not be able to provide ventilation and intensive care support for more than 500 people at one time.

___

Porter reported from New York. AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.

Stay Home While I Work Cartoons

Whitmer: Stay-home order still in place; some return to work

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that Michigan’s stay-at-home order remains in effect through May 15 despite Republicans’ refusal to extend her underlying coronavirus emergency declaration, as she amended it to allow construction, real estate and more outdoor work to resume in person next week.

The Democratic governor, who may be sued by the GOP-led Legislature, addressed reporters the same day that President Donald Trump tweeted she should “make a deal” with conservatives who protested her restrictions at the Capitol a day earlier. She denounced the protest as ”disturbing,” noting there were swastikas, Confederate flags, nooses and some people with assault weapons who “do not represent who we are as Michiganders.”

“We’re not in a political crisis where we should just negotiate and find some common ground here. We’re in a public health crisis,” Whitmer said. ”We’re in the midst of a global pandemic that has already killed almost 4,000 people in our state.”

Whitmer said she will continue listening to epidemiologists, public health experts and business leaders — “not to pollsters and not to people with political agendas.”

The state health department reported nearly 1,000 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 77 more deaths, bringing the totals to more than 42,300 cases and 3,866 deaths.

Whitmer late Thursday issued directives both proclaiming that the coronavirus emergency continues under a 1945 law and declaring new states of emergency and disaster under a 1976 law after lawmakers refused her request for a 28-day extension. The declarations are the foundation of her stay-home order and other measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Republicans, who want more input on gradually restarting the economy and say a ban on elective medical and dental procedures should be lifted, also voted to authorize a lawsuit challenging her authority and actions. They question the legality of her stay-home measure since the Legislature did not lengthen the state of emergency.

But Whitmer said the stay-home order rests on gubernatorial powers in the 1945 law, which does not require legislative consent nor an extension.

“If the 1976 law supersedes the ’45 law, they would have repealed it. It was an intentional decision to keep both of these sources of authority for the chief executive of the state of Michigan,” she said. “It is for times like these that that authority is really important, when lives are on the line.”

The later law has a provision saying it should not be construed to “limit, modify, or abridge” a governor’s authority to proclaim an emergency under the earlier law or to exercise powers vested by the state constitution.

House Speaker Lee Chatfield, a Republican, said “the judiciary will have the final say.”

Whitmer last week let some businesses like plant nurseries and bike repair shops reopen, as well as stores selling nonessential supplies for curbside pickup or delivery.

On Friday, she allowed work that is traditionally and primarily done outdoors — forestry workers, power equipment technicians, parking enforcers — to resume next Thursday. Construction workers, real estate agents, appraisers, brokers, inspectors and surveyors also will be able to work in person. So will manufacturing workers who make items like partitions, cubicles and furniture that will help businesses modify their workplaces amid the pandemic.

Whitmer hinted that auto plants may soon reopen as the curve of cases continues to flatten, as long as the United Auto Workers union can ensure employees feel safe — similarly to how building trade unions backed the construction restart plan.

Trump earlier encouraged Whitmer — whom the public has backed over him in polling — to “give a little” and “put out the fire” with protesters, attempting to strike a balance between supporting demonstrators who express affinity for him and minding the advice of his scientific experts.

Some of the hundreds of protesters — many without face coverings — entered the Capitol on Thursday and demanded to be let onto the House floor, which is not allowed. The gallery was closed to the public to allow room for representatives and reporters to spread apart. Some demonstrators in the Senate gallery were openly carrying guns, which is legal in the Statehouse but was criticized by Democratic lawmakers.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a Republican who had encouraged people to protest, said many did so safely and responsibly. But he said several others are a “bunch of jackasses” who used intimidation and threats.

“I condemn their behavior and denounce their tactics,” he said. “Their actions hurt their cause and steal from the rights of others by creating an environment where responsible citizens do not feel safe enough to express themselves.”

Trump has previously tried to pressure the first-term governor, who leads a battleground state and is on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate list.

___

Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

Kim reappears in public, ending absence amid health rumors

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days as he celebrated the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang, state media said Saturday, ending an absence that had triggered global rumors that he may be seriously ill.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim attended the ceremony Friday in Sunchon with other senior officials, including his sister Kim Yo Jong, who many analysts predict would take over if her brother is suddenly unable to rule.

State media showed videos and photos of Kim wearing a black Mao suit and constantly smiling, walking around facilities, applauding, cutting a huge red ribbon with a scissor handed by his sister, and smoking inside and outside of buildings while talking with other officials.

Seemingly thousands of workers, many of them masked, stood in lines at the massive complex, roaring in celebration and releasing balloons into the air. A sign installed on a stage where Kim sat with other senior officials read: “Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory; Completion Ceremony; May 1, 2020.”

There were no clear signs that Kim was in discomfort. He was shown moving without a walking stick, like the one he used in 2014 when he was recovering from a presumed ankle surgery. However, he was also seen riding a green electric cart, which appeared similar to a vehicle he used in 2014.

It was Kim’s first public appearance since April 11, when he presided over a ruling Workers’ Party meeting to discuss the coronavirus and reappoint his sister as an alternate member of the powerful decision-making Political Bureau of the party’s Central Committee. That move confirmed her substantial role in the government.

Speculation about his health swirled after he missed the April 15 birthday celebration for his late grandfather Kim Il Sung, the country’s most important holiday, for the first time since taking power in 2011.

The possibility of high-level instability raised troubling questions about the future of the secretive, nuclear-armed state that has been steadily building an arsenal meant to threaten the U.S. mainland while diplomacy between Kim and President Donald Trump has stalled.

Some experts say South Korea, as well as its regional neighbors and ally Washington, must begin preparing for the possible chaos that could come if Kim is sidelined by health problems or even dies. Worst-case scenarios include North Korean refugees flooding South Korea or China or military hard-liners letting loose nuclear weapons.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The world is largely unprepared for instability in North Korea,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “Washington, Seoul and Tokyo need tighter coordination on contingency plans while international organizations need more resources and less controversy over the role of China.”

South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, confirmed Kim’s visit to the fertilizer factory and said it was part of his efforts to emphasize economic development. The ministry called for discretion on information related to North Korea, saying that the “groundless” rumors of past weeks have caused “unnecessary confusion and cost” for South Korea’s society and financial markets.

South Korea’s government, which has a mixed record of tracking Pyongyang’s ruling elite, repeatedly downplayed speculation that Kim, believed to be 36, was in poor health following surgery.

The office of President Moon Jae-in said it detected no unusual signs in North Korea or any emergency reaction by its ruling party, military and cabinet. Seoul said it believed Kim was still managing state affairs but staying at an unspecified location outside Pyongyang.

The KCNA said workers at the fertilizer factory broke into “thunderous cheers” for Kim, who it said is guiding the nation in a struggle to build a self-reliant economy in the face of “head wind” by “hostile forces.”

The report didn’t mention any direct comment toward Washington or Seoul.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump declined to comment about Kim’s reappearance but said he would “have something to say about it at the appropriate time.”

State media reported Kim was carrying out routine activities outside public view, such as sending greetings to the leaders of Syria, Cuba and South Africa and expressing gratitude to workers building tourist facilities in the coastal town of Wonsan, where some speculated he was staying.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused Kim’s absence in past weeks. In 2014, Kim vanished from the public eye for nearly six weeks and then reappeared with a cane. South Korea’s spy agency said he had a cyst removed from his ankle.

Analysts say his health could become an increasing factor in years ahead: he’s overweight, smokes and drinks, and has a family history of heart issues.

If he’s suddenly unable to rule, some analysts said his sister would be installed as leader to continue Pyongyang’s heredity dynasty that began after World War II.

But others question whether core members of North Korea’s elite, mostly men in their 60s or 70s, would find it hard to accept a young and untested female leader who lacks military credentials. Some predict a collective leadership or violent power struggles.

Following an unusually provocative run in missile and nuclear tests in 2017, Kim used the Winter Olympics in South Korea to initiate negotiations with Washington and Seoul in 2018. That led to a surprising series of summits, including three between Kim and Trump.

But negotiations have faltered in past months over disagreements in exchanging sanctions relief and disarmament steps, which raised doubts about whether Kim would ever fully deal away an arsenal he likely sees as his strongest guarantee of survival.

Kim entered 2020 vowing to build up his nuclear stockpile and defeat sanctions through economic “self-reliance.” Some experts say the North’s self-imposed lockdown amid the coronavirus crisis could potentially hamper his ability to mobilize people for labor.

Huntington Beach protesters assail California Gov. Newsom's order closing beaches

One day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all beaches in the state closed to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, hundreds of protesters flooded the Orange County city of Huntington Beach to demonstrate against the action.
Holding signs with slogans such as, “Open Cali Now,” “All Jobs are Essential” and “Surfing Not a Crime/Newsom is a Kook,” as they took to the street, the protesters -- many without face masks and not practicing social distancing -- backed up traffic along the Pacific Coast Highway for at least a mile.
Police on horseback worked to push the crowd out of the road, FOX 11 of Los Angeles reported.
The protest followed a similar one in the city two weekends ago, when demonstrators called for a reopening of the state's economy after a month under Newsom’s stay-at-home order.
Many participating Friday were with the group Fully Reopen CA Now, according to FOX 11.
"We cannot survive two, three months on this timeline with this amount of businesses shut down and, quite frankly, the data at this point doesn't support it," group member Vivienne Reiten told the station.

"We cannot survive two, three months on this timeline with this amount of businesses shut down and, quite frankly, the data at this point doesn't support it."
— Vivienne Reiten, Fully Reopen CA Now

Newsom called for the beaches to be closed after learning an estimated 80,000 people showed up to nearby Newport Beach during a heatwave last Friday and Saturday. Many had traveled to Orange County beaches because those in neighboring Los Angeles and San Diego counties had been closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
“You didn’t see those images at L.A. beaches and San Diego beaches and [in] Northern California,” Newsom said Monday of the Newport Beach crowds, “because we had strong guidelines that were not only adopted but were abided by," The Los Angeles Times reported.

A protestor holds a hand painted sign on a surfboard during a demonstration at the pier, Friday, May 1, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (Associated Press)

On Tuesday, the Newport Beach City Council voted 5-2 against a measure that would temporarily close the beach, but Newsom’s latest order overrides that vote.
On Friday a judge refused a Huntington Beach request for an injunction against the beach closure.

Law-enforcement personnel on horseback keep protesters on the sidewalk during a demonstration at the pier during the coronavirus pandemic Friday, May 1, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (Associated Press)

Newsom said Friday he sympathizes with the protesters but warned the “only thing that is assured to advance the spread of the virus is thousands of people congregating together, not practicing social distancing or physical distancing,” according to The Times.
Some beachgoers defied Newsom’s order Friday, but Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said his department doesn’t plan to make arrests in his jurisdiction -- which also includes Dana Point and San Clemente -- and will instead focus on voluntary compliance and education regarding to the governor's order.
Officials in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach echoed Barnes’ sentiments, according to The Times.

Protesters hold signs and wave flags during a demonstration at the pier Friday, May 1, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif., during the coronavirus outbreak. (Associated Press)

“As long as people are social distancing and doing what they’re expected to do, the sheriff does not have interest in criminalizing people enjoying the beach,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Carrie Braun said.

Law enforcement personnel on horseback keep protesters on the sidewalk during a demonstration at the pier Friday, May 1, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif., during the coronavirus outbreak. (Associated Press)

Newsom said he hoped to see better compliance with his order in the days ahead.
“We’ll see what happens over the course of this weekend and, look, if we have the kind of weekend that I hope and expect we will -- where we don’t see those huge crowds descend -- then we’re going to be in a position, as early as Monday, Tuesday, I hope, to make some announcements of new strategies and partnerships that we’re working on in real time to address these large crowds."
There were also about a dozen other rallies across the state, including in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Leaked Western intel dossier reveals how China deceived the world about coronavirus

A research dossier compiled by the so-called "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance states that China intentionally hid or destroyed evidence of the coronavirus outbreak, leading to the loss of tens of thousands of lives around the world
The 15-page document from the intelligence agencies of the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand, was obtained by Australia's Saturday Telegraph newspaper and states that China's secrecy amounted to an “assault on international transparency."
The dossier touches on themes that have been discussed in media reports about the outbreak of the virus, including an initial denial by China that the virus could be transmitted between humans, the silencing or "disappearing" of doctors who tried to speak up, the destruction of evidence in laboratories and refusal to provide live samples to international scientists working on a vaccine.
Specifically, the file notes that China began censoring news of the virus on search engines and social media beginning Dec. 31, deleting terms including “SARS variation," “Wuhan Seafood market” and “Wuhan Unknown Pneumonia.”
Three days later, on Jan. 3, China’s National Health Commission ordered virus samples to be either moved to designated testing facilities or destroyed, while simultaneously issuing a "no-publication order" related to the disease.
The Saturday Telegraph report includes a timeline of Chinese obfuscation. On Jan. 5, for example, Wuhan's Municipal Health Commission stopped releasing daily updates on the number of new cases and would not resume them for 13 days. On Jan. 10, Wang Guanga, a respiratory specialist at Peking University First Hospital who had been investigating the outbreak, said it was "under control" and largely a "mild condition." (Wang himself would disclose 12 days later that he had been infected with the virus.)
Two days later, on Jan. 12, a Shanghai professor's lab was closed down after it shared data on the virus' genetic sequence with the outside world. On Jan. 24, Chinese officials stopped the Wuhan Institute of Virology from sharing virus samples with a lab at the University of Texas.
Perhaps most damningly, the dossier states that Chinese authorities denied that the virus could be spread between humans until Jan. 20, "despite evidence of human-human transmission from early December."
The file is similarly unsparing about the World Health Organization (WHO), stating that it toed the Chinese line about human-to-human transmission despite the fact that "officials in Taiwan raised concerns as early as December 31, as did experts in Hong Kong on January 4.”
As of Friday night, the WHO's official Twitter account still featured a tweet from Jan. 14 that stated: "Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China."
The dossier goes on to state that throughout February, "Beijing [pressed] the US [sic], Italy, India, Australia, Southeast Asian neighbours [sic] and others not to protect themselves via travel restrictions, even as [China] impose[d] severe restrictions at home."
At the same time, the file states: "Millions of people [left] Wuhan after the outbreak and before Beijing lock[ed] down the city on January 23."
The dossier continues with a litany of Chinese defensiveness, stating: “As EU [European Union] diplomats prepare a report on the pandemic, [China] successfully presses Brussels to strike language on [China] disinformation."
Similarly, “As Australia calls for an independent inquiry into the pandemic, [China] threatens to cut off trade with Australia. [China] has likewise responded furiously to US [sic] calls for transparency.”
The Saturday Telegraph report does present one apparent point of divergence between the allied governments, with Australia believing the coronavirus most likely originated in the Wuhan wet market and putting the chances it accidentally leaked from a lab at "5 percent."
By contrast, Fox News reported April 15 that U.S. intelligence officials are increasingly confident that coronavirus likely originated in a Wuhan lab as a consequence of China's attempt to demonstrate that its efforts to identify and combat viruses are equal to or greater than the capabilities of the United States
President Trump said Thursday that he's seen evidence suggesting the virus came from a lab after Fox News and others asked if he knew of anything that gave him confidence that the outbreak originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
"Yes, I have," he replied, "And, I think that the World Health Organization should be ashamed of themselves because they’re like the public relations agency for China."
Multiple sources previously told Fox News that it is believed standards in Wuhan were disregarded before the virus leaked, prompting Beijing to initiate a cover-up. Sources also claimed the WHO was complicit from the beginning in helping China cover its tracks.
The WHO and China have denied any wrongdoing.
The Saturday Telegraph also reported that key figures at the Wuhan Institute of Virology previously worked or trained in Australian government labs where they conducted research on pathogens in live bats as part of an ongoing partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
According to the dossier, the team's work at the Wuhan lab involved discovering samples of coronavirus within a cave in Yunnan province and synthesizing a bat-derived coronavirus that could not be cured.
Fox News' Bret Baier and Louis Casiano contributed to this report

Sniffing Joe Biden Cartoons

Biden expected to publicly address sexual assault allegation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden on Friday was expected to give his first public comments on a sexual assault allegation that has roiled his presidential campaign.

The presumptive Democratic nominee will appear on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to address the allegation by his former Senate staffer Tara Reade that he assaulted her in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building in the 1990s. His campaign issued a statement in early April denying the allegation, and a number of former Biden staffers have defended their boss in interviews.

Biden himself has yet to face any questions or weigh in on the accusation, even as it’s taken on fresh attention this week after two of Reade’s associates said she previously told them about elements of her allegations.

ADVERTISEMENT

Republicans worried about President Donald Trump’s increasingly precarious political standing are seizing on the allegation to portray Democrats as hypocrites who only defend women who allege wrongdoing against conservatives. They are digging in despite the fact that it could renew attention on the multiple sexual assault allegations lodged against Trump.

Democrats, meanwhile, are in an awkward position of vigorously validating women who come forward with their stories while defending the man who will be their standard-bearer in what many in the party consider the most important election of their lifetimes.

Some in the party have been urging Biden to mount a more forceful response to the allegation.

“The campaign has issued statements, but he hasn’t issued any statements in his own voice,” said former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile. “It’s not helping, it’s just damaging — not only to the person who has come forward, but it’s also damaging the candidate.”

Lis Smith, a top strategist on Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, also called on the Biden campaign to speak up.

“These accusations have not been found to be credible, so it’s in the Biden campaign’s interest to nip this in the bud directly and do it quickly,” she said.

The November contest between Biden and Trump will be the first presidential race of the #MeToo era, which has led numerous women to come forward with allegations of sexual assault. Trump has been accused of assault and unwanted touching by numerous women, allegations he denies.

Women are a core constituency for Democrats, and Biden has a mixed history. While he wrote the Violence Against Women Act as a senator, he also came under heavy criticism for his handling of Anita Hill’s Senate testimony in the 1990s. Just before he launched his 2020 campaign, several women accused him of unwanted touching, behavior for which he apologized.

ADVERTISEMENT

Biden has pledged to pick a woman as a running mate, and the allegation has left those thought to be in contention in a tough spot.

Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia Democratic governor candidate, said, “I believe Joe Biden,” citing a New York Times investigation that she said exonerated him.

“Women deserve to be heard,” she said, “but I also believe that those allegations have to be investigated by credible sources.”

That echoed talking points issued by the Biden campaign to surrogates last week that were obtained by The Associated Press. They pointed to investigations by The New York Times, The Washington Post and the AP that found no other allegation of sexual assault and no pattern of sexual misconduct.

On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also defended Biden. Speaking on CNN, she said she was “satisfied with how he has responded,” even as she acknowledged “it’s a matter that he has to deal with.”

Some Democratic donors and fundraisers say the issue has not come up in calls with party financiers. Others worry that it could be used against Biden, much as Hillary Clinton’s private email server and the activities of the Clinton Foundation were wielded against her by Trump.

Some, most notably women, say they are paying close attention to the allegations, which gave them pause.

Alex Sink, a donor and former Democratic nominee for governor of Florida, said she was “not happy” to read about the allegations against Biden. While she still plans to vote for him, she worried his campaign was too quick to categorically deny Reade’s story.

“They put themselves immediately out on a limb by saying, ‘It didn’t happen, we categorically deny it, it’s not true,’” Sink said.

Some female Democratic operatives expressed concerns the allegation is particularly damaging because it’s an indictment of Biden’s central campaign rationale: that he provides a moral counter to Trump and that the election is a “battle for the soul of America.”

“The stakes could not be higher for defeating Donald Trump — but at the same time, I think we have to apply a consistent standard for how we treat allegations of sexual assault, and also be clear-eyed about how Donald Trump will use these allegations in the general election campaign,” said Claire Sandberg, who worked as Bernie Sanders’ organizing director.

The silence from the Biden campaign has given Republicans an opening on an issue that was, in 2016, more fraught for the GOP, when Trump was asked to answer for the more than two dozen women who alleged varying levels of sexual assault and harassment. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News on Thursday that Biden will “have to participate in releasing all the information related to” the allegation, a stance he didn’t take when Trump faced misconduct accusations.

The GOP argues Democrats aren’t being consistent, pointing to aggressive questioning and coverage of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh when he faced an allegation of sexual assault.

Speaking about the allegation for the first time on Friday, Trump said Biden “should respond” before proceeding to criticize the treatment of Kavanaugh as “an absolute disgrace to our country.”

Steve Guest, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said “the left, and their media allies, has one standard for Republicans and another standard for Democrats like Joe Biden.”

“The double standard,” he said, “is appalling.”

___

Associated Press writers Brian Slodysko in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Biden's call for 'transparency' during Dem debate comes back to haunt him

Former Vice President Joe Biden had gone over a month without addressing the explosive sexual assault allegation made by his former Senate staffer Tara Reade, but he had quite a different tune during one of the Democratic debates earlier this year.
Back in February, during former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's underwhelming run for president, the billionaire businessman was pummelled by his competitors over not releasing former female employees from their non-disclosure agreements (NDA).
And while Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is remembered for her fierce line of attacks at the two debates with Bloomberg, Biden also squeezed in some punches of his own.
"Let's get something straight here. It's easy. All the mayor has to do is say, 'You are released from the non-disclosure agreement. Period," Biden said in an edited clip preserved on his Twitter account. "This is about transparency from the very beginning. Whether it's your health records, whether it's your taxes, whether you have cases against you, whether or not people have signed non-disclosure agreements."
His shaming of Bloomberg continued, "You think that women, in fact, were ready to say, 'I don't want anybody to know about what you did to me.' That's not how it works. The way it works is they say, 'Look, this is what you did to me' and the mayor comes along and his attorneys say, 'I will give you this amount of money if you promise you'll never say anything. That's how it works.
The tweet, which was made on February 20, also read, "Let me be clear: Mayor Bloomberg should release folks from their non-disclosure agreements. This is about transparency. The American people deserve to know the truth."
Biden has been criticized for lack of transparency. The presumptive Democratic nominee is set to break his silence on Friday.
There have also been growing calls for him to unseal his Senate records that are being held at the University of Delaware, where Reade believes her sexual harassment complaint she filed to the Senate personnel office is being held and further corroborate her claims.
However, the university says the records will remain sealed until at least two years after Biden leaves public life.
"I'm calling for the release of the documents being held by the University of Delaware that contain Biden's staff personnel records because I believe it will have my complaint form, as well as my separation letter and other documents," Reade has told Fox News. "Maybe if other staffers that have tried to file complaints would come to light -- why are they under seal? And why won't they be released to the public?"
The editorial board of The Washington Post joined that call, urging Biden on Wednesday to address the allegations and "release relevant records."
Biden is set to address the allegations for the first time on Friday. It is unknown if he will be asked whether he would be willing to unseal his Senate records.
His campaign has denied Reade's allegations.