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Missouri Sues China Over Coronavirus Pandemic to Distract From Trumps Failures

Protesters hold signs encouraging people to demand that businesses be allowed to open up, and people be allowed to work at the Country Club Plaza on April 20, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri.Photo: Getty ImagesThe state of Missouri filed a lawsuit against China in U.S. federal court on Tuesday, claiming the Chinese government caused the global coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit is unlikely to succeed and is most likely a political stunt by Missouri’s Republican Attorney General to distract from the U.S. federal government’s abysmal response to the global health crisis. The new lawsuit, which was posted online by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, alleges the Chinese government is, “responsible for the enormous death, suffering, and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians, and they should be held accountable.” The lawsuit claims the Chinese Communist Party is not protected by sovereign immunity, a legal concept that largely shields foreign governments from being sued in U.S. courts. Without sovereign immunity, foreign governments would be forced to defend against any number of silly lawsuits brought by average U.S. citizens anytime Americans were unhappy with another country’s products, politics, or policies.“Months were lost—most of December, all of January, where they were aware of the human-to-human transmission,” Schmitt told local TV station KSDK on Tuesday, adding that China was, “destroying the evidence, silencing critics, silencing whistleblowers.”

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Schmitt alleges that China was also “hoarding PPE,” the personal protective equipment for health care workers that’s been in short supply around the world. Schmitt appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show last night and neither the Attorney General nor Carlson mentioned President Donald Trump even once.At least 6,142 cases of covid-19 have been identified in Missouri, with 229 deaths. The U.S. has identified 825,306 cases and 45,075 deaths, the most in the world by far, as of early Wednesday morning.While it’s true that China was silencing whistleblowers, most notably doctor Li Wenliang who tried to warn fellow doctors before dying of the illness in early February, it was clear to world by the end of January that this disease was a big deal and that it could spread globally very soon. Any reader of Gizmodo could have told you that, in fact. But allies of President Trump prefer to blame China rather than the Trump regime’s own incompetence.U.S. intelligence agencies, which regularly brief the president, had information about the virus in December and were reportedly giving Trump classified briefings on the threat in January and February, according to the Washington Post.“Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government were—they just couldn’t get him to do anything about it,” one unnamed government official told the Post. “The system was blinking red.”There were also at least a dozen Americans working at the World Health Organization’s Geneva headquarters in January, many of whom were staff members with the CDC, providing realtime updates to the Trump regime about the coronavirus spread. But Trump denied that the virus was a problem and wasted the months of February and March, which could have been used to prepare, as many other countries did. Faulty tests, distributed by the CDC in early February, also put the U.S. at a disadvantage in identifying the scale of the problem and being able to contain it, most health experts agree.The virus originated in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and the city was placed on lockdown early on January 23. Two other nearby cities were placed on lockdown that same day, effectively stopping 20 million people from traveling, the largest lockdown in history to that point. The virus was identified in Thailand on January 13 and in Japan on January 16, as Gizmodo wrote about at the time.Disney theme parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong were also closed the last week of January, which should have made it abundantly clear to anyone who was paying attention that this was serious. When Disneyland closes, you know it’s a big deal.On January 16, the World Health Organization said that it didn’t yet see evidence of human-to-human transmission of the disease but it was still warning on Twitter about the “possibility of limited human-to-human transmission.” And by January 21, we here at Gizmodo wrote a story titled, “New Virus Kills Sixth Person After Human-to-Human Transmission Confirmed.”In January, doctors in Asia were already talking about the importance of wearing a mask when out in public, something that U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams was saying as late as February 29 did nothing to prevent the spread of the disease.“Please take care if you are ill,” Dr. Gabriel Leung, Founding Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, said on January 21 in a video press conference that Gizmodo reported on. “If you are going to a crowded place, put on a mask even if you are not ill because others may be, even if they have cough etiquette or sneeze etiquette, they may still get in touch with you.”It’s certainly true that the Chinese government engaged in a coverup during the earliest stages of the crisis, as any authoritarian government would be expected to do. But the U.S. has also engaged in activities that would be viewed by Americans as a “coverup” if they were happening in any other part of the world.For instance, the world was shocked when it saw drone footage of the mass burials that have taken place at Hart Island in New York. But police in New York have actively sought to stop journalists from being able to photograph the activity there, ever since the footage went viral.From a report in the Gothamist:A few minutes after he launched a small drone to survey what was happening on Hart Island, Steinmetz said that a group of plainclothes NYPD officers emerged from an unmarked van, and asked him to bring the drone back. He said they initially tried to confiscate the few photos he took, along with his phone, which acts as the drone’s remote control. Instead, they confiscated his $1,500 drone and issued him a misdemeanor summons for “avigation,” a law that dates back to 1948 that prohibits aircraft—including drones—from taking off or landing anywhere in New York City that isn’t an airport.Mickey Osterreicher, the general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association, said Steinmetz is the second journalist whose drone was seized trying to photograph Hart Island since the pandemic began. (AP photographer John Minchillo was apparently able to take a few drone pictures of mass burials on Hart Island last week without getting caught.)Doctors and nurses in the U.S. have also been fired for trying to secure PPE and warning about unsafe practices in American hospitals. Health care workers in Seattle, Oklahoma, Detroit, Chicago, New Jersey, Oakland, and Muskegon, Michigan all claim they’ve been fired for raising alarms and speaking to the media. Plenty of others have been threatened by hospital management if they blow the whistle on their unsafe working conditions. If this was happening in any other country in the world it would rightly be called a conspiracy to obscure the real scale of the problem. Health care professionals simply don’t have the tools to do their job safely, and much of that responsibility rests at the feet of President Trump.Trump’s handling of the crisis has been so bad that some states have formed alliances to coordinate their responses to the pandemic, something that would typically be done by the federal government. But Trump has shown no real interest in sending a consistent message about how states should be handling the public health problem. Instead, he uses his coronavirus press briefings each day to pick fights with members of the media and deny personal responsibility.“I don’t take responsibility at all,” Trump famously said on March 13 in the Rose Garden of the White House when asked about the federal government’s mishandling of the crisis. The U.S. government was still way behind on getting states the tests that they needed, a problem that persists to this day.When another reporter followed up on March 13, Trump doubled down on the idea that he wasn’t to blame for things like a lack of coronavirus tests and a failure to secure PPE and other vital medical supplies, opting to make it sound like the media was the real problem in all of this.“Well, I just think it’s a nasty question because what we’ve done is—and Tony has said numerous times that we’ve saved thousands of lives because of the quick closing,” Trump said. “And when you say me, I didn’t do it. We have a group of people.” Read the full article

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Amazon Is Giving Away Bonus Free Games For Prime Members This Month

Twitch Prime members get free loot and games every month, and while we thought we had seen everything the service would offer in April, the company revealed its participation in the World Health Organization's Play Apart Together campaign by providing free games to enjoy while stuck at home. The first game, Yono and the Celestial Elephants, is available right now, while Old School Musical will be claimable this Friday, April 24. All of Twitch Prime's free games are accessible through the company's own PC client.Yono and the Celestial Elephants is a cute isometric action-adventure game that takes inspiration from The Legend of Zelda series. You play as Yono the elephant, as you solve puzzles, hunt for treasure, and occasionally fight off enemies. It boasts a "Very Positive" user rating on Steam.Old School Musical also holds a "Very Positive" rating on Steam. It's a rhythm game that pays homage to retro games from all over the spectrum, from horizontal shooters like Gradius to action games like Metal Gear. You don't actually play the retro-style games depicted in the background, however, as you're tasked with mashing out the rhythm as the notes slide toward the middle of the screen.Twitch also revealed that it's offering everyone the opportunity to claim some free loot--you don't even need to be a Twitch Prime subscriber. From now until May 5, everyone can claim free hero and skin cards for Mobile Legends. The free loot can be claimed on Amazon and includes the following cards:Hero Trial Card, Guinevere (7-Day), Fighter classSkin Trial Card, Guinevere, Lotus (7-Day)Hero Trial Card, Gusion (7-Day), Assassin classSkin Trial Card, Gusion, Cyber Ops (7-Day)Twitch Prime has even more free games and bonuses available right now as well, as long as you're subscribed to Amazon Prime and link your account to Twitch. The free games for April include Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Lightmatter, and Kathy Rain; there's also a ton of loot for games like Apex Legends, Doom Eternal, and Destiny 2.If you're interested in more free giveaways, then you'll be happy to hear that quite a few developers and publishers have made their titles free to help people with social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Be sure to check out all of the free games you can claim right now and keep forever; plus, see our full guide on the best TV, movies, and games for social distancing. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can't access this content!Please enter your date of birth to view this videoJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year2020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's Terms of Use and Privacy Policyenter Now Playing: Old School Musical - Official Launch Trailer GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers. Read the full article

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Coronavirus rental support: How to negotiate with landlords, tenants

Negotiations between landlords and tenants form a crucial part of the Victorian Government’s $500 million coronavirus rental relief package, which is due to pass parliament today, April 23. With this notion likely to be confronting for parties on both sides of the equation, we’ve turned to experts to compile tips on how to come to a fair agreement. RELATED: Victorian government unveils $500 million rent package Victorian rental reforms delayed amid pandemic Property managers copping abuse amid rent negotiations

Victorian tenants and landlords are being encouraged to negotiate during the COVID-19 crisis. THE SUPPORT PACKAGE The government’s support package includes a six-month moratorium on evictions and rental increases, backdated from March 29. Evictions will still be permitted if a tenant is engaging in threatening behaviour or maliciously damaging a property, or if a landlord is selling the property or they or their family need to move into it. Landlords who reduce rents for tenants in coronavirus-related hardship will also be eligible for a 25 per cent discount on their land tax as part of a $420 million package. Any remaining land tax can be deferred until March 2021. And the government will create an $80 million rental assistance fund for tenants who are still paying at least 30 per cent of their income towards rent following rental reduction mediation with their landlord, and who have less than $5000 in savings. Rental assistance payments will go directly to landlords. Premier Daniel Andrews is urging Victorian landlords and tenants to “work in partnership” to get through the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. But those who are unable to reach an agreement are being advised to contact Consumer Affairs Victoria. Matters may then be referred for dispute resolution or to a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearing. ADVICE FOR TENANTS NEGOTIATING WITH LANDLORDS From Tenants Victoria chief executive Jennifer Beveridge:

Tenants Victoria chief executive Jennifer Beveridge says tenants should have a sense of confidence given support is available to them. — Work out how much rent you can afford to pay, and speak to your landlord or real estate agent to see if you make an agreement to reduce your rent until things return to normal. — Do not stop paying your rent altogether. Continue to pay some rent, even if you can’t afford to pay it all upfront. It will help show you want to work with the landlord on a compromise. — Get any agreement in writing, and don’t sign anything until you’ve had a proper look at it and a proper think about it. — If you can’t strike an agreement you think is fair, use the formal mediation process with Consumer Affairs Victoria. — Have a sense of confidence in the fact the Victorian Government has indicated they want to support tenants through this process. The process may not be straightforward, but don’t give up. — Refer to the Tenants Victoria website and join our social media because we’ll be putting tips up there as well. — Don’t suffer in silence, know support is available and seek that support. ADVICE FOR LANDLORDS NEGOTIATING WITH TENANTS From Property Mavens chief executive Miriam Sandkuhler:

Property Mavens chief executive Miriam Sandkuhler says landlords need to remember their tenants are likely to be experiencing high levels of stress while negotiating with them. Picture: Lawrence Pinder — Remember your tenants are likely suffering elevated levels of stress, so ask them to speak first and summarise their essential points to show them you’ve heard what they have to say. — You can ask them to demonstrate loss of income, but beware keeping any documents they provide could open you to privacy concerns. — Be aware you have two options: rent reduction or deferral of payments. If you offer rent reduction, ensure your agreement has a time limit. And if you offer a deferral, be aware of the fact you may find your tenants unable to pay the accumulated debt when it comes due. — For many landlords, offering a temporary rent reduction may be enough to secure a long-term tenant and access the land tax reduction and deferral. — If your tenant is still paying more than 30 per cent of their income towards rent following mediation with you, and they earn less than $100,000 and have less than $5000 in savings, they will be eligible for rental assistance payments from the state government. samantha.landy@news.com.au MORE: Underbidder ends up on top of auction winner Mt Martha boat shed lifts North Beach record by almost $50,000 Olympia Valance lists Southbank pad after buying with Tom Bellchambers Read the full article