AP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EST
British traveler with the new virus may have exposed dozens
LONDON (AP) - A middle-aged businessman from England who vacationed in the Alps has illustrated how the ease of international travel is complicating global efforts to track and contain the new coronavirus that emerged in China.
From the Singapore hotel where he is believed to have picked up the virus during a conference, to a ski resort in the French Alps and a pub in his hometown of Hove on the southern coast of England, as well as the flights he took on his way back to Britain, the man came in contact with dozens of other people, potentially infecting them before he was diagnosed and hospitalized. Health officials are now hunting for them.
Already, five Britons who stayed with him at a chalet in the Alps have been diagnosed with the virus, including a 9-year-old boy. Another man who stayed at the resort was discovered infected after returning to his home on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
The apparent ease with which the virus spread raises concern that some of the 90 others who attended the conference may also have been infected and "may go on to initiate chains of infection in their home countries,'' said Dr. Nathalie MacDermott, a clinical lecturer at King's College London.
The World Health Organization warned that given the relatively small cluster so far, it would be unfair and an exaggeration to characterize the businessman as a 'œsuper-spreader,'ť or someone who infects an unusually large number of people. And this is by no means the only cluster seen in the outbreak.
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How crucial is New Hampshire win? It depends on whom you ask
RINDGE, N.H. (AP) - Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are taking strikingly different approaches in the final hours before New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary, underscoring the uncertainty around Democrats' search for a challenger to take on President Donald Trump in November.
Sanders, a Vermont senator, embraced high expectations Monday in his neighboring state. 'œIf we win here tomorrow, I think we've got a path to victory for the Democratic nomination,'ť Sanders declared in Rindge.
Biden, alternately, lowered expectations as he faces the prospect of finishing well off the pace for the second time after opening the 2020 election season with a fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. The former vice president, once the clear national front-runner, warned in a morning CBS interview that 'œthis is just getting started,'ť reminding voters that he has shown strong support among African Americans and Latinos who will hold sway in the states that follow New Hampshire in voting.
Biden's challenge and Sanders' optimism about the opening states highlights a larger concern for Democrats as they look for a standard-bearer: No would-be nominee has proved an ability to build a strong coalition across the party's various racial, ethnic and ideological factions. That situation is muddled further by the vote-tabulation melee in last week's Iowa caucuses that left both Sanders and Pete Buttigieg claiming victory. Neither reached 30% of the vote in a fractured field.
Trump, meanwhile, is eager to cast a shadow over the entire Democratic slate as he heads to Manchester for a Monday evening rally to continue his victory-and-vengeance tour following Senate votes that acquitted him on two impeachment charges. Trump lost New Hampshire in 2016 by fewer than 3,000 votes out of more than 743,000 cast, and the state is among several his reelection campaign believes it can flip in November.
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Trump's $4.8 trillion budget proposal revisits rejected cuts
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump unveiled a $4.8 trillion election year budget plan on Monday that recycles deep, previously rejected cuts to domestic programs like food stamps, Medicaid, and housing as the recipe for wrestling the federal budget back into balance.
Trump's fiscal 2021 plan promises the government's deficit will crest above $1 trillion only for the current budget year before steadily decreasing to more manageable levels, but only by relying on optimistic economic projections, dramatically scaled-back military operations overseas, and proposed cuts to agency budgets that run directly opposite to two previous budget deals signed by Trump.
The budget 'œsets the course for a future of continued American dominance and prosperity,'ť Trump said in a message accompanying the document.
'œThere is optimism that was not here before 63 million Americans asked me to work for them and drain the swamp,'ť Trump said. 'œFor decades, Washington elites told us that Americans had no choice but to accept stagnation, decay, and decline. We proved them wrong. Our economy is strong once more.'ť In a White House appearance, Trump said, "
The plan had no chance even before Trump's impeachment scorched Washington. Its cuts to food stamps, farm subsidies, subsidized housing for the poor, Medicaid and student loans couldn't pass when Republicans controlled Congress, much less now with liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., setting the agenda.
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US says Chinese military stole masses of Americans' data
WASHINGTON (AP) - Four members of the Chinese military have been charged with breaking into the computer networks of the Equifax credit reporting agency and stealing the personal information of tens of millions of Americans, the Justice Department said Monday, blaming Beijing for one of the largest hacks in history to target consumer data.
The 2017 breach affected more than 145 million people, with the hackers successfully stealing names, addresses, Social Security and driver's license numbers and other personal information stored in the company's databases. It damaged the company's reputation and also underscored China's aggressive and sophisticated intelligence-gathering methods.
The case is the latest U.S. accusation against Chinese hackers suspected of breaching networks of American corporations, including steel manufacturers, a hotel chain and a health insurer. It comes as the Trump administration has warned against what it sees as the growing political and economic influence of China, and efforts by Beijing to collect data for financial and intelligence purposes and to steal scientific research and innovation.
'œThe scale of the theft was staggering," Attorney General William Barr said Monday. 'œThis theft not only caused significant financial damage to Equifax, but invaded the privacy of many millions of Americans, and imposed substantial costs and burdens on them as they have had to take measures to protect against identity theft.'ť
The indictment comes at a delicate time in relations between Washington and Beijing. Even as President Donald Trump points to a preliminary trade pact with China as evidence of his ability to work with the Communist government, other members of his administration have been warning against cybersecurity and surveillance risks posed by China, especially as the tech giant Huawei seeks to become part of new, high-speed 5G wireless networks across the globe.
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'Never happened': Model denies trapping Weinstein accuser
NEW YORK (AP) - In the strongest defense testimony yet, a Mexican model on Monday denied a Harvey Weinstein accuser's claim that she stood by and did nothing while the once-powerful movie mogul sexually assaulted the woman at a Beverly Hills hotel in 2013.
'œNever happened,'ť Claudia Salinas told jurors Monday at Weinstein's rape trial in New York City, forcefully repudiating model Lauren Marie Young's testimony last week.
Young testified that Salinas closed the door behind her and Weinstein as they went into the bathroom, where she alleges he stripped off his clothes, grabbed her breast and masturbated. Once it was over, Young said she found Salinas standing outside the bathroom and shot her an evil look before leaving as quickly as she could.
'œIf I had done that, I would remember that,'ť Salinas testified. 'œI would never close the door on anybody.'ť
Salinas, now working as a social media influencer, took the witness stand as the defense called witnesses for a third day after more than two weeks of prosecution testimony. Among the prosecution witnesses were six women, including Young, who say the once-powerful Hollywood boss subjected them to vile sexual behavior.
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Ban on treatments for transgender kids fails in South Dakota
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Legislation aimed at stopping South Dakota physicians from providing puberty blockers and gender confirmation surgery to transgender children under 16 failed to get enough support Monday in a Senate committee.
A Republican-dominated Senate committee voted 5-2 to kill the proposal, likely ensuring the issue won't be considered by the Legislature again this year.
Proponents already had amended the bill to get rid of criminal charges for doctors who provide gender confirmation treatments, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery. But it would have allowed children to sue if they later regretted the treatments.
Conservative lawmakers in nearly a dozen other states, including South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky and New Hampshire, are pushing similar proposals. The measure had gained the most traction in South Dakota, where the House recently passed it.
But some Republican senators and GOP Gov. Kristi Noem had expressed concerns and questioned whether the Legislature should be delving into the issue.
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Gunman dead, 2 officers hurt in shooting at Arkansas Walmart
FORREST CITY, Ark. (AP) - Two police officers were wounded and a gunman was killed Monday morning in an exchange of gunfire at a Walmart store in Forrest City in eastern Arkansas, authorities said.
Forrest City Police Chief Deon Lee said one of the officers was taken to a hospital about 45 miles (70 kilometers) to the east in Memphis where he was in surgery, and the initial prognosis is 'œhe's going to be OK.'ť
The officers responded to the Walmart after someone called police to report a man who was making threats and was 'œkind of talking out of his head'ť Lee said at a news conference Monday afternoon. Arkansas State Police Spokesman Bill Sadler said local authorities have identified the suspect as Bobby Joe Gibbs, 40, of Forrest City, though the state crime lab has yet not confirmed his identity.
Lee identified the injured officers as Lt. Eric Varner and Detective Eugene Watlington. Both are assigned to the criminal investigation department and neither was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, Lee said.
The mayor heaped praise on the officers.
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Bong's 'Parasite' focuses on plight of South Korea's poor
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Koreans are reveling in writer-director Bong Joon Ho's dark comic thriller, 'œParasite,'ť which won this year's Academy Awards for best film and best international feature. The movie itself, however, doesn't put the country in a particularly positive light.
No doubt, the international acclaim for 'œParasite,'ť which also won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last May, highlights South Korea's emergence as a global cultural power, a reflection of decades of focus on building world-class industries in one of the most vibrant democracies in Asia.
But it also hints at an uncomfortable truth: While the national successes have been spectacular - from Samsung's rise as a global economic powerhouse to the explosion of K-pop in Asia and beyond - many South Koreans recognize that there's been a dark side to that rise. Only a few years ago, Bong himself was blacklisted by the government, and the characters in his film reflect a society where many feel intense hopelessness.
South Korea's rapid emergence from the devastation of the 1950-53 Korean War also saw a bloody transition from dictatorship to democracy. Its association with neat smartphones and cars came amid a constant threat from nuclear North Korea. For every international success, there's also widespread worry that South Korea will forever be overshadowed by regional giants Russia, China and Japan.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who frequently praises mega-popular K-pop boy band BTS, tweeted that he's grateful to Bong for 'œgiving courage and pride to our people overcoming difficulties.'ť
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Voter registration error risks deportation for immigrants
CHICAGO (AP) - The day Margarita Del Pilar Fitzpatrick applied for an Illinois driver's license upended her life. When a clerk offered to register her to vote in 2005, the Peruvian citizen mistakenly accepted, leading to long legal battles and eventually deportation.
A decade and a half later, she struggles to find work at 52, is nearly homeless and hasn't seen two of her three American citizen daughters in years because of a secretary of state's office mishap.
'œIt has derailed our lives,'ť she said in a phone interview from Lima. 'œImmigrants should not be put in this situation.'ť
A handful of other immigrants could face a similar fate, or criminal charges, after a mistake in Illinois' automatic voter registration system allowed of hundreds of people who identified themselves as non-U.S. citizens to register. Sixteen cast ballots.
The fiasco in a state with a reputation for election shenanigans triggered a partisan battle, infuriated voter advocacy groups and left immigrant rights activists doing damage control.
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Oscars viewership plunges to record low
NEW YORK (AP) - Without a host or a great deal of pizzazz, ABC's telecast of the Academy Awards reached its smallest audience ever of 23.6 million viewers.
The Nielsen company said Sunday night's audience was down 20 percent from a year ago. The previous low-water mark for the Oscars was the 26.5 million people who watched in 2018.
The Academy Awards honored 'œParasite'ť as best picture. While that made history as the first-ever foreign language film to win the top award, it was clearly not an audience-grabber. The Oscars were held sooner in the year than usual, and that may have prevented the show from building buzz.
'œIt was too predictable, too white and too boring,'ť said Tom O'Neil, founder of Goldderby.com, a website devoted to awards show news.
The actors who took the four biggest prizes - Joaquin Phoenix, Renée Zellweger, Brad Pitt and Laura Dern - had also swept previous awards, so there were few surprises and few indelible moments, he said on Monday.