Deficits threaten Pentagon projects
The government’s $3 trillion effort to rescue the economy from the coronavirus crisis is stirring worry at the Pentagon. Bulging federal deficits may force a reversal of years of big defense spending gains and threaten prized projects like the rebuilding of the nation’s arsenal of nuclear weapons. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the sudden burst of deficit spending to prop up a damaged economy is bringing the Pentagon closer to a point where it will have to shed older weapons faster and tighten its belt.
NEW YORK Inflammatory syndrome hits kids
A total of 52 children in New York City have been diagnosed with an inflammatory syndrome possibly linked to COVID19 and 10 other cases are pending, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday. Of those 62 confirmed or possible cases, 25 have tested positive for the coronavirus and 22 others had antibodies for the virus, de Blasio said. One child has died. Children elsewhere in the U.S. and in Europe also have been hospitalized with the condition, known as pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome.
WEST VIRGINIA 5 prison inmates test positive
Five inmates at a federal prison in West Virginia have tested positive for the coronavirus after a large transfer of prisoners led to the first case at the lockup. Data on the federal Bureau of Prisons website Tuesday show the new cases at FCI Gilmer came around a week after one of the 124 inmates transferred to the prison in Glenville tested positive. Federal and state politicians opposed the prisoner transfers when they were announced and renewed their criticism after the positive case emerged at Gilmer. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin has said Attorney General William Barr has assured him that no additional inmates will be relocated to Gilmer or the federal prison at Hazelton.
COLORADO Defiant restaurant owner suspended
Health officials closed a Colorado restaurant that opened for full service on Mother’s Day in defiance of state rules banning inperson dining. A video showed a packed house and no social distancing at C&C Breakfast and Korean Kitchen. One of the owners told KCNCTV he wanted to stand up for small businesses and get the attention of lawmakers. Gov. Jared Polis said the restaurant “is causing an immediate health hazard,” and its business license will be suspended until the restaurant is no longer a threat. Its license was suspended indefinitely.
KANSAS Businesses ordered to track customers
A rural eastern Kansas county has ordered businesses to keep track of their inperson customers by recording phone numbers and arrival and departure times during the pandemic — a move that has led to a federal lawsuit. The publisher of the local newspaper and a restaurant owner in
Linn County both want the order blocked, contending it authorizes warrantless searches and seizures. Health authorities across the region have been trying to strike a balance between public safety and personal liberty as Kansas and Missouri have begun to relax coronavirusrelated lockdowns. The lawsuit represents the latest struggle over rules aimed at containing the virus, which has infected nearly 17,000 across the two states.
TRAFFIC Americans slowly returning to road
Americans are slowly getting back on the road after hunkering down due to the coronavirus, though the volume of traffic is still well below what it was before many states issued stayathome orders. Drivers in the U.S. have been more active in the past week than at any time since midMarch, according to StreetLight Data Inc., an analytics software company that aggregates data from smartphones and other GPSenabled devices and combines it with information from maps and other sources. The most recent data shows that activity during the sevenday period ending May 8 was 60% higher than the lowest point since the COVID19 crisis began.
MASSACHUSETTS Death toll passes 5,000
The Massachusetts death toll from COVID19 surged past 5,000 this week even as the state began mapping out plans to gradually restart the state’s economy. Massachusetts reported another 129 confirmed COVID19related deaths, bringing to 5,108 the total number of deaths recorded in the state since the pandemic’s start.
Chronicle News Services