Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, Interceptor7, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame and jck. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw.
OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time.
Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
BBC
Deadly tornadoes batter southern US states
At least six people have died after storms triggered tornadoes and flooding across several southern US states.
Tornadoes touched down in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.
On Sunday, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agenda confirmed deaths across three counties.
In Louisiana, a number of homes were destroyed in the city of Monroe, with the city's official social media account initially reporting only minor injuries.
The National Weather Service said severe thunderstorms were likely through late Sunday into Monday, in particular across parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
"Strong tornadoes, widespread damaging winds, and large hail are all possible," the agency warned.
BBC Fill your tank early, tomorrow.
Record deal to cut oil output ends price war
Opec producers and allies have agreed a record oil deal that will slash global output by about 10% after a slump in demand caused by coronavirus lockdowns.
The deal, agreed on Sunday via video conference, is the largest cut in oil production ever to have been agreed.
Opec+, made up of oil producers and allies including Russia, announced plans for the deal on 9 April, but Mexico resisted the cuts.
Opec has yet to announce the deal, but individual nations have confirmed it.
The only detail to have been confirmed so far is that 9.7 million barrels per day will be cut by Opec oil producers and allies.
On Monday in Asia, oil rose over $1 a barrel in early trading with global benchmark Brent up 3.9% to $32.71 a barrel and US grade West Texas Intermediate up 6.1% to $24.15 a barrel.
BBC
What's happening in Asia?
- China has seen its highest number of daily infections in over five weeks with 108 new cases
- in South Korea cases continue to remain low. It reported 32 more on Sunday, bringing the country’s total infections to 10,512
- in North Korea, leader Kim Jong-un held a politburo meeting over the weekend to discuss anti-virus measures. It maintained that it has no cases, saying it “took strict top-class anti epidemic measures from the outset”
- Indonesia has imposed curbs on public transport ahead of Ramadan – the Islamic holy month where Muslims don’t eat or drink during the hours of daylight – which will begin later this month. Millions of Indonesians people usually head home at the end of Ramadan, raising fears about virus spread.
- The global number of confirmed cases has passed 1.8 million, reaching 1,848,503, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. There have been 114,185 deaths globally.
Reuters
Coronavirus pandemic to test China's unemployment safety net
BEIJING (Reuters) - The coronavirus pandemic is expected to cause millions more people in China to lose their jobs, leaving many of them stranded without a safety net, unable to access state unemployment benefits, economists say.
The rapid spread of the disease around the world has dashed hopes for a quick recovery in China, where the virus first emerged. Analysts expect nearly 30 million job losses this year due to stuttering work resumptions and plunging global demand, outpacing the 20-plus million layoffs during the 2008-09 financial crisis.
Beijing has fortified its jobless claims programme in the decade since the financial crisis erupted, tripling the pot of funds to which both employers and workers contribute to 581.7 billion yuan ($82.37 billion), according to the latest data.
But millions of workers have no contracts or have not been paying into the unemployment insurance scheme, meaning they will have to rely on their employers giving them compensation if they get laid off.
BBC
Why grocery shelves won't be empty for long
In the earliest days of coronavirus, visiting a local supermarket felt like a bad dream to many. Stepping inside and seeing checkout lines three times their usual length, and quickly realising that you weren’t the only one who felt it was time to stock up. Shouldering past the other shoppers toward the pasta aisle or frozen section, and turning the corner in shock to find rows and rows of empty shelves.
As news of Covid-19 has grabbed the world’s attention, our grocery stores, usually bursting with every item we expect, have quickly been left bare by shoppers panic-buying toilet paper, water, rice, beans, pasta, bread and frozen foods. Images circulated online of empty shelves in late January, leading buyers to queue up ahead of stores’ openings and run essential items dry on e-shopping sites like Amazon Fresh. Compared to the same week in 2019, sales of US sales of dried beans grew 37%, rice 25% and pasta 10%.
Now, as April begins and shoppers continue to bulk-buy, grocery chains have jumped into action. Retailers have united with manufacturers, warehouse workers and supply chain operators to implement emergency policies to meet these skyrocketing demands. But even amid the uncertainty − and despite the seeming scarcity − experts across the food system are looking to reassure us against what could be shoppers’ ultimate fear: that an overburdened food supply chain could lead to a food shortage.
The Guardian
Fauci confirms New York Times report Trump rebuffed social distancing advice
Prominent US public health adviser Dr Anthony Fauci appeared on Sunday to confirm a bombshell New York Times report which said he and other Trump administration officials recommended the implementation of physical distancing to combat the coronavirus in February, but were rebuffed for almost a month.
Asked on CNN’s State of the Union why the administration did not act when he and other officials advised, Fauci said: “You know … as I have said many times, we look at it from a pure health standpoint. We make a recommendation. Often, the recommendation is taken. Sometimes, it’s not.
“…It is what it is. We are where we are right now.”
More than 530,000 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the US, with almost 21,000 deaths. Officials currently expect a death toll of about 60,000 by August.
New York Times (Predictable)
Coronavirus Live Updates: Trump Signals Frustration With Fauci Amid Criticism of Slow Virus Response
President Trump publicly signaled his frustration on Sunday with Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, after the doctor said more lives could have been saved from the coronavirus if the country had been shut down earlier.
Mr. Trump reposted a Twitter message that said “Time to #FireFauci” as he rejected criticism of his slow initial response to the pandemic that has now killed more than 22,000 people in the United States. The president privately has been irritated at times with Dr. Fauci, but the Twitter message was the most explicit he has been in letting that show publicly.
Mr. Trump retweeted a message from a former Republican congressional candidate. “Fauci is now saying that had Trump listened to the medical experts earlier he could’ve saved more lives,”
New York Times
Disney World Furloughing 43,000 Workers
Walt Disney World in Florida plans to furlough about 43,000 workers after it closed last month because of the coronavirus pandemic, the company and a union coalition representing the workers said.
In mid-March, Disney theme parks worldwide closed, including Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.
The furloughs, which are set to begin on April 19, were part of an agreement between Disney World and the Service Trades Council Union, a collection of six unions representing the 43,000 workers at the theme park resort in Florida.
“This is a decision that the union doesn’t like,” Eric Clinton, president of Unite Here Local 362, said on Saturday in a Facebook Live announcement. “However, it’s within the company’s right to lay off and furlough employees in this situation.”
NPR
No, You Don't Need To Disinfect Your Groceries. But Here's How To Shop Safely
The vast majority of the country is under lockdown right now. But stay-at-home orders come with a few exceptions — like grocery shopping.
Many of us are still venturing out to stock up on food and toiletries. But what's the safest way to shop during this pandemic? And what should you do once you've brought your haul home?
We asked infectious disease, virology and food safety experts to share their tips about safe grocery shopping — and what you can stop worrying about.
Know the dangers — focus on the people, not the food
Many people worry about the possibility of picking up the coronavirus from things like grocery store conveyor belts or cereal boxes. But every expert NPR spoke with agrees that the biggest risk when it comes to groceries is being inside the store itself with other people who may be infected.
Raw Story
First batch of stimulus payments has arrived in some of our bank accounts: IRS
Americans are starting to see the first wave of payments from the coronavirusstimulus package,the IRS said in a tweeton Saturday.“#IRS deposited the first Economic Impact Paymentsinto taxpayers’ bank accounts today. We know many people are anxious to get their payments; we’ll continue issuing them as fast as we can,” the tweet said.#IRSdeposited the first Economic Impact Payments into taxpayers’ bank accounts today. We know many people are anxious to get their payments; we’ll continue issuing them as fast as we can.