Category: Aktualności

Luckin Coffee Inc., a Chinese coffee retail chain listed on the Nasdaq, confirmed this week it has received notice that it will be delisted from the U.S. stock exchange after it acknowledged falsifying $310 million in sales.Analysts say the action is a blow to all Chinese companies, and comes as U.S. lawmakers consider imposing new regulations on Chinese companies seeking American investment.FILE – A Luckin Coffee logo is seen at a closed store in Beijing, following the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, China, April 16, 2020.”This is a such an unfortunate incident, it is a blow to the reputation of Chinese listed companies in the U.S,” said Guo Yafu, founder and CEO of TJ Capital Management.Luckin is the latest in a series of Chinese companies listed in the U.S. that have come under intense scrutiny.The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed sweeping legislation that potentially could bar many Chinese companies from listing shares on U.S. exchanges or raising money from American investors without adhering to strict regulatory and auditing regulations.The so-called “Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act,” overwhelmingly approved by Republican and Democratic senators, would require Chinese companies to demonstrate they are neither owned nor controlled by a foreign government. This would require the companies to submit to an audit that can be reviewed by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a non-profit group that oversees audits of all U.S. companies that want to raise money in public markets.Who is Luckin?Luckin Coffee Inc, a coffeehouse chain founded in 2017, joined Nasdaq in 2019 through a $561 million IPO, or initial public offering.The company rapidly expanded between 2017 and 2019, fueled by an aggressive marketing strategy, in which the company reportedly spent three times as much as it earned to feed its growth. By the beginning of 2020, the company claimed it had 4,500 shops in Mainland China, several hundred more than rival Starbucks.FILE – Jenny Qian Zhiya, CEO of Luckin Coffee, rings the Nasdaq opening bell with employees to celebrate the company’s IPO at the Nasdaq Market site in New York, May 17, 2019.Yet on April 2, Luckin Coffee announced that an internal investigation found that its chief operating officer, Jian Liu, had fabricated the company’s 2019 sales by “around RMB2.2 billion” ($310 million). On April 8, the U.S. stock market halted trading on all Luckin shares as a result of the fraud probe.Throughout April, the company’s stock dropped by over 80%. On May 12, the company fired its CEO Jenny Zhiyq Qian and COO Jian Liu from their positions.”The cooked books are either from accounting fraud or sales fraud,” Guo told VOA.After the delisting decision by Nasdaq, Luckin Coffee founder Charles Lu Zhengyao said in a statement published on Chinese social media platform WeChat on Wednesday that he “apologizes to all the investors, staff and clients of Luckin for the terrible impact of the incident.”Lack of oversightLuckin Coffee’s announced delisting follows years of tensions between American auditors and Chinese companies over the financial documentation required of companies that list shares on U.S. exchanges.FILE – A customer picks up her order from a Luckin Coffee pop-up shop at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, Aug. 15, 2018.Congress created the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) in 2002 to ensure that companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges have accurate financial and corporate records.It took a few years for PCAOB to negotiate inspection-related agreements with many countries around the world, but eventually nearly all – except China – have come into agreement.”There may still be one or two small countries without agreements — China is by far the largest without one,” said James Peterson, an author and former staff attorney for now defunct Arthur Andersen.Many Chinese companies have significant government links and claim “state secrets” when asked to disclose financial information to U.S. auditors.Peterson said that the content of corporate records and audit working papers are no more qualitatively “secret” in China than they are for businesses in any other country.”China’s claim of ‘state secrets’ is no more than rhetorical cover for the simple position that ‘we do not want to,'” Peterson told VOA.Trump wants to get tough  U.S. President Donald Trump said in a recent interview aired on Fox News that he was looking “very strongly” at setting rules to require Chinese companies to comply with American accounting rules. Federal officials have long demanded compliance with U.S. audit inspections as a condition for listing.Yet he also suggested that he doesn’t want to threaten to delist Chinese companies that don’t comply with U.S. regulations if it spurs them to flee to a competing foreign stock exchange.”Let’s say you want to get tough,” Trump said, “What do they do? They say, ‘OK, well, we’ll move to London or we’ll go to Hong Kong.'” Guo said Trump’s concern is reasonable, since a lot of Chinese companies have or are preparing to list in Hong Kong.”If the U.S. wants all Chinese companies [that don’t comply with U.S. auditing rule] to leave, they will have to find other places to go. These are all good companies, like Baidu and JD. com,” he said.He added that Alibaba, the e-commerce giant based in China, already has a secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock exchange.  
 
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A Republican-led U.S. Senate committee authorized a subpoena on Wednesday for information in an investigation related to Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, President Donald Trump’s main rival as he runs for re-election in November.
 
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs voted 8-6, with every Republican voting yes, and every Democrat voting no, to approve a subpoena for documents related to work the younger Biden did for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
 
The subpoena was requested by the panel’s chairman, Senator Ron Johnson, for information from Blue Star Strategies, a public affairs firm that worked with Burisma. Johnson’s investigation intensified after Trump’s impeachment trial this year. He plans to issue a report in the coming months.
 
Trump was impeached on abuse-of-power and obstruction charges in the Democratic-led House of Representatives after he asked Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. He was acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.
 
Democrats say Trump and his party are trying to shore up his re-election prospects by targeting Biden. They have also said Johnson’s actions could aid disinformation efforts by Russia as it seeks to influence the 2020 election, after U.S. intelligence determined Moscow sought boost Trump campaign in 2016.  
 
“Senator Johnson should be working overtime to save American lives – but instead he’s just trying to save the President’s job,” said Andrew Bates, a spokesman for Biden’s presidential campaign, noting the current health and economic crisis.
 
Senator Mitt Romney, the only Republican who voted to convict Trump of abuse of power, said in March he thought Johnson’s investigation of Hunter Biden appeared political. A no vote would have deadlocked the committee, but Romney joined other Republicans in approving the subpoena.
 
Senate Judiciary, led by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, is investigating surveillance warrants in the FBI’s probe of Russian meddling in 2016.
  
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The United Nations’ top diplomat for the Middle East peace process called on Israel on Wednesday to “abandon threats of annexation” of a large portion of the West Bank.”The continuing threat of annexation by Israel of parts of the West Bank would constitute a most serious violation of international law, deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution, close the door to a renewal of negotiations, and threaten efforts to advance regional peace and our broader efforts to maintain international peace and security,” U.N. envoy Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council during a virtual meeting.FILE – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new government, in Jerusalem, May 17, 2020, in this picture provided by the Israeli Knesset spokesperson office.Israel’s new coalition government, sworn-in on Sunday and led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has reiterated its intention to annex about 30% of the West Bank, including Israeli settlements and areas populated mainly by Palestinians.After a meeting of Palestinian Authority leadership late Tuesday, President Mahmoud Abbas responded, announcing that his government is now absolved of all understandings and agreements under the 1993 Oslo Accords, including on security coordination with Israel and the United States.Envoy Mladenov told the Security Council that the Palestinian reaction is a “desperate cry for help” by a generation of leaders who have invested in preparing for statehood since the Oslo peace process more than 25 years ago.”The Palestinian leadership is not threatening,” Mladenov said. “It is calling for urgent action to preserve the prospect of peace.”He urged council members to support the U.N. secretary-general’s call against unilateral steps that will hurt diplomatic efforts to create the conditions for resuming peace talks.”I call on my colleagues in the Middle East Quartet – the United States, the Russian Federation and the European Union – to work with the U.N. and quickly come forward with a proposal that will enable the Quartet to take up its mediation role and work jointly with countries in the region to advance the prospect of peace,” he said.FILE – Nickolay Mladenov, on screen, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, addresses the U.N. Security Council as it considers the situation in the Middle East, in this May 22, 2019, image obtained from the U.N.The European members of the Security Council issued a joint statement expressing their willingness to assist negotiations.”With regard to the Middle East peace process, we are willing to support and facilitate resumed direct and meaningful negotiations between the two parties, to resolve all final status issues and achieve a just and lasting peace,” said Belgium’s Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve on behalf of Estonia, France, Germany and former council member, Poland.Nearly all the 15 council members expressed concern about Israel’s intention to annex parts of the West Bank.”Annexation is neither in the interest of the Palestinians nor of the Israelis nor of the Europeans nor of the international community,” said France’s ambassador Nicolas de Rivière. He warned that such a move would have consequences on the European Union’s relations with Israel.”It is perplexing that during these unprecedented times, as the international community addresses the global challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel is exploiting the situation to further advance its de facto annexation of Palestinian land,” said South Africa’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Xolisa Mabhongo. He characterized the Israeli intentions as “belligerent” and threatening efforts to advance regional peace.”We urge relevant parties to stop any unilateral actions and refrain from escalating conflict and tension,” China’s Ambassador Zhang Jun said of Israel’s annexation plans.U.S. envoy Kelly Craft urged the Israelis and Palestinians to sit down together to address their issues.”If both sides are serious about their talking, it is time for both sides to prove it,” Craft said.She acknowledged that council members have concerns and objections related to President Donald Trump’s plan for Middle East peace – which includes Israel’s annexing part of the West Bank in exchange for giving the Palestinians two pieces of land in the Negev Desert for a future state. Craft said the plan is “realistic and implementable” and the Security Council should “encourage the Palestinians to see this initiative as an opportunity to realize their aspirations.” 
 
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More than 1,100 former U.S. federal prosecutors on Wednesday blasted the attempt by Republican President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to dismiss a charge against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, saying the move puts Trump’s personal interests ahead of the public good. 
The criticism came in a legal brief the nonprofit The Protect Democracy Project plans to file in federal court in Washington. They accused Attorney General William Barr of abusing his oath of office by asking to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn, who has pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI.
 
The group included former Acting Attorney General Stuart Gerson — who served in that role under Democratic then-President Bill Clinton, and former Deputy Attorney General Donald Ayer, who served under Republican then-President George H.W. Bush — marks the latest development in an escalating drama over whether U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan will grant the department’s bombshell request to drop the case. 
“The government’s request in this case does not appear to advance the interests of justice or the public, nor does it appear to be free of impermissible and unlawful taint,” they wrote in a prepared filing seen by Reuters, adding that the request “appears to serve President Trump’s personal political interests, rather than the interests of the public.” 
Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general who was briefly Trump’s national security adviser, pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about interactions with Russia’s U.S. Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the weeks before Trump took office. 
After agreeing to cooperate, Flynn switched lawyers and tactics, arguing the FBI tricked him and asked that his plea agreement be dismissed. 
Sullivan has made it clear he is not willing to simply rubber-stamp the request. 
He appointed retired Judge John Gleeson to present arguments on whether Flynn should face an additional criminal contempt charge for perjury. 
 
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A former U.S. Green Beret and his son accused of helping aid former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges were arrested Wednesday, the Justice Department said.Justice Department spokeswoman Nicole Navas said Michael Taylor, 59, and Peter Taylor, 27, were arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on Wednesday morning in Harvard, Massachusetts.The Taylors are wanted by Japan officials on charges that they helped Ghosn escape the country in December after the former Nissan boss was released on bail.Ghosn reappeared in Lebanon, saying he had fled to avoid “political persecution.”Ghosn, who was charged with under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust, has repeatedly asserted his innocence, saying authorities trumped up charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Co. and alliance partner Renault SA.Michael Taylor flew into Japan on a private jet from the United Arab Emirates with another man, George-Antoine Zayek. The two men brought two large black boxes with them, claiming to be musicians carrying audio equipment, according to court papers. They then helped Ghosn escape to the airport by hiding him in one of the boxes, the documents say. Japanese officials had also issued a provisional warrant for Zayek’s arrest.The Taylors are expected to appear before a judge via videoconference later Wednesday. There were no lawyers listed for them in court documents.
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 Rapidly rising water overtook dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people in central Michigan, where the governor said downtown could be “under approximately 9 feet of water” by Wednesday.
For the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered to leave home.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday evening urged anyone near the river to seek higher ground following “castastrophic dam failures” at the Edenville Dam, about 140 miles (225.31 kilometers) north of Detroit, and the Sanford Dam, about seven miles (11.26 kilometers) downriver.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen said downtown Midland, a city of 42,000 about 8 miles (12.87 kilometers) downstream from the Sanford Dam, faced an especially serious flooding threat. Dow Chemical Co.’s main plant sits on the city’s riverbank.
“In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately 9 feet of water,” the governor said. “We are anticipating an historic high water level.”
Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Midland County and urged residents threatened by the flooding to find a place to stay with friends or relatives or to seek out one of several shelters that opened across the county. She encouraged people to do their best to take precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus, such as wearing a face covering and observing social distancing “to the best of your ability.”
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in Midland County,” she said. ”If you have a family member or loved one who lives in another part of the state, go there now.”
Emergency responders went door-to-door early Tuesday morning warning residents living near the Edenville Dam of the rising water. Some residents were able to return home, only to be told to leave again following the dam’s breach several hours later. The evacuations include the towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for Midland County.
“We were back at home and starting to feel comfortable that things were calming down,” said Catherine Sias, who lives about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) from the Edenville Dam and first left home early Tuesday morning. “All of a sudden we heard the fire truck sirens going north toward the dam.”
Sias, 45, said emergency alerts then began coming on her cellphone and people started calling to make sure she was safe.
“While packing, there were tons of police and fire trucks going up and down the roads,” she added. “As far as I know, all of our neighbors got out.”
While driving along a jammed M-30, the state highway that’s the main road through Edenville and that crosses the river north of town, Sias saw the rushing Tittabawassee River. “It was very dramatic, very fast and full of debris,” she said.
Dow Chemical has activated its emergency operations center and will be adjusting operations as a result of current flood stage conditions, spokeswoman Rachelle Schikorra said in an email.
“Dow Michigan Operations is working with its tenants and Midland County officials and will continue to closely monitor the water levels on the Tittabawassee River,” Schikorra said.
In 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission revoked the license of the company that operated the Edenville Dam due to non-compliance issues that included spillway capacity and the inability to pass the most severe flood reasonably possible in the area.
The Edenville Dam, which was built in 1924, was rated in unsatisfactory condition in 2018 by the state. The Sanford Dam, which was built in 1925, received a fair condition rating.
Both dams are in the process of being sold.
There were 19 high hazard dams in unsatisfactory or poor condition in Michigan in 2018, ranking 20th among the 45 states and Puerto Rico for which The Associated Press obtained condition assessments.
Flood warnings in Michigan were issued following widespread rainfall of 4 to 7 inches (10.2 to 17.8 centimeters) since Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy runoff pushed rivers higher.
The Tittabawassee River was at 30.5 feet (9.3 meters) and rising Tuesday night – flood stage is 24 feet (7.3 meters). It was expected to crest Wednesday morning at a record of about 38 feet (11.6 meters).
The heavy rains early in the week also caused flooding elsewhere in the region. In Chicago, water that flooded some areas downtown was receding Tuesday, but Larry Langford, a fire department spokesman, said that he did not expect power to be restored at the iconic Willis Tower for days because the rains caused the building’s subbasements to fill with as much as 25 feet (7.6 meters) of water. The building was closed to tenants and visitors. 
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High schools nationwide have canceled or postponed traditional graduation ceremonies to avoid worsening the spread of the new coronavirus, but some are going ahead with full-fledged springtime commencement exercises as usual, with tweaks to account for health concerns. Thousands of graduates, parents, siblings and grandparents will gather at a nearly 11,000-seat stadium on Wednesday and Thursday nights in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover as its two high schools — among the largest in Alabama — hold traditional commencement exercises despite COVID-19. A school in a nearby city held its ceremony Tuesday, with chairs for more than 540 graduates spread apart across a football field and a keynote address by Alabama’s state school superintendent, Eric Mackey. Few in attendance wore protective face masks, and seniors hugged and gathered in tight groups of friends for pictures. Dr. Michael Saag, who treats infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said the threat of spreading the coronavirus poses too great a risk to hold such ceremonies. Virus carriers without symptoms could unknowingly infect others, he said. Saag has a special perspective: He survived COVID-19 after being infected in March. “Having had this before, even if you survive it, which most people do, it’s still a harrowing thing to go through,” said Saag, now back at work. School officials in Hoover announced the ceremonies in the city’s open-air baseball stadium, after Gov. Kay Ivey eliminated state restrictions on the size of group gatherings as long as people from different households stay 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart. For the ceremonies, hundreds of chairs for graduates have been spread across the dirt infield; spectators will sit on metal bleachers or in blue stadium seats. Workers applied red tape to seats that spectators are to avoid. Kathy Murphy, the city school superintendent, said the ceremonies will comply with the rules. “All of our students will be celebrated, even those who choose not to come, and we understand that. But we will call their names, their names will appear on the large Jumbotron,” Murphy said in a video posted online. Schools in California planned virtual graduations after the state canceled traditional events, and students at an Illinois school walked across a stage in an otherwise empty auditorium. Some systems delayed ceremonies until the summer, and former President Barack Obama recorded a video graduation speech for seniors. At some schools, graduating classes were split into smaller groups for live ceremonies. Some, mostly smaller schools have held traditional commencements for entire classes. But Spain Park and Hoover are two of the largest, top-ranked state schools. Both are in a heavily populated area, making such ceremonies all the more risky, critics said. As a precaution, students are being given face masks, along with instructions not to hug friends, exchange high fives, toss caps or linger afterward. Tickets are limited to four students each, and everyone present must wear a face covering. Still, the numbers of potential attendees are daunting at a time when sporting events, concerts, and movies are still prohibited because of crowd concerns. Some 390 seniors will graduate on Wednesday night from Spain Park, meaning about 1,950 graduates and guests could attend. Another 690 will graduate on Thursday from Hoover High, so some 3,450 people could be inside Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Critics say that even with the rules, such huge ceremonies could hasten additional coronavirus transmission in metro Birmingham, an area of more than 1 million people. The city of Hoover, with 85,000 residents, sits astride Shelby and Jefferson counties, which have more than 1,770 cases of COVID-19 combined. Bonnie Kaiser, a 2004 graduate of Hoover High School who teaches in the Department of Anthropology and Global Health Program at the University of California-San Diego, was among 31 health professionals and system alumni who signed an open letter asking officials to reconsider the ceremonies. “I think the thing is there’s not a away to do it safely even if everyone has perfect behavior as far as what is being recommended, and we know at a graduation that just will not happen,” Kaiser said in an interview. Parents pleased their children could have a traditional graduation ceremony flooded the school’s social media feeds with thanks to school officials, But critics also aired their complaints. And some top-ranked students said they won’t attend. Omar Mohammad, a 17-year-old senior at Spain Park, organized a small protest outside the graduation site Saturday with about three dozen supporters. He plans to skip his graduation, calling the ceremony “unsafe and irresponsible.” “All it takes is one asymptomatic person handing out fliers to others to make it spread,” Mohammad said. “This isn’t about graduation. It’s about Hoover. If you get a disease you can spread it.” Murphy, the city superintendent, said the ceremonies are optional, and any student with health problems or safety concerns can set up a “more personalized” graduation with their principal. South of Hoover in Alabaster, Thompson High School held a traditional graduation ceremony in its football stadium Tuesday night, limiting the crowd to 2,500 guests, or roughly half the normal capacity, but with no requirements for masks. Senior Jael Janae Johnson thanked God for the event in the opening prayer. “This wouldn’t be possible without your will,” she said.   
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A federal judge Tuesday ordered Texas to allow any of the state’s 16 million voters to cast a ballot by mail over fears of the coronavirus, paving the way for what would be one of the most dramatic expansions of mail-in voting in the country. The decision is unlikely to be the last word. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who in recent weeks has suggested that steering voters toward wrongly applying for mail-in ballots could result in prosecution, said the state would appeal. He called the ruling by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery a dismissal of “well-established law.”  The fight in Texas is just one of several court battles across the country over efforts, mainly by Democrats, to expand access to mail-in ballots amid the pandemic. In Wisconsin, where election officials drew widespread criticism for holding its April 7 presidential primary even as other states delayed voting, a new lawsuit filed Monday argued that not enough has been done since then to ensure that the upcoming elections can be conducted safely and fairly. Voting by mail in Texas is generally limited to those 65 or older or those with a “sickness or physical condition” that prevents voting in person. In a lengthy ruling, Biery rejected Paxton’s assertion that fear of getting the virus doesn’t qualify as a disability under the law. “Clearly, fear and anxiety currently gripping the United States has limited citizens’ physical movements, affected their mental senses and constricted activities, socially and economically,” Biery wrote.  He also dismissed claims that expanding mail-in voting would invite fraud in Texas, citing scant evidence.  The ruling came just days after the Texas Supreme Court, which is entirely controlled by Republicans, handed Paxton a victory by blocking a lower ruling in state court that cleared the way for widespread vote-by-mail. Officials in Tennessee are also fighting efforts to expand mail-in voting under a similar defense as Texas, saying fear of contracting the coronavirus doesn’t meet medical criteria. “It is time for a few state officers to stop trying to force people to expose themselves to COVID-19 in order to vote,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party.  Texas is pressing ahead with one of the swiftest re-openings in the country. On Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott gave permission to reopen practically every facet of daily life in Texas, including bars and child daycare centers, lifting most full lockdown orders. He said social distancing measures must still be in place, such as limits on customers and no fans at sports events. Texas has nearly 50,000 cases and at least 1,300 deaths related to the virus. The number of cases has climbed since Texas began lifting stay-at-home orders May 1, but Abbott has defended the speed by emphasizing that hospitalizations have remained flat and infection rates have dropped since April.  President Donald Trump has claimed mail-in voting is ripe for fraud and “cheaters,” even as his reelection campaign and state allies are scrambling to launch operations meant to help their voters cast ballots in the mail. Other states have moved to expand absentee voting amid the coronavirus pandemic, including some controlled by Republicans, but Paxton has maintained that fear of getting the virus doesn’t qualify as a disability under the law. Texas will hold primary runoff elections in July. Abbott has already expanded early voting for that election, which will decide the nominees in key congressional races and which Democrat will face Republican Sen. John Cornyn.  
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Federal authorities are urging governors to use “extreme caution” in deciding when to resume visits at nursing homes, saying it shouldn’t come before all residents and staff have tested negative for the coronavirus for at least 28 days.The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ criteria for relaxing restrictions at nursing homes come more than two months after the agency ordered homes to ban visitors. Instead of firm dates, it lists a variety of factors state and local officials should consider, such as adequate staffing levels at homes and the ability to regularly test all residents and workers.”We’re urging governors to proceed with extreme caution because these are the most vulnerable citizens. We know that nursing homes have struggled,” Seema Verma, head of CMS, told the Associated Press.Already, outbreaks in nursing homes and long-term care facilities have claimed more than 33,000 lives, more than a third of all coronavirus deaths in the U.S., according to a count by the AP.The recommendations bolster the Trump administration’s broader guidelines that say senior care facilities should be among the last in a community to reopen, given the vulnerability of their elderly residents. And they noted that some homes may have to wait even longer than 28 days from the last negative test if they have had problems with infection controls, staffing or other issues.Once visits resume, family members and others should still wear face coverings and practice social distancing, CMS said.Negative consequencesAlthough the ban on visitors is intended to keep residents safe, Toby Edelman of the Center for Medicare Advocacy said the prolonged isolation could have negative consequences, since family members often act as an extra set of eyes to ensure their loved ones are being properly cared for.”It’s been necessary, but it takes its toll on residents and family members, psychologically, mentally, physically — in every conceivable way,” Edelman said.Dr. Sharon Inouye, a professor of geriatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said it’s been distressing to watch her mother cope with the isolation.”She got pretty depressed initially. She kept calling me and sometimes she’d be crying, ‘I’m so lonely,'” said Inouye, who had to cancel plans to fly out and see her mother at an assisted living facility in the San Francisco area.Inouye’s sister, who lives closer to the home, was only able to see their mother from a distance twice. The in-person encounters between family members and residents by the home’s entrance are difficult for staff to coordinate more frequently, Inouye said.Calls for COVID testsFor weeks, nursing homes have been calling on local and federal officials for help accessing tests and personal protective equipment.Mark Parkinson, president of the American Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes and assisted living facilities, said the testing of residents and staff should be possible within a few weeks with the federal government making access for homes more of a priority. 
 
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U.S. evangelist Ravi Zacharias, who believed that those skeptical about religion need to be engaged in a healthy debate rather than scorned, has died of cancer at 74. His Atlanta-based international ministries said Zacharias rose to global prominence as what it calls a defender of the “intellectual credibility” of Christianity “helping the thinker believe and the believer think.”  Ministry president Michael Ramsden says Zacharias “saw the objections and questions of others not as something to be rebuffed, but as a cry of the heart that had to be answered.” Zacharias was born in Chennai, India, and says he was an atheist until he was 17 and tried to commit suicide. A hospital worker brought him a Bible.  He started his missionary work after he moved to Canada and later the United States.  Vice President Mike Pence tweeted that he is “deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ravi Zacharias, a Christian apologist whose ministry for the gospel of Jesus Christ impacted millions around the world. Ravi was a man of faith who could rightly handle the word of truth like few others in our time & he was my friend.”  
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Here’s a look at how Muslims worldwide are marking Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer and reflection, during the Pandemic.
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People living along two mid-Michigan lakes and parts of a river were evacuated Tuesday following several days of heavy rain that produced flooding and put pressure on dams in the area.
Two Midland-area schools were opened for evacuees and more than 50 roads have been closed. The evacuations in Michigan followed days of heavy rains in parts of the Midwest that also brought flooding to Chicago and other parts of Illinois, as well as Ohio and other states.
“We were laying in bed when I heard sirens,” Jon St. Croix told the Midland Daily News. “A fire truck was driving around, broadcasting that (we needed) to evacuate. It’s a scary thing — you’re sleeping and awake to sirens.”
St. Croix, 62, his wife and a next-door neighbor were among more than a dozen people sheltering in one of the schools. Their home was not flooded, but St. Croix said he had seen flooding in the area.
Volunteers at the schools said about 120 vehicles were in the parking lots and about 30 people had been staying on cots inside, according to WNEM-TV.
The television station also reported that the driver of a pickup truck was rescued by first responders after the vehicle was swept away on a flooded road in Tittabawassee Township.Tropical Storm Drenches North Carolina’s Coast Tropical storm Arthur is the first named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season In Chicago, water that flooded some areas downtown was receding on Tuesday, but Larry Langford, a fire department spokesman, said that he did not expect power to be restored at the iconic Willis Tower for days because the rains caused the building’s subbasements to fill with as much as 25 feet (7.6 meters) of water. The building was closed to tenants and visitors.
And in DuPage County, west of the city, a search for an 18-year-old woman who was swept away by a surging DuPage River last Friday remained suspended on Tuesday because the water remained too high and the current too swift to conduct the search safely.  
Tony Martinez, spokesman for the DuPage Forest Preserve District, said the area of the river where the woman was swept that is typically about 25 feet wide remained 200 yards wide.  
“We hope to resume searching later this week,” he said.
School buses and dump trucks were called out Tuesday in southwest Ohio to help evacuate people trapped in flooded areas in a commercial area with dozens of businesses in suburban West Chester Township.
By noon, West Chester Township spokeswoman Barb Wilson said a dozen people had been taken to a nearby high school, while other people were able to make it out of the flooded area in their own vehicles.
There were no injuries reported immediately in the area just off Interstate 75 north of Cincinnati.
Flood warnings in Michigan were issued following widespread rainfall of up to 4 inches (10.2 centimeters) since Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy runoff pushed rivers higher.
“A lot of the rainfall came and hit the Saginaw Valley over the last 48 hours,” meteorologist Andrew Arnold said Tuesday morning. “For the most part, the rain is over.”
The weather system was moving into Indiana, Ohio, parts of Illinois and the Tennessee Valley, Arnold said.
More flooding was forecast for parts of the Tittabawassee River, which was at 26.5 feet (8.1 meters) Tuesday morning. It was expected to crest Wednesday morning at about 30 feet (9.1 meters). Flood stage is 24 feet (7.3 meters).
Midland County 911 sent out a series of alerts saying the Edenville and Sanford dams were at risk of failing, and those living near Sanford Lake, Wixom Lake and other area waterways should evacuate.
Midland County Emergency Management later said that the dams were “structurally sound.” It said water flowing through the dam spillgates couldn’t be controlled, however, so evacuation measures remained in place.
In 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission revoked the license of the company that operated the Edenville Dam due to non-compliance issues that included spillway capacity and the inability to pass the most severe flood reasonably possible in the area.
The Edenville Dam was rated in unsatisfactory condition in 2018 by the state, while the Sanford Dam received a fair condition rating.
Both dams are in the process of being sold.
There were 19 high hazard dams in unsatisfactory or poor condition in Michigan in 2018, ranking 20th among the 45 states and Puerto Rico for which The Associated Press obtained condition assessments.
Just to the north in Gladwin County, the weather service issued a flash flood warning for the Cedar River below the Chappel Dam. And other parts of the state saw isolated flooding following heavy rains in recent days. 
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Joe Biden’s presidential campaign is bringing on the granddaughter of civil rights leader César Chávez as a senior adviser to help with Latino outreach and building out its operation in the states.
Some Latino leaders have criticized the Biden campaign, saying it’s not doing enough to reach out to the key demographic group.  
The new adviser, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, previously worked as co-national political director on California Sen. Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign and was her California state director before that. She also served in the Obama administration, overseeing the White House’s engagement with LGBT, Latino, veteran, youth, education, labor and progressive leaders.
She’s joining Cristóbal Alex, a former president of the Latino Victory Fund, who serves as Biden’s senior adviser for issues involving Hispanic voters.
Biden is viewed with skepticism by some Latinos for his ties to deportation policies during the Obama administration. He struggled with Latino outreach throughout the Democratic presidential primary, facing pro-immigration protesters, and last November his most senior Latina aide quit the campaign after reportedly raising concerns that the campaign hadn’t focused enough on Latino voters.
Indeed, Latino voters strongly sided with Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary.
But the Biden campaign has ramped up its outreach to Latinos in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Biden held an online event with the League of United Latin American Citizens at which he focused on the poor conditions experienced by workers at meatpacking plants, many of whom, he noted, are black or Latino.  
His campaign is reportedly working on a multimillion-dollar outreach plan focused on Latino men. And this month, Biden also spoke with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as she was named to a unity task force aimed at bridging the gap between Biden and Sanders supporters. 
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U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury chief Steven Mnuchin are painting a bleak picture of the economic devastation the coronavirus pandemic has wrought on the country, but they hold out hope that a raft of loans and assistance to families and businesses will provide relief in the coming months. Both are testifying Tuesday remotely before he Senate Banking Committee.   Powell said in prepared remarks that the pandemic has caused “a level of pain that is hard to capture in words. “All of us are affected, but the burdens are falling most heavily on those least able to carry them,” he said. “It is worth remembering that the measures taken to contain the virus represent an investment in our individual and collective health. As a society, we should do everything we can to provide relief to those who are suffering for the public good.” The central bank chief said, “The scope and speed of this downturn are without modern precedent and are significantly worse than any recession since World War II.” About 36.5 million U.S. workers have been laid off from jobs and have sought unemployment compensation as the world’s largest economy has plunged into a recession. “This precipitous drop in economic activity has caused a level of pain that is hard to capture in words,” Powell said, “as lives are upended amid great uncertainty about the future.” The Fed lowered its benchmark interest rate to near zero in March. Powell promised that the Fed expects “to maintain interest rates at this level until we are confident that the economy has weathered recent events and is on track to achieve our maximum-employment and price-stability goals.” FILE – Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin speaks with reporters about economic impacts of the coronavirus outside the White House, March 29, 2020, in Washington.Mnuchin, also testifying remotely, echoed Powell’s concerns about the U.S. economy in his prepared remarks, saying, “This disease is impacting families and communities across the nation. Through no fault of their own, the American people are also enduring economic challenges.” But he said that thanks to efforts of medical professionals throughout the U.S., “I am confident that our nation will emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever before.” He said that hundreds of billions of dollars in grants and loans to families and businesses have been doled out already to ease the country’s economic burden from the pandemic. “We are sympathetic to hardworking Americans and businesses enduring tremendous challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mnuchin said. “We have had to take unprecedented steps to shut down significant parts of the economy in the interest of public health.” He said that as a result, “We are continuing to see large unemployment and other negative indicators. It is important to realize that the large numbers represent real people.” But he said, “As we listen to medical experts, we are optimistic about the progress being made on vaccines, antiviral therapies, and testing. Working closely with governors, we are beginning to open the economy in a way that minimizes risks to workers and customers. We expect economic conditions to improve in the third and fourth quarters.” The U.S. coronavirus death toll now tops 90,000, by far the biggest national total across the globe, with 143,000 expected to die by early August. But Mnuchin declared, “Together we will destroy the COVID-19 virus and our country will emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever.” 
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Maintaining a balanced diet has never been easy in Desire, a predominantly African American neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana, but it has become nearly impossible during the pandemic.  “We’ve always had inequality problems to deal with, but coronavirus has made it worse,” high school junior Chrishana Simon said. “The stakes are so much higher now.”
 
Despite being a hub of gastronomic pursuits much celebrated for its Cajun cuisine, Louisiana ranks near the bottom of U.S. states in providing its residents access to healthy and affordable food, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In New Orleans, the nonprofit group Feeding America estimated 85,000 residents – 22% of the population – were unable to find or afford fresh food in their communities. Those residents were disproportionately likely to be black.
 
“My family and I are afraid to go to the grocery store,” Simon explained. She said a trip for fresh groceries would involve a bus trip across town and entering a busy supermarket, both of which could expose them to the virus. Fearing especially for the health of her grandfather, they have limited shopping to quick runs to a neighborhood convenience store, where Simon is more likely to find chips and soda than fruits and vegetables.  
 
“For the first month of the pandemic we lived off of canned foods and rice and beans,” she added. “We had no better choice.”
 
The consequences of nutritional deficiencies are impossible to miss – especially during the pandemic, according to Connor DeLoach of Top Box Foods, a nonprofit that provides fresh produce and other goods at heavily discounted prices in New Orleans and elsewhere.
 
“If you aren’t putting healthy food in your body, the long-term effects can be seriously detrimental,” he said. “New Orleanians have higher rates of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes than the national average and these are all conditions that make individuals more susceptible to coronavirus’ most intense symptoms.”
 
In Louisiana, where black people make up about one-third of the population, Gov. John Bel Edwards said last month they accounted for more than 70% of the state’s coronavirus deaths. The majority of these fatalities were recorded in New Orleans.People on foot and in cars line up for food at a food distribution point for people economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, organized by New Orleans City Councilman Jay Banks, in New Orleans, April 29, 2020.Food DesertsThe USDA defines “food deserts” as places where residents must travel more than a mile (1.6 km) to reach a supermarket. It’s estimated that approximately 23.5 million Americans live in such neighborhoods.
 
Simon said the nearest grocery store to her home is a Walmart about three kilometers away. But just because there isn’t a grocery store nearby doesn’t mean her neighborhood is void of food.
 
“We have a Rally’s, a McDonald’s, a [Raising] Cane’s,” Simon said, listing her neighborhood’s unhealthy fast food options, “a Taco Bell, a Wendy’s — pretty much every chain you can imagine – and, of course, plenty of corner stores.”
 
She said she often craves a fresh salad rather than sugary or greasy foods. “But you can’t really get that around here.”
 
This is nothing new, according to Shawn “Pepper” Roussel, an advocate for equitable food access in New Orleans, noting that food deserts have existed for decades.
 
“It started with white flight [abandoning urban areas] in the 1950s and ‘60s,” she explained, “which left poor and African American families in partially-abandoned inner cities alone.” As population size and purchasing power declined, many stores closed, including supermarkets.  
 
Roussel disputes any suggestion that poor people don’t want to eat healthy food.  
 
“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” she says. “The reality is, after white flight, finding healthy food in inner cities was pretty much impossible.”People line up for food in a vehicle line that stretched one mile, to receive food at a food distribution point for people economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, organized by New Orleans City Councilman Jay Banks, in New Orleans.Making matters worseFor Simon and her family, taking public transit to and from a grocery store was an arduous trip before the pandemic. Now, that option is even grimmer.
 
“Riding a public bus feels like a big risk right now,” she said, “and they’re running less hours and less often because of the virus.”  
 
Walking 40 minutes to Walmart is even less appealing. “And have you tried walking two miles with grocery bags? You can’t carry all the fresh food your family needs.”
 
To make matters worse, most food delivery services – a preferred option for many Americans sheltering at home – don’t accept food stamps, effectively shutting out the poor and vulnerable who rely on the government assistance program for grocery purchases.
 
If Simon’s family does risk entering a supermarket, they’d find fresh food even further out of reach. April marked the largest one-month jump in grocery prices in the United States since February, 1974.  ChangeWhile food is more expensive, many in New Orleans have seen their incomes plummet. More than 130,000 residents filed unemployment claims between March 21 and April 11 – nearly 25% of the city’s pre-COVID 19 jobs.  
 
As in many cities, New Orleans’ minorities have been especially hard hit, losing jobs tied to the city’s large tourism industry that has been decimated by the pandemic. African Americans account for more than half of cooks and janitors in the city, and more than two-thirds of housekeepers.
 
At a time of growing need, nonprofits like DeLoach’s Top Box Foods are swinging into action, delivering boxes of fresh produce, fruit and meat to customers’ doors – including to those who rely on food stamps. The organization is also working with corner stores to sell more fresh produce and other healthy food.
 
Chrishana Simon, meanwhile, can envision a better future in which she walks through her neighborhood and no longer sees a never-ending parade of fast food restaurants.
 
“When I’m in other neighborhoods, sometimes I see they have people growing food in gardens. There are stores with fresh vegetables,” she says. “Why can’t that be my neighborhood? My family deserves the chance to be healthy, too, don’t we?”
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Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has been tapped to serve as the acting chairman of the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee. FILE – Senator Richard Burr listens as Rep. John Ratcliffe testifies before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during his nomination hearing to become director of national intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 5, 2020.The Florida lawmaker was named by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Monday to replace Richard Burr of North Carolina, who is under investigation over allegations that he used advance information to sell millions of dollars of stocks in February, weeks before the coronavirus pandemic caused a meltdown of global financial markets.  Burr stepped down from his post last week after FBI agents seized his cellphone as part of its probe.  Rubio has spent much of his Senate career focusing on foreign policy as a member of both the Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees. In a statement announcing his appointment, McConnell praised Rubio for his concern “for our nation’s security, advocacy for our values and interests, and vigilance toward threats.” “On subjects ranging from China and Russia to Iran and North Korea to tyranny and unrest in our own hemisphere, Senator Rubio has been on the case for years,” McConnell said. Rubio’s elevation to the post makes him one of the so-called “Gang of Eight,” composed of the top leaders of the House of Representatives and Senate and the chairs of the Intelligence committees of both chambers who receive the most sensitive classified briefings.  Rubio, who ran for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, also currently serves as chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneur Committee, which has played a leading role in legislation aimed at helping American businesses recover from the pandemic.     
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A key U.S. Democratic lawmaker suggested Monday that President Donald Trump may have abruptly fired the internal State Department watchdog last week at Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s behest because he was nearing completion of a probe into Pompeo’s controversial fast-tracking of arms sales last year to Saudi Arabia.Initially, Democratic lawmakers contended that Trump ousted Steve Linick, the State Department’s inspector general, because he was investigating claims that Pompeo and his wife Susan have been using a government aide for personal tasks, such as walking their family dog, picking up dry cleaning and making dinner reservations for the couple.But Congressman Eliot Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted, “I’ve learned there may be another reason for IG Linick’s firing. His office was investigating—at my request—Trump’s phony emergency declaration so he could send Saudi Arabia weapons. We don’t have the full picture yet, but it’s troubling that Sec Pompeo wanted Linick pushed out.”Engel said Linick’s probe centered on the Trump administration’s emergency declaration a year ago to bypass Congress to approve $8.1 billion in arms sales to several countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. said at the time the weapons were needed to deter what it called “the malign influence” of Iran throughout the Middle East.Pompeo said in a statement a year ago, “These sales will support our allies, enhance Middle East stability, and help these nations to deter and defend themselves from the Islamic Republic of Iran.”But several Democratic and Republican lawmakers condemned the arms sales, citing the Saudis’ human rights record and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The White House has acknowledged that Pompeo recommended Linick’s ouster, the fourth time in recent weeks Trump has dismissed an inspector general who has played one role or another in holding his administration to account for its actions. However, inspectors general throughout government agencies serve at the pleasure of U.S. presidents.U.S. Senator Bob Menendez exits the chamber at the U.S. Capitol during U.S. President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial in Washington, Jan. 31, 2020.Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, and Engel sent a joint letter to the White House requesting administration officials turn over documents by Friday related to Linick’s firing.“The President can’t fire watchdogs without giving a proper reason and justification to Congress – all of Congress. Secret reasons don’t count,” Menendez said Sunday.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday told CBS News’s “Face the Nation” show that Linick’s dismissal was “unsavory when you take out someone who is there to … stop waste, fraud, abuse or other violations of the law that … they believed to be happening.“So, again, let’s take a look and see,” Pelosi said. “The president has the right to fire any federal employee. But the fact is, if it looks like it’s in retaliation for something that the attorney- the IG, the inspector general is doing, that could be unlawful.”Key Republicans came to Trump’s defense.Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro told ABC News’s “This Week” show, “I support whatever this president does in terms of his hiring and firing decisions.“There is a bureaucracy out there and there’s a lot of people in that bureaucracy who think they got elected president and not Donald J. Trump,” Navarro said, “And we’ve had tremendous problem with what some people call the Deep State. I think that’s apt. So, I don’t mourn the loss.”Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, told CNN that he felt that “not all inspector generals are created equal” and noted they “serve at the pleasure of the president.”Trump previously had dismissed Glenn Fine, who was overseeing the government’s financial relief response to the coronavirus pandemic; Michael Atkinson, who as inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community played a role in triggering Trump’s impeachment late last year; and Christi Grimm, the Health and Human Services inspector general Trump accused of producing a “fake dossier” on medical supply shortages at American hospitals dealing with the pandemic.Linick was appointed to the State Department inspector general post by former President Barack Obama, a Democrat Trump often criticizes. 
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Army Sgt. Antonio Gozikowski was planning to leave the military next month and head to college.
 
After serving for six years, the dental assistant’s goal was to become a dentist, and then return to the Army in a few years with his expanded medical skills. But now, with the coronavirus forcing universities to consider virtual or reduced schooling this fall, he decided to take advantage of a new Army program and extend his military service for six more months.
Across the military, uncertainty about future jobs or college opportunities is driving more service members to re-enlist or at least postpone their scheduled departures. As unemployment, layoffs and a historic economic downturn grip the nation, the military — with its job security, steady paycheck and benefits — is looking much more appealing.
“Everything from elementary schools to universities is closing down and there’s no saying how it’s going to go when the fall semester opens,” said Gozikowski, adding that he’s hoping schools start opening up for spring semester. “This is like a safety net. I have a source of income and I’ll be able to continue working.”  
Gozikowski, who is from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and is serving at Fort Hood, Texas, is one of hundreds of service members who are taking advantage of newly developed, short-term extensions being offered by the military.  
As of last week, the Army had already exceeded its retention goal of 50,000 soldiers for the fiscal year ending in September, re-enlisting more than 52,000 so far. And the other services have also met or are closer than planned to their target numbers. The influx of people re-enlisting will offset any shortfalls in recruiting, which has been hampered by the outbreak. And that will help the services meet their total required troop levels for the end of the year.
“We’re hiring,” said Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. “Like anything, market dynamics come into effect and people will see where the opportunities lie.”
Sgt. Maj. Stuart Morgan, the senior Army career counselor, said Gozikowski was able to take advantage of a new program designed to help soldiers who were planning to leave this year but are now worried and reconsidering their options. The program allows them to delay their departure for up to 11 months to get them past the peak coronavirus period. By early last week, he said, 745 soldiers had signed up.
“What we’re seeing this year, which is directly related to COVID, is we do have a population of soldiers that what they were expecting at the end of transition has suddenly disappeared,” Morgan said. “And now you have a soldier that is trying to go through a transition period that is now facing uncertainty on the outside.”
The Air Force is already expecting to fall short of its recruiting goal by as much as 5,800 as a result of the virus. And that gap, the Air Force said, could be filled by service members who decide to re-enlist or extend their service.
So far, the number of Air Force personnel who have withdrawn their requests to leave the service or have asked to extend their enlistment is 700 more than last year at this time, including 230 pilots and medical staff.
For one pilot, the opportunity to make that sudden change of course was a relief. In discussing his plans, he asked that his name not be used to preserve any future employment options.
Nearly two months ago, he was in Miami taking an airline certification course and getting ready for his next career. For months, he and his fellow pilots at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois had been talking about which airlines were hiring.  
“Everybody was getting out,” the 10-year transport aircraft pilot said in an interview from the air base. “The conversations were like, oh, who got picked up by Southwest, who got picked up by American, who got picked up by Delta. And then the whole coronavirus thing started to play its course.”
Suddenly, he said, “the discussions are more like, what are we gonna do now?”
The pilot said he was worried about the uncertainty. Even if he got a job, it might only be temporary, if the economic downturn continued.  
“I need stability in my life. There’s no steady income on the outside, or guaranteed income either,” said the pilot, adding that in the military, he’s guaranteed a job. “While other people are getting laid off and not working, we’re still collecting a paycheck and going to work.”
Retention is also on the rise in the Marine Corps.
Currently there are about 183,000 Marines, and the goal for the end of the fiscal year is about 184,600. The Corps has nearly reached its retention goal of about 12,600 for the fiscal year, with only about 100 or so to get by the end of September. The Navy was not able to provide retention numbers.
In addition, Marines who were planning to leave the service are being allowed to extend their enlistments by a few months, to get past the initial COVID crisis, or by a year or two.
Maj. Craig Thomas, a Marine Corps spokesman, said virus-related restrictions on recruiting and shipping new Marines to initial training will likely mean the service won’t meet its goal for total force size this year. He added, however, that while it is too early to tell if the bad economy will further boost retention, the enlistment extensions could make up for the recruiting shortfalls.
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Before the pandemic, Shalinder Singh spent Sundays at his gurdwara, helping serve a community meal for 300 people or more at the Sikh place of worship in suburban Detroit.
Now, he’s all about pizza.
Singh and his family have paid for and delivered hundreds of pies to hospitals, police stations and fire departments since the gurdwara suspended in-person services.  
They wanted to carry on a tenet of their faith: helping others through langar, the communal meal shared by all who come.
“It just popped up in my mind, this is the time to take care of the heroes in the front,” said Singh, the 40-year-old owner of a pet products company. “I spoke to a couple of doctors and they said pizza is the best because they’re working 12 to 16 hours and they don’t have time to sit and eat.”
The Singhs, including 12-year-old Arjun and 14-year-old Baani, have delivered more than 1,000 pizzas since early April, with no plans to slow down. They drive as much as an hour to spread their pizza love once a week, as Singh continues to run his business, which is classified as essential.
“We’re trying to go to areas that aren’t getting much food,” Singh said.  In this April 10, 2020, handout photo, Japneet Singh, center, and two other volunteers deliver pizza to health care workers at Kings County Hospital in the Brooklyn borough of New York.In New York, 25-year-old Japneet Singh, a fellow Sikh, also thought of pizza for under-resourced hospitals and overworked, minimum wage employees in the crosshairs of the virus.
After college graduation and some time in corporate life, he most recently worked as a field supervisor for the U.S. Census Bureau and drove an Uber on the side while searching for his passion.
Then the virus struck, shutting down his work. In the South Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, Singh’s heart went out to the desperate staff at Elmhurst Hospital Center and other hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19.
“I figured you know what, I’m sitting home,” he said. “Food always makes things better, so I asked one of my friends who works at Elmhurst Hospital, what can we do? He was like, pizza would be great. Ever since then, we haven’t looked back.”
Japneet Singh began delivering in late March; he too estimates he’s distributed 1,000 pies or more. He makes two or three runs a week to hospitals throughout the city, and to the others in the struggle.
“There’s other people on the front line, like grocery workers. We’ve been to a Walmart, police precincts, FDNY stations. We recently started feeding the homeless,” he said.In this April 1, 2020 photo provided by Paramjyoti Kaur Singh, Singh family members Baani, Shalinder, Arjun and Jasveen Kaur pose for a photo before delivering pizzas to health care workers.Singh has enlisted a couple of friends willing to help deliver the food, but he’s most in need of donations; he’s paid for pizzas out of his own pocket, but it’s not enough.
“We started putting out little clips on social media and that’s how people have found us to donate,” he said. Social media has been so great. I make a post and ask, `Where should we go next?'”
He’s raised nearly $2,000. He’s been working with the owner of two Papa John’s pizzerias in Queens and Brooklyn who’s been discounting pies and donating some as well.
Store workers have been especially grateful.
“These are minimum-wage workers,” Singh said. “If we can put a smile on their faces with just a slice of pizza, why can’t we do just one small act of kindness, you know?”
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There was an abundance of evidence when officers arrived at the scene on a February afternoon in coastal Georgia: A man, apparently unarmed, lying on the street, soaked in blood. The suspected shooter, a shotgun, eyewitnesses. And video of the incident.
But no arrests were made in the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery for more than two months, not until after video of the shooting in Brunswick surfaced and stoked a national uproar over race relations.
Local prosecutors are now under investigation for their handling of the case.  And a newly appointed investigative agency and prosecutor must untangle the criminal investigation, build a case and make up for lost time.  
Among the questions: Did shooting suspect Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory, both white, get special treatment because the elder McMichael had been a longtime investigator at the Brunswick Circuit District Attorney’s office? Did investigators treat the shooting as a potential murder, or as a justifiable homicide? And might the outcome have been different if Arbery weren’t black?  
The 911 operator sounded confused by the caller’s description of a purported crime: A man was in a house under construction.  
“You said someone’s breaking into it right now?”
“No, it’s all open. It’s under construction,” the caller says, “And he’s running right now. There he goes right now.”
The dispatcher says she’ll send police, but “I just need to know what he was doing wrong.”  
A second call comes in six minutes later: “I’m out here in Satilla Shores. There’s a black male running down the street.”
The operator is trying to get more details when a man yells, “Stop. … Damnit. Stop.” Then, after a pause, “Travis!”
Moments later, Arbery is shot.  
According to the police report, Gregory McMichael said he saw a person he suspected of burglary “hauling ass” down the street. He ran inside his house, calling for his son Travis. The two grabbed their guns, hopped into a pickup truck and chased him.
Gregory McMichael told police they wanted to talk to Arbery and tried to corner him, but he began to “violently attack” Travis McMichael, the report says. The two fought over the shotgun, and Arbery was shot. The McMichaels claimed self-defense.  
The father and son were questioned, and police called the district attorney’s office, where Gregory McMichael had worked for more than two decades, for legal advice. They were released.  
Meanwhile, Arbery’s mother got a call from an investigator.  
“He went on to say that Ahmaud was involved in a burglary, and in the midst of the burglary he was confronted by the homeowner, and in the midst of that confrontation, there was a fight over the firearm and Ahmaud was shot and killed,” Wanda Cooper-Jones told The Associated Press.  
She repeated that story to her family. 
Law enforcement in Brunswick has a checkered history, and over the past decade police have faced numerous lawsuits and increasing scrutiny.  
In 2010, two officers fired eight bullets into an unarmed woman’s car after a chase, killing her. An investigation found neither of the officers checked on her condition afterward — instead their in-car cameras caught them comparing their shooting skills.  
One of those officers later killed his estranged wife and her friend before dying in a standoff  with police.  
Just days after Arbery’s killing, Glynn County Police Chief John Powell and three former high-ranking officers were indicted  in what investigators described as a cover-up of an officer’s sexual relationship with an informant.  
A November 2019 memo from the county manager described how Powell had “inherited a culture of cronyism, outdated policies, lack of appropriate training, and loss of State certification.”  
The memo also described how supervisors had failed to document or investigate misconduct allegations and detailed a “culture of cover-ups, failure to supervise, abuse of power, and lack of accountability within the Glynn County Police Department” before Powell arrived.  
Now, the version of Arbery’s death told to Cooper-Jones is under dispute, and authorities are again under scrutiny.  
Officers in a small town calling the DA for guidance in a fatal shooting case is not unusual and would normally be uncontroversial. But there’s disagreement over what happened next.  
Peter Murphy, an elected commissioner in Glynn County, alleged that officers were hesitant to arrest the McMichaels after the DA’s office told them it wasn’t necessary.  
“I’m just wondering, what other investigation occurred over the next two months really?” Murphy said.
The district attorney’s office has called that a “malicious lie” and says it was police who raised the justified shooting angle.  
Police say they were told the day of the shooting that more follow-up was needed but the McMichaels weren’t flight risks and could go home. A second prosecutor was brought in after the first recused herself because Gregory McMichael had worked for her, and he quickly decided no charges were necessary. He was eventually removed over his own conflict of interest — his son works at the Brunswick Circuit.  
J. Tom Morgan, a former metro Atlanta district attorney who is now a criminal defense lawyer, said it would be a “big misstep” for the DA to advise against arrests if officers decided there was probable cause that a crime had occurred.  
“I can’t imagine saying ‘stand down’ if I’m not there personally to talk to people,” Morgan said. “If police believe they have probable cause, I’m not going to second-guess them from my back porch.”
In any homicide, it’s important to interview witnesses immediately while the facts are still fresh in their minds and before they’ve had a chance to coordinate stories. If that was delayed because officers were told not to make arrests, it could be problematic, he said.  
Bowling Green State University criminologist Philip Stinson said there is also a tendency to treat a crime scene differently if a current or former law enforcement officer is involved, as was the case with Gregory McMichael.  
It could make it harder for prosecutors to bring a successful murder case, and easier for defense lawyers to argue that the crime scene is tainted by potential prosecutor misconduct that’s under investigation by Georgia authorities.
It looks like investigators started with an assumption it was a justified shooting, Stinson said.  
“Because of that — because of all of the assumptions that are made, all of the steps in the investigation that are not taken — they made the job much more difficult for the AG’s office,” he said.  
The case seemed to have stalled until May 5, when a video was posted to the website of a local radio station.
The shaky footage, taken by a man listed in the police report as a witness, shows Arbery, dressed in shorts and a white top, running from the McMichaels. The driver’s side door is open. Travis McMichael and Arbery appear to struggle over the gun. Gregory McMichael hops from the back of the truck. Arbery is shot and falls to the ground.  
It doesn’t show Arbery with a firearm, nor have police said they recovered one.  
The footage seemed to refute Gregory McMichael’s version and prompted widespread outrage and calls for justice. The case drew national attention, including from Jay-Z and President Donald Trump, who said he was “disturbed.”
 
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case. Investigators canvassed the neighborhood, talking to some people who had previously been interviewed and others who hadn’t.  
They arrested both McMichaels on charges of aggravated assault and murder May 7, less than 48 hours later.
GBI director Vic Reynolds said there was clear probable cause and that local authorities had done “a good investigation, a thorough investigation.”
The legal case now stretches beyond coastal Georgia, with the FBI weighing potential federal hate crime charges. And more evidence is emerging.  
A third prosecutor who had the case when the video surfaced was removed after the attorney general said it had grown in “size and scope,” and a fourth prosecutor from a bigger district has now been appointed. Cobb County District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes, one of seven black district attorneys in Georgia, is overseeing the prosecution at the direction of the state attorney general.  
The first DA, Jackie Johnson, has defended her office’s involvement. So has the second DA.  
“I’m confident an investigation is going to show my office did what it was supposed to and there was no wrongdoing on our part,” Johnson told the AP this week.  
Asked if anyone in her office told police not to arrest the McMichaels or suggested the shooting may have been justified, Johnson said, “Absolutely not.”  
More video has emerged of a man inside a house under construction — the home where the 911 caller reported seeing someone shortly before Arbery was shot. But the owner’s lawyer has told AP and others the house was wide open, and nothing was ever taken.  
The McMichaels remain in jail and their attorneys  caution against a rush to judgment.  
For now the case is stalled once again, with courts largely closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and no way to call a grand jury until mid-June at the earliest. 
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U.S. President Donald Trump has called his predecessor Barack Obama an “incompetent president” following Obama’s criticism of the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic.  Obama A youngster approaches a team of New York City police officers as they walk with face masks to hand out to anyone who needs or asks for one during the current coronavirus outbreak, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York.The president has scheduled more discussions with governors and industry leaders for Monday on conditions to reopen the country and ensure a steady supply of food and other goods and services, despite projections that the U.S. coronavirus death toll would reach 147,000 by August.  The shutdowns threaten to push the U.S. economy into recession and unemployment has reached historically high levels, with one-quarter of the country’s work force losing jobs.  Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Sunday that additional job losses are likely through June.  In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” news program, Powell said the economic recovery will take a long time and U.S. businesses and families will need three to six more months of government financial support.  He also emphasized the importance of preventing another outbreak for the economic recovery.  “If we are thoughtful and careful about how we reopen the economy so that people take these social distancing measures forward and try to do what we can not to have another outbreak…then the recovery can begin fairly soon,” Powell said. He urged Americans to help each other by respecting social distancing, washing their hands and wearing masks.    Most of the country’s 50 states are beginning to relax restrictions on businesses, while urging residents to continue keeping a social distance of at least two meters between people, wearing masks in public, and avoiding large groups. 
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It’s easy to get a bit paranoid during these times of pandemic. Real estate agents in the U.S. say some of their clients are so worried, they’re looking for a bit of extra security. Lesia Bakalets has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Yuriy Zakrevskiy  
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U.S. President Donald Trump has called his predecessor Barack Obama an “incompetent president” following Obama’s criticism of the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic. Obama told college graduates in a live-streamed speech on Saturday that “this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing.” He did not mention anyone by name.   Asked about the remark on Sunday, Trump said:  “Look, he was an incompetent president, that’s all I can say. Grossly incompetent.” The U.S. has become the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 1.5 million confirmed cases and close to 90,000 deaths. Critics have accused the administration of exacerbating the situation by ignoring the gravity of the outbreak in the crucial early weeks. Earlier Sunday, the top U.S. health official rejected the charge that the government had failed its people.  “It could have been vastly, vastly worse,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CNN. He said the U.S. over the last two months was “able to flatten the curve” of the number of coronavirus cases in order to give health care workers a chance to deal with the onslaught of patients needing care. Trump said on Twitter, “Doing REALLY well, medically, on solving the CoronaVirus situation (Plague!). It will happen!”Doing REALLY well, medically, on solving the CoronaVirus situation (Plague!). It will happen!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) A youngster approaches a team of New York City police officers as they walk with face masks to hand out to anyone who needs or asks for one during the current coronavirus outbreak, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York.Most of the country’s 50 states are beginning to relax restrictions on businesses, while urging residents to continue keeping a social distance of at least two meters between people, wearing masks in public, and avoiding congregations.  With millions of Americans suffering from cabin fever after two months of confinement at home, the reopening of bars and restaurants in some Midwestern states and beaches in the coastal states have attracted crowds as if there were no remaining health concerns from the pandemic.  The White House continues to blame China for the global pandemic. The White House trade adviser Peter Navarro reiterated Trump’s blame of China for the advance of virus from the central Chinese city of Wuhan to Europe and the United States.  Trump also accused the World Health Organization for siding with China and has suspended the U.S. contribution to the Geneva-based U.N. agency. “Yes, I do blame the Chinese,” Navarro told ABC News’ “This Week” show on Sunday. He said Beijing, “behind the shield of the World Health Organization — for two months — hid the virus from the world.”  Both China and the WHO have rejected the accusation. 
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Iran is warning the United States against threatening its tankers carrying fuel to Venezuela, where gasoline and oil are in desperately short supply despite Venezuela being a major oil production center. As many as five Iranian ships loaded with gasoline are believed to be on their way to the South American country. U.S. sanctions forbid Iran from selling oil and the U.S. is also pressuring all countries against supplying fuel to Venezuela, as part of Washington’s efforts to drive President Nicolas Maduro from power. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote a letter Sunday to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about Tehran’s concerns over whatever action the U.S. might take. Iran “reserves its right to take all appropriate and necessary measures and decisive action…to secure its legitimate rights and interests against such bullying policies and unlawful practices,” Zarif wrote. “This hegemonic gunboat diplomacy seriously threatens freedom of international commerce and navigation and the free flow of energy. Zarif said Iran would consider any “coercive measures” by the U.S. as a “dangerous escalation.”  Iranian officials delivered a similar message to the Swiss ambassador in Tehran who handles all U.S. interests in Iran.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin brief reporters about additional sanctions placed on Iran, at the White House, Jan. 10, 2019, in Washington.U.S. officials have not yet said specifically how they plan to respond if Iran is sending gasoline to Venezuela. But the State Department, Treasury, and Coast Guard warned all global shipping companies and governments not to help Iran, or anyone else, dodge sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump re-imposed sanctions on Iran when he pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal, leaving the Iranian economy in shambles. The U.S. has also imposed a variety of sanctions against Venezuela, whose economy was destroyed by a drop in global oil prices, corruption, and Maduro’s failed socialist policies. The sanctions have made it difficult for Venezuela to send crude oil to refineries. “We have to sell our oil and we have access to its paths,” Iranian cabinet spokesman Ali Rabiei says. “Iran and Venezuela are two independent nations that have had trade with each other, and they will.” 
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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell expressed optimism Sunday that the U.S. economy can begin to recover from a devastating recession in the second half of the year, assuming the coronavirus doesn’t erupt in a second wave. But he suggested that a full recovery won’t likely be possible before the arrival of a vaccine.In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Powell noted that the economy was fundamentally healthy before the virus struck suddenly and forced widespread business shutdowns and tens of millions of layoffs. Once the outbreak has been contained, he said, the economy should be able to rebound “substantially.”  Powell offered an overall positive message while warning that it would take much longer for the economy to regain its health than it took for it to collapse with stunning speed.  “In the long run, and even in the medium run,” the chairman said, “you wouldn’t want to bet against the American economy. This economy will recover. And that means people will go back to work. Unemployment will get back down. We’ll get through this.”Powell pointed out that the downturn wasn’t a result of deep-seated financial instabilities, like the housing meltdown and the excessive risk-taking among banks that ignited the Great Recession. Rather, it resulted from an external event — a pandemic — that required a shutdown of the economy. That may mean, he said, that “we can get back to a healthy economy fairly quickly.”In the meantime, though, American workers are enduring their worst crisis in decades. More than 36 million people have applied for unemployment benefits in the two months since the coronavirus first forced businesses to close down and shrink their workforces. The unemployment rate, at 14.7%, is the highest since the Great Depression, and is widely expected to go much higher.In the interview with CBS, Powell played down comparisons to the Depression. While acknowledging that unemployment could peak near the Depression high of 25%, he noted that U.S. banks are far healthier now and that the Fed and other central banks are much more able and willing to intervene to bolster economies than they were in the 1930s.Still, Powell cautioned that it would take time for the economy to return to anything close to normal. A recovery “could stretch through the end of next year,” he said. And a vaccine would likely be necessary for Americans to feel safe enough to return to their normal economic behavior of shopping, traveling, eating out and congregating in large groups — activities that fuel much of the economy’s growth. Most health experts have said that a vaccine won’t be ready for use for 12 to 18 months at least.  “Certain parts of the economy will find it very difficult to have really a lot of activity,” Powell said. “The parts that involve people being in the same place, very close together. Those parts of the economy will be challenged until people feel really safe again.”The Fed chairman said he and other central bank officials, in conversations with businesses, labor leaders, universities and hospitals, have picked up on “a growing sense that the recovery may take some time to gain momentum.””That would mean,” he added, “that we will start our recovery and get on that road, and that’ll be a good thing, but that it’ll take some time to pick up steam.”Powell reiterated his view that both Congress and the Fed must be prepared to provide additional financial support to prevent permanent damage to the economy from widespread bankruptcies among small businesses or long-term unemployment, which typically erodes workers’ skills and social networks. Congress has already approved roughly $3 trillion in rescue aid for individuals and businesses. But states and localities are in need of federal money to avoid having to cut jobs and services, and legislation to provide that money remains at an impasse in Congress.If necessary, Powell said, the Fed could expand any of the nine emergency lending programs it has launched since the viral outbreak began to harm the economy — or create new ones. In March, the central bank slashed its benchmark interest rate to near zero as stock markets plunged and bond markets froze. The Fed has also intervened by buying $2.1 trillion in Treasurys and other bonds in an effort to keep interest rates low and smooth the flow of credit.  The Fed could also provide more explicit guidance on how long it will keep rates pegged at nearly zero and the extent of its bond-purchase programs, Powell said. Doing so would give banks and other companies more confidence that borrowing rates will stay lower for longer.But the chairman reiterated that the Fed isn’t considering cutting rates into negative territory, which President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged. The issue of negative rates flared up in recent weeks when futures markets essentially bet that the Fed would take that step early next year, as some other central banks have done.  “There’re plenty of people who think negative interest rates are a good policy,” Powell said. “But we don’t really think so at the Federal Reserve.” 
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For some of the 2,000 or so year-round residents of Deer Isle, Maine, the fraying American flag outside the post office this spring was a reminder of the nation’s mood.The flag was in tatters. It twisted in the wind from a single hook. But it was stuck in the up position, so the postmistress hadn’t been able to replace it.”I was thinking what a metaphor it is for our country right now,” community health director René Colson Hudson said. “It was really important that the flag be replaced, as a symbol of hope.”Colson Hudson, a former New Jersey pastor who moved to coastal Maine a few years ago, posted an online plea on April 23 that sparked a community thread. Should someone scale the flagpole? Could the local tree-trimmer help? Did they need a bucket truck?By week’s end, a secret helper had gotten the flag down. Postmistress Stephanie Black soon had the new one flying high.Colson Hudson, 54, had rarely visited her post office when she lived in suburban New Jersey. But in Deer Isle, people exchange small talk in the lobby, announce school events on the bulletin board and pick up medications and mail-in ballots — while postal workers keep an eye on everyone’s well-being.”Here,” she said, “it is the center of community.”A STRUGGLE TO FLOURISHMany of the nation’s 630,000 postal employees are facing new risks during the COVID-19 outbreak, as they sort mail or make daily rounds to reach people in far-flung locales. More than 2,000 of them have tested positive for the virus, and a union spokesman says 61 workers have died.For most Americans, mail deliveries to homes or post boxes are their only routine contact with the federal government. It’s a service they seem to appreciate: The agency consistently earns “favorability” marks that top 90%.Yet it’s not popular with one influential American: President Donald Trump, who has threatened to block the U.S. Postal Service from COVID-19 relief funding unless it quadruples the package rates it charges large customers like Amazon, owned by Jeff Bezos. Bezos also owns The Washington Post, whose coverage rankles Trump.”He is willing to sacrifice the U.S. Postal Service and its 630,000 employees because of petty vindictiveness and personal retaliation against Jeff Bezos,” Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said last week. “That would be a tragic outcome.”Postal Service officials, bracing for steep losses given the nationwide coronavirus shutdown, warn they’ll run out of money by September without help. They reported a $4.5 billion loss for the quarter ending March 31 — on $17.8 billion in revenue — before the full effects of the shutdown sank in.  Some in Congress want to set aside $25 billion from the nearly $3 trillion relief program to keep the mail flowing. But with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pushing Trump’s priorities, the Postal Service has so far landed just a $10 billion loan.”The Postal Service is a joke,” President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on April 24. “They’re handing out packages for Amazon and other internet companies and every time they bring a package, they lose money on it.”  Historically, the Postal Service has operated without public funds, even since a crushing 2006 law required it to pre-fund 75 years of retiree benefits. It’s been around longer than the nation itself, with a rich history that includes Benjamin Franklin’s tenure as the first postmaster general.  This month, the USPS Board of Directors appointed Republican fundraiser Louis DeJoy to the post. He succeeds Megan Brennan, a career postal worker who is retiring.The president insists higher package rates could ease the Postal Service’s financial troubles. But most financial analysts disagree. They say customers would turn to UPS or FedEx.Packages typically account for 5 percent of the Postal Service’s volume but 30 percent of its revenue. And package revenue has actually gone up during the shutdown. Still, it hasn’t been enough to restore profitability, battered during the internet age by the decline of first-class mail.Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, with 200,000 members, fears the Trump administration wants to destabilize the agency and then sell it off.With more than 30 million Americans suddenly out of work, he wonders why anyone would put “600,000 good, living-wage jobs” at risk. Those Postal Service jobs have moved generations of Americans, especially blacks and minorities, firmly into the middle class.Yet the president, Dimondstein said, wants to privatize the operation when “here you have the post office serving the people of this country in maybe a deeper way than we ever have.”A 55-CENT JOURNEY TO ISLE AU HAUTOn Henrietta Dixon’s mail route in North Philadelphia, every house has a story. Dixon seems to know them all.  Alvin Fields moved back to his block of two-story row homes after 40 years working for Verizon. Jason Saal, 40, lives in an abandoned factory he bought for an art studio, but now hopes to make industrial-grade masks there.Sharae Cunningham is also making masks, but the hand-sewn kind, some with African prints she sells for $6.  All said they would miss the Postal Service if it collapsed.”It’s nice to have mail delivered by a letter carrier,” said Saal, who mailed out two boxes of masks through Dixon one recent morning and gave her several free ones. “It’s the person that you see, a government worker, every day, Monday to Sunday.”They agreed the neighborhood, one of Philadelphia’s poorest, would benefit from the kind of expanded services — such as low-fee check cashing and wifi — that’s the norm in Europe and might help U.S. post offices survive.  “That’d be a great service. A lot of people need to cash checks,” said Cunningham, 40, who helps care for chronically ill parents, four children and a grandchild.Dixon, who lives nearby, has been with the post office for nearly 30 years, the last nine on her current route. Fields called her “absolutely wonderful.”Her route, in a dense city neighborhood, might be attractive to private companies itching to compete with the Postal Service. But the same 55-cent stamp that takes a letter across town can also get one to the Pacific Northwest, rural Appalachia or islands off the coasts of Alaska, California and Maine. That’s because of the USPS pledge to offer “universal service” to everyone in the United States, no matter what it takes.”For the American psyche, it’s one of the last places where we are all equal. We all have the right to a 55-cent letter and mail delivery six days a week,” said Evan Kalish, 30, of Queens, New York, a postal enthusiast who’s documented thousands of post office visits on his blog, Postlandia.A few miles south of Deer Isle, Postmistress Donna DeWitt walks down to a boat dock each morning to retrieve her plastic bins from the 7 a.m. mail boat and carts it up to the tiny Isle au Haut Post Office a few hundred feet away.  With no bridge to the mainland and wifi and cell phone service on the island spotty, mail service is essential to the 70 or so year-round residents, who mostly work in the fishing and lobstering trades.”I don’t think you’d find most of the old-timers, for instance, paying their bills online. They depend on the mail for all of their business transactions,” said George Cole, the volunteer president of Isle au Haut Boat Services, a nonprofit that brings the mail over on the 45-minute trip from Stonington.The ferry service gets most of its revenue from summer tourists, but the small USPS contract helps.”If we lost it, it would be very painful,” Cole said. “We’ve carried the mail for 50 years.”DEATH NOTICES, PLANTS AND PUMPKIN ROLLSFilmmaker Tom Quinn set out to make a movie about a town that lost its zip code — and its place on the map — in a round of USPS closures in 2011. The film became a study in loneliness.”I started to understand what this is about,” said Quinn, speaking of his 2019 film “Colewell,” set in a fictional small town on the New York-Pennsylvania border.In places like those, he said, the post office serves as the town’s living room — a gathering spot for conversation, for human contact, for community.”When this hub is there, you run into people by accident,” said Quinn, who teaches film at Drexel University in Philadelphia. “It’s the same thing about Zoom and teaching. None of those accidental interactions happen anymore.”In rural Fayette County, West Virginia, Susan Williams fondly recalls postmistresses who left homemade pumpkin roll out for customers, posted a note in the lobby when someone died and kept her mail-order geraniums alive.”If I thought these plants were going to arrive while we were away, she would just open the boxes and water them for us,” said Williams, a retired journalist and teacher who lives in Falls View, about 35 miles east of Charleston.  With no home delivery there, she treks two miles to Charlton Heights to get her mail, trying to arrive after it gets put up at 10:30 a.m. and before the post office closes at noon. On a recent day in late April, her box held her mail-in ballot for the presidential primary. She planned to return it the next day.”It means everything,” Williams said of the Postal Service.Back in Maine, Colson Hudson likes to take the mail boat over to Eagle Island in the summer (year-round population 2; seasonal, perhaps 40) to visit friends. She once took a picture of the mail bag, musing about who its contents would connect.”All these people come flocking down at the time the boat comes with the mail,” she said. “There’s something in that bag that they’re waiting for, that they’re hoping for.” 
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