Coronavirus US: Texas governor orders all residents to wear masks – live

Fish fry: a ‘previously unknown problem for the future of fish’

By the end of the century, the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes will likely be too hot for about 40% of the world’s fish species, based on just a “medium-level” estimate of expected human-caused climate change, according to a study in Thursday’s journal Science, the Associated Press reports.

In a worst-case climate change scenario, which some scientists said is increasingly unlikely, the figure for species in trouble jumps to 60%.

The new research focuses on fish in their spawning or embryonic life stages, rather than on adult fish. Using this new approach reveals a previously unknown problem for the future of fish, scientists said.

Some of the fish likely to be hardest hit by this phenomenon include the Alaska pollock the biggest fishery in the United States and the source of fast food fillets — and well-known species such as sockeye salmon, brown trout, bonito, barracuda and swordfish.

Soldiers mobilized to DC during Floyd protests were issued bayonets

Speaking of America’s cherished freedoms, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed an Associated Press report that some of the soldiers who were mobilized to Washington, D.C., last month in response to protests over the killing of George Floyd were issued bayonets.

Two members of Congress who had pushed for more details about soldiers being issued bayonets to us on American civilians said they were disappointed Gen. Mark Milley would not commit to banning the practice.

“It is difficult for us to imagine a circumstance which could necessitate or justify the deployment of bayonets against American civilians,” the lawmakers wrote.

“While we are grateful for General Milley’s responses to our questions concerning the arming of troops with bayonets for potential deployment against protesters, we were disappointed he was not willing to commit to banning the practice,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, and Rep. Ted Lieu of California said in a statement.

Coronavirus cases rising in 40 out of 50 states: ‘very disturbing’

This is Lois Beckett taking over our live news coverage from our West Coast bureau in Oakland.

As we head into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the number of coronavirus cases is rising in 40 out of 50 states, the Associated Press reports:

An alarming 36 states are seeing an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus.

“What we’ve seen is a very disturbing week,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said in a livestream with the American Medical Association.

The surge has been blamed in part on Americans not covering their faces or following other social distancing rules as states lifted their lockdowns over the past few weeks. Fauci warned that if people don’t start complying, “we’re going to be in some serious difficulty.”

The leaders of some of the nation’s major business organizations all signed a letter urging the White House and the National Governors Association to establish mandatory mask guidelines.

Here’s the key part of the letter (bold additions mine):

For the sake of public health and our economy, we request that the White House Coronavirus Task Force and the National Governors Association work together to:

1. Establish guidance on the appropriate metrics (e.g. positive tests, hospitalizations) for imposing location-based mandatory mask requirements in all public spaces;
2. Develop model mandatory mask policies that are simple and do not impose the enforcement burden on organizations without such expertise, such as businesses and non-profits; and
3. Make clear that businesses and non-profits will not be held liable for refusing entry or services to an individual who is not complying with face covering requirements.

To be clear, the decision to impose face covering requirements should remain at the state or local level but be informed by clear and consistent guidance based on data. We believe that a national mask standard, implemented locally, offers the surest way to protect public health and promote economic recovery.

As there’s been an uptick in coronavirus cases across the country even governors in conservative leaning states have increased their pleas for everyone to wear masks. South Carolina governor Henry McMaster once again urged citizens to wear a mask.

The Associated Press reported that the curve of infection rates have been rising in 40 out of 50 states. Per the Associated Press:

The U.S. recorded 50,700 new cases, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. That represents a doubling of the daily total over the past month and is higher even than what the country witnessed during the deadliest phase of the crisis in April and May.

Almost 24 hours before news broke that Herman Cain had tested positive for COVID-19 he sounded a supportive note about an upcoming Independence Day celebration at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota featuring Donald Trump.

South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has been one of the biggest opponents among governors of forcing people to take steps to prevent spreading coronavirus. She recently said masks would be made available at the Independence Day event but social distancing would not be enforced.

Over on the West Coast, California governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday that COVID cases have jumped over the past week.

A reader called attention to this Guardian article from August 2019 about Ghislaine Maxwell and her father, Robert Maxwell. The article, “The murky life and death of Robert Maxwell – and how it shaped his daughter Ghislaine” offers more insight into Ghislaine and her background.

Here is a snippet:

For Oxford-educated Ghislaine, the youngest of his nine children, Maxwell’s money had provided status and a ticket to the elite. She was dispatched to New York initially as a meeter-and-greeter, to pave her father’s way when he bought the Daily News. After his death, she made it her home. She soon became part of Epstein’s inner circle and remained there for more than a decade. The two were reportedly briefly an item; they remained close.

The Southern District of New York is pushing to keep Ghislaine Maxwell in jail for her arrest.