By , (Reuters) - When the first cases of the new coronavirus surfaced in Ohio’s prisons, the director in charge felt like she was fighting a ghost.“We weren’t always able to pinpoint where all the cases were coming from,” said Annette Chambers-Smith, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. As the virus spread, they began mass testing.They started with the Marion Correctional Institution, which houses 2,500 prisoners in north central Ohio, many of them older with pre-existing health conditions. After testing 2,300 inmates for the coronavirus, they were shocked. Of...…By , (Reuters) - When the first cases of the new coronavirus surfaced in Ohio’s prisons, the director in charge felt like she was fighting a ghost.“We weren’t always able to pinpoint where all the cases were coming from,” said Annette Chambers-Smith, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. As the virus spread, they began mass testing.They started with the Marion Correctional Institution, which houses 2,500 prisoners in north central Ohio, many of them older with pre-existing health conditions. After testing 2,300 inmates for the coronavirus, they were shocked. Of...WW…

By , WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden raised more than three times as much money for his campaign than President Donald Trump managed in March, a potential sign of voter enthusiasm for the Democratic challenger.Biden’s campaign said on Monday it took in $46.7 million last month despite the coronavirus health crisis that has disrupted fundraising for U.S. politicians and hit donor finances.It was a record haul for the former vice president and well above the $13.6 million that Trump’s campaign raised, which was a decline from the prior month.Still, Biden...…By , WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden raised more than three times as much money for his campaign than President Donald Trump managed in March, a potential sign of voter enthusiasm for the Democratic challenger.Biden’s campaign said on Monday it took in $46.7 million last month despite the coronavirus health crisis that has disrupted fundraising for U.S. politicians and hit donor finances.It was a record haul for the former vice president and well above the $13.6 million that Trump’s campaign raised, which was a decline from the prior month.Still, Biden...WW…

By , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans are much more skeptical than Democrats their ballots will count if cast by mail and less confident they will be able to vote in November’s election if their state switches to all-mail voting, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday.In a sign of the deep partisan divisions around voting by mail sparked by Republican President Donald Trump’s relentless criticism of the practice, the poll found nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans support efforts to expand mail balloting options.A national push for more use of voting by mail,...…By , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans are much more skeptical than Democrats their ballots will count if cast by mail and less confident they will be able to vote in November’s election if their state switches to all-mail voting, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday.In a sign of the deep partisan divisions around voting by mail sparked by Republican President Donald Trump’s relentless criticism of the practice, the poll found nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans support efforts to expand mail balloting options.A national push for more use of voting by mail,...WW…

Israel’s American lobby has long categorically rejected assertions that Israelis or would ever become an apartheid regime. That position has become more difficultto maintain over time.Former President Jimmy Carter’s 2006 New York Times bestseller "Palestine:Peace Not Apartheid" argued that Israel’s construction of settlements andcontrol of occupied territories were the primary obstacles to a comprehensivepeace agreement in the Middle East. The word "apartheid" provokedan immediate firestorm within the U.S. . The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) even accused Carterof "engaging in anti-Semitism"...…Israel’s American lobby has long categorically rejected assertions that Israelis or would ever become an apartheid regime. That position has become more difficultto maintain over time.Former President Jimmy Carter’s 2006 New York Times bestseller "Palestine:Peace Not Apartheid" argued that Israel’s construction of settlements andcontrol of occupied territories were the primary obstacles to a comprehensivepeace agreement in the Middle East. The word "apartheid" provokedan immediate firestorm within the U.S. . The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) even accused Carterof "engaging in anti-Semitism"...WW…

By , , , , SAVANNAH, Georgia (Reuters) - Matthew Loflin was coughing up blood, struggling to breathe and losing consciousness in his cell while awaiting trial on drug-possession charges in this historic Southern city.“I need to go to the hospital,” he told his mother in a jailhouse phone call. “I’m gonna die in here.”It was March 28, 2014, and his seven weeks at the Chatham County Detention Center had been a blur of blackouts and racing heartbeats.The jail’s senior medical staff – Dr. Charles Pugh and two well-credentialed nurses – agreed he needed hospitalization. But the move was opposed...…By , , , , SAVANNAH, Georgia (Reuters) - Matthew Loflin was coughing up blood, struggling to breathe and losing consciousness in his cell while awaiting trial on drug-possession charges in this historic Southern city.“I need to go to the hospital,” he told his mother in a jailhouse phone call. “I’m gonna die in here.”It was March 28, 2014, and his seven weeks at the Chatham County Detention Center had been a blur of blackouts and racing heartbeats.The jail’s senior medical staff – Dr. Charles Pugh and two well-credentialed nurses – agreed he needed hospitalization. But the move was opposed...WW…

The New Yorker staff writer Adam Entous revealed on June 18 that foursitting U.S. presidents beginning with Bill Clinton signed secret letters agreeingAccording to Entous,President Trump’s aides felt "blindsided" by Israeli ambassador RonDermer’s urgent demand to sign a fourth letter. Only a small number of "seniorAmerican officials" in the previous three administrations even knew aboutthe existence of such letters. Though said not to specifically mention Israel’sarsenal, Israeli leaders interpret the letters as binding American pledges notto publicly mention Israel’s nuclear weapons or...…The New Yorker staff writer Adam Entous revealed on June 18 that foursitting U.S. presidents beginning with Bill Clinton signed secret letters agreeingAccording to Entous,President Trump’s aides felt "blindsided" by Israeli ambassador RonDermer’s urgent demand to sign a fourth letter. Only a small number of "seniorAmerican officials" in the previous three administrations even knew aboutthe existence of such letters. Though said not to specifically mention Israel’sarsenal, Israeli leaders interpret the letters as binding American pledges notto publicly mention Israel’s nuclear weapons or...WW…

By , NEW YORK (Reuters) - A bipartisan majority of Americans said they want to continue to shelter in place to protect themselves from the coronavirus, despite the impact to the economy, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll that also showed a decline in approval of Trump’s response to the pandemic.The poll, released Tuesday, suggested that only a minority of Americans agree with the recent flare-up of protests against social-distancing initiatives. Their numbers have been growing over the past few weeks, however, mostly among Republicans.Overall, in the national online poll from April...…By , NEW YORK (Reuters) - A bipartisan majority of Americans said they want to continue to shelter in place to protect themselves from the coronavirus, despite the impact to the economy, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll that also showed a decline in approval of Trump’s response to the pandemic.The poll, released Tuesday, suggested that only a minority of Americans agree with the recent flare-up of protests against social-distancing initiatives. Their numbers have been growing over the past few weeks, however, mostly among Republicans.Overall, in the national online poll from April...WW…