Ben Carson has been known to put his foot in his mouth from time to time, especially when he starts speaking out on things he doesn't know much about. For a brain surgeon, Carson had displayed very little understanding of political concepts and when he's interviewed, he seems to be pretty ill-prepared and downright misinformed. 

Well, today, Carson was misinformed once again as he was asked about Colin Kaepernick and other athletes who kneel during the National Anthem. Throughout the interview, Carson explained that these players would get a pass if they just came out and said that they love America. As ESPN reporter Mina Kimes quickly pointed out, Kaepernick explicitly said that he loved America, back in 2016 when he first started protesting.

Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, protests have been aging all across the United States and in some of the biggest cities, there has been an increased police presence. Washington D.C. has been no exception to this rule and many protesters have been taking their efforts to the front of the White House. These White House protests have led to some very powerful images although the President and Secret Service don’t seem to agree.

According to the New York Times, Donald Trump and his family were brought to a White House bunker that is designated for protection during terrorist attacks. “The president and his family were rattled by their experience on Friday night, according to several advisers,” the report states.

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During the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Dick Cheney was moved to the exact same bunker which just goes to show how dire the Secret Service though the situation was.

Trump has been quite critical of the protests, noting that he plans to declare ANTIFA as a terrorist group. He has also sent the National Guard into cities like Minneapolis and Los Angeles as a way to stop people from causing any more destruction.

As these protests continue, it will be interesting to see what Trump’s next move is.

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Though thousands of inmates across America are being granted early releases in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, there are many more stuck behind bars in fear of contracting the virus. REFORM Alliance, which counts Meek Mill and Jay-Z as partners, have announced their latest donation to prisons in the United States to keep both inmates and correctional officers safe. REFORM Alliance will be sending 10M surgical masks and more protective equipment to prisons and jails across the U.S.

The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t been getting any better in the United States. Even though it was reported that the U.S. has reached over a million cases of coronavirus, the president is adamant about reopening the economy and getting the country back on its feet again. Most recently, Trump hopped on a call to urge the governors in the nation to “seriously consider” starting schools up again, CNN reports.

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According to a phone call, Trump reportedly has pushed for schools to reopen for the remainder of the school year. “Some of you might start thinking about school openings because a lot of people are wanting to have school openings. It’s not a big subject, young children have done very well in this disaster that we’ve all gone through,” Trump reportedly told governors.

“So a lot of people are thinking about the school openings. And I think it’s something, Mike (Pence), they can seriously consider and maybe get going on it,” Trump said.

Trump has been pushing for the reopening of the economy over the past few weeks, even if the situation in the nation hasn’t died down. For those who’ve been longing for the return of sports, Trump held a conference with sports commissioners to try and figure out a proper timeline for sports leagues to make their return. 

Yesterday, we reported on how the United States was posed to overtake two of the countries that have been hit worse by the Coronavirus pandemic, that is, Italy and China. Well, shortly after that, it did indeed happen.

This morning, alongside news that even U.K’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has tested positive for Coronavirus, we also received news that the United States is officially ahead of Italy and China with confirmed Coronavirus cases. Around the world, countries are doing their best efforts to flatten the curve, that is to say, stifle the amount of new cases on a daily basis and slow the spread of the virus and disease in order to put less of a burden on the economy and perhaps more importantly, people.

Where China has a reported 81,000 cases of COVID-19, and Italy has approximately 80,000, United States is said to have accumulated 82,000 confirmed cases of the deadly virus. This is according to a report from John Hopkins University, where they’re tracking the grand tally of cases. The U.S. has reported 1,200 deaths due to the Coronavirus– 400 of those in New York, whereas Italy has an astounding 8,200 deaths. 

A record-breaking amount of Americans have applied for unemployment amid all of this, as we reported yesterday those numbers reached an all-time high– 3.3 million Americans.

We’re hoping that everyone is staying safe out there, and staying at home as much as possible, as we all do our part to help quell this pandemic.

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The United States is on its way to amassing more cases of coronavirus than either China or Italy in total , as the number of confirmed cases and deaths continues to rise across America. Just yesterday (March 25th), the World Health Organization warned that the U.S. could become the new centre of disease. As of today (March 26th), according to Worldometer, the U.S. is only 428 infections behind China’s overall total: China has reported a total of 81,285 infections throughout its outbreak, while the US has 80,857. Among China’s 81,285 cases, 74,051 people have recovered, while 3,287 have died. There are only 3,947 active cases in China at the moment, a starkly low number compared to the U.S.’s 77,830 active cases. In the U.S., only 1,864 patients have recovered, and 1,163 have died.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Italy, which was hit hardest by the pandemic, has recently begun to stabilize. Italy has had a total of 80,589 cases at the time of writing, only 35 more than the U.S. The European country, however, has seen the number of new cases decline or remain flat for several days. They currently have 62,013 active cases, with 10,361 recovered and 8,215 dead.

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A major key difference between these countries’ approaches is that China and Italy have imposed nationwide lockdowns in order to “flatten the curve.” However, Trump has yet to invoke such a measure throughout the U.S., instead making highly unlikely promises about reopening businesses and relaxing quarantine practices around Easter (April 12th). Lockdowns could take two to six weeks to take noticeable effect, so if drastic measures aren’t taken soon, the U.S. will be on course to surpass China and Italy’s numbers of cases and deaths.

A few weeks ago, we were not taking the coronavirus as seriously as we should have been and, now, things are escalating quickly. It feels as though we are heading toward a national lockdown, much like the current situation in Italy and Spain. Restaurants, bars, libraries, and event spaces across the country are being temporarily closed as social distancing becomes important to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With small businesses taking a major hit as a direct result of the virus, the United States government is shifting focus on how to ensure that people are able to stay afloat, and that begins with a stimulus package.

The latest update from the White House and President Trump pertains to a financial payout that is being considered to take immediate effect. A massive economic stimulus package is on the brink of reality in Washington, which would entail direct cash payments to be sent to Americans. 

Drew Angerer/Getty Images — Steve Mnuchin testifies during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing

“We’re looking at sending checks to Americans immediately,” said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. “And I mean now, in the next two weeks.”

The White House is trying to push this into law as soon as possible, meaning that it could become a reality within the next couple of weeks. The cash payment idea is part of a larger $850 billion stimulus package proposed by Congress. As Trump stated earlier this week, the package is likely to include support for businesses, airlines, and more industries that have been directly affected by COVID-19.

Stay safe out there, guys.

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A person has died in Washington state of the Coronavirus reports The Associated Press. Kayse Dahl, a spokesperson for EvergreenHealth Medical Center, said the person died in a facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, but gave no other details. President Trump described the victim as a “wonderful woman” in her late 50s that was a “medically high-risk patient.” According to the Washington Post, The Trump administration on Saturday announced additional travel restrictions affecting Iran, Italy, and South Korea in response to the coronavirus outbreak, following the first death from the virus in the United States.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that the person who died was a male before rescinding that comment and replacing the gender with the term Washingtonian. “We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus,” he stated. Washington state and King County health officials are reporting that “new people (have been) identified with the infection, one of whom died.” The number of coronavirus victims was not disclosed. In a phone interview with the AP, Amy Reynolds of the Washington state health department stated, “We are dealing with an emergency evolving situation.” We will continue to update this story as it unfolds. 

Coronavirus is the latest epidemic concerning people across the world. Although some medical experts suggest that it’s not as serious as it appears in the media, there have still been documented cases of the disease in America. 

A Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles, Sichuan Impression, announced that they would be implementing new protective measures to prevent the possible spreading of the disease. They detailed their plans on their Instagram, revealing that they will be using infrared thermometers to measure the temperature of each guest. If they’re exhibiting symptoms, such as fevers, they will call for medical assistance. Any customers that refuse will be declined service.

“As a Chinese restaurant rooted in Los Angeles that aims at thriving the traditional Chinese culinary culture, Sichuan Impression also pays close attention to the development of this new epidemic,” they wrote on their IG. “Offering you a healthy and safe dinning environment is also upheld as our top priority. After taking careful consideration, we wish to adopt the following prevention and control measures and we sincerely ask for the cooperation from each and every guest.”

50 Cent came across this headline and clearly, he’s concerned, as he’s previously expressed. “ok this is serious, what the fuck is going on?” He wrote with a screenshot of an article.

This comes shortly after Fif made some controversial, and offensive, statements about the prevention of Coronavirus. The rapper shared a screenshot of a report on Coronavirus, suggesting that the solution would be for Trump to “send these mother fuckers back to China.” He added, “Forget impeachment. Sned this shit back to Chine and we don’t remember the other bullshit.” Although he was joking, the sentiment wasn’t received lightheartedly. 

The average civilian rarely considers the difficulty of living the life of a celebrity in a media-driven society. Often times, personalities in the spotlight take a step back into obscurity in order to lead simpler lives and maintain their sanity. It looks like Jennifer Lopez will be the next A-list celebrity to take herself off the grid and ditch America for a more tranquil climate. 

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Lopez expressed her desire to relocate outside of the United States and lead a simpler life alongside her significant other, Alex Rodriguez, and two children. The Hustlers producer listed a couple of countries she would like to take refuge in stating, “I would love to live somewhere other than the United States, in a small town in Italy, or on the other side of the world, in Bali.”

Lopez continued, “[I want to] find another life where it’s a little bit more simple and organic and where I get to ride a bike, and buy bread, and put it in my basket, and then go home and put jelly on it, and just eat and paint, or sit in a rocking chair where there was a beautiful view of an olive tree or an oak tree and I could just smell. I have fantasies like that.”

With Jennifer Lopez currently prepping for her upcoming Super Bowl performance and working with Versace again, Lopez will have to put her simple life aspirations on the backburner for now.