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Why it will be hard for Biden to woo Southeast Asia President Joe Biden headed to a summit in Southeast Asia with an audacious plan: To ask China’s neighbors to stiff-arm the regional behemoth, and live with the potential consequences. China has invested billions in infrastructure, manufacturing and financial services in many of these countries. And Chinese imports ranging from rubber, to palm oil to computer parts are central to their economies. Biden will need quite a counter to rally these countries to his cause at two summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia: the annual meeting of the U.S. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, on Saturday and the East Asia Summit on Sunday. (more) https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/11/biden-southeast-asia-00066594

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – President Joe Biden is seeking to win friends and influence Southeast Asian nations as he ratchets up efforts to isolate Russia and tame China during a weekend visit to Cambodia. Biden invited countries in the region to the White House in May and emphasized his administration's desire to build stronger relations in remarks at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' annual summit. Past administrations have been criticized for not attending the gathering that China's Xi Jinping usually visits but won't attend this year. (more) https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/11/12/president-biden-works-friendships-southeast-asia-isolate-russia/10680640002/

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15 Fake Verified Twitter Accounts Causing Absolute Chaos Right Now Fake accounts for Apple, Tesla, SpaceX, and countless other brands are duping Twitter users ... Musk is clearly just trying to change Twitter based on vibes, no grand plan in sight. The “official” verification badge has even returned for some reason, but that hasn’t stopped plenty of accounts that spent $8 to get verified from pretending to be governments, politicians, celebrities, and brands. There’s a fake SpaceX account tweeting about its lucrative government contracts, a fake Kari Lake account saying that she lost her election in Arizona, and a fake Apple account trying to sell literal air, just to name a few. (more) https://gizmodo.com/15-fake-twitter-accounts-elon-musk-chaos-verification-1849771209

Elon Musk says Twitter bankruptcy is possible, but is that likely? Before Elon Musk took over Twitter, it was hardly a gangbusters business. The company is only occasionally profitable. Its userbase and advertising revenue is puny compared to social media rivals like Facebook and TikTok. Yet the possibility of a looming Twitter bankruptcy was not a fate anyone ever seriously discussed. Now, however, under the chaotic leadership of Musk, the mercurial billionaire has reportedly told staff that bankruptcy could be nigh if Twitter does not start making more money. (more) https://www.npr.org/2022/11/12/1136205315/musk-twitter-bankruptcy-how-likely

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Kherson, Ukraine (CNN) — For eight months, residents of the Ukrainian city of Kherson have been living under brutal Russian occupation. But on Friday, Ukrainian forces swept into the city and Russian troops retreated to the east. The residents have no water, no internet connection and little power. But as a CNN crew entered the city on Saturday, the mood was euphoric. As the crew filmed live in Kherson’s central square, some in the crowd of locals sang the national anthem while others shouted “Slava Ukrayini!” – glory to Ukraine, a patriotic greeting. (more) https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/12/europe/kherson-city-ukraine-russia-intl

Health and Human Services Secretary Secretary Xavier Becerra HHS did not alert states of any intent to lift the public health emergency by a Friday notification deadline, which means it will remain place at least through mid January The U.S. Covid public health emergency will remain in place past Jan. 11 after the federal government did not notify states or health-care provides on Friday of any intent to lift the declaration. Health and Human Services Secretary Secretary Xavier Becerra has promised to give stakeholders 60 days notice before lifting the emergency declaration so they can prepare for a return to normal operations. ... The public health emergency, first declared in January 2020 and renewed every 90 days since, has had a vast impact on the U.S. health-care system. The declaration has dramatically expanded public health insurance through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. (more) https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/11/us-will-keep-covid-public-health-emergency-in-place-until-at-least-mid-january.html

Health care professionals unsure if season is peaking early or will be sustained through winter Several Southern California hospitals have begun using overflow tents outside emergency rooms to cope with a rising number of patients with flu and other respiratory illnesses. The San Diego-Union Tribune reported Friday that overflow tents were put up at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health in La Jolla and Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa to handle an increase in respiratory illness. Scripps hospitals and doctor's offices reported 1,695 positive flu tests since Sept. 1, up from 471 during the same time period one year ago. (more) https://www.foxnews.com/health/california-hospitals-using-overflow-tents-rising-number-flu-patients

(CNN) -- Former President Donald Trump has sued the House select committee investigating January 6, 2021, as a way to challenge its subpoena for documents and his testimony, according to filings in a federal court in Florida. Trump is challenging both the legitimacy of the committee – which multiple courts have upheld – and is claiming he should be immune from testimony about the time he was president. Trump’s lawyers say they’ve communicated with the House over the past week and a half as the subpoena deadlines neared, offering to consider answering written questions while expressing “concerns and objections” about the bulk of the document requests. (more) https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/11/politics/trump-january-6-committee-subpoena-lawsuit/index.html

Cortez Masto defeats Laxalt in Nevada, handing Democrats control of the Senate The outcome follows days of protracted mail-in ballot counting, with the results hinging largely on Clark County, the state’s most populous LAS VEGAS — Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina elected to the Senate, will hold onto her seat in Nevada after enduring a bruising campaign against Republican Adam Laxalt, who fell short of ousting the Democrat despite severe midterm headwinds, NBC News projects. The outcome follows days of protracted mail-in ballot counting, with the results resting largely with the state’s most populous county, Clark County, which posted updates once a day since Tuesday. A race long predicted to be within the margin of error was indeed close through the end. (more) https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/cortez-masto-defeats-laxalt-nevada-handing-democrats-control-s-rcna54936

Top U.S. border official Chris Magnus resigns after less than a year on the job The head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection stepped down from his job late Saturday following a year of record migrant apprehensions at the southern border. The White House announced that CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus offered his resignation, and that President Biden has accepted. "President Biden appreciates Commissioner Magnus' nearly forty years of service and the contributions he made to police reform during his tenure as police chief in three U.S. cities," said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement. "The President thanks Mr. Magnus for his service at CBP and wishes him well." (more) https://www.npr.org/2022/11/12/1136321045/customs-and-border-protection-chris-magnus-resigns-migrants

Democrats will hold at least 50 seats come 2023. Depending on the result of the December runoff election in Georgia, the party may add to its Senate majority WASHINGTON — Democrats defied historical trends and defeated several candidates backed by former President Donald Trump to keep control of the Senate, providing enormous relief for President Joe Biden. The battle for the House, meanwhile, remains too close to call. The picture in the Senate became clear late Saturday after Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada narrowly defeated Republican Adam Laxalt to win re-election, putting her party over the threshold, NBC News projected Saturday. (more) https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/democrats-maintain-control-senate-nbc-news-projects-defeating-many-tru-rcna56677

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Cruise ship cases a ‘drop in the ocean’ given NSW numbers: experts It is unlikely the 800 COVID-positive cruise passengers who disembarked in Sydney this weekend will have an impact on the state’s case numbers, pandemic experts say, with many thousands of infections going undetected onshore as Australia enters another Omicron wave. ... NSW reported 19,800 new COVID-19 cases last week. Deakin University epidemiology chair Professor Catherine Bennett said it was likely only a fraction of the 800 cases would have been detected had they been onshore, dismissing any notion the outbreak will have an impact on the state’s case numbers. (more) https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/cruise-ship-cases-a-drop-in-the-ocean-given-nsw-numbers-experts-20221112-p5bxpc.html

A cruise ship with an estimated 800 positive COVID-19 cases on board is set to dock in Sydney at 6am on Saturday. About 3300 guests and 1300 crew members on the Majestic Princess cruise ship will disembark at Sydney Harbour following a 12-day cruise to New Zealand. However, a Princess Cruises spokesperson said guests with COVID – who were all “mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic” – would isolate in their rooms on board the vessel before disembarking. (more) https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/cruise-ship-with-estimated-800-covid-cases-to-dock-in-sydney-20221111-p5bxml.html

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China scraps Covid flight bans, cuts quarantine for inbound travelers Hong Kong (CNN Business) — China has reduced the amount of time travelers entering the country must spend in quarantine and removed a major restriction on international flights, in a sign of a limited easing of its stringent zero-Covid policy. ... The easing of the measures will see authorities scrap the so-called “circuit breaker” mechanism, under which China-bound flights were suspended if an airline was found to carry a certain number of passengers who tested positive for Covid upon landing. Inbound international passengers will also see their pre-departure test requirement reduced from two to one, and their mandatory centralized quarantine upon arrival cut from seven days to five days, followed by another three days of home isolation. (more) https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/11/business/china-covid-flight-bans-quarantine-updates-intl-hnk/index.html

CHINA -- The Chinese government [Thursday] reaffirmed its commitment to its "dynamic zero" COVID-19 policy, despite growing frustrations from Chinese citizens and heavy economic impacts. This week, the number of new COVID-19 cases in China reached a six-month high, prompting public health officials to reinstate lockdowns, frequent testing, and travel restrictions in some areas, frustrating both Chinese residents and the international community. ... China’s 1.4 billion people largely lack immunity due to low infection rates, and Chinese-made vaccines have proven less effective against newer, more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants, challenging the nation’s exit from its zero COVID policies. https://myemail.constantcontact.com/--COVID-19-Updates---November-10--2022.html

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) said it will not submit an application seeking approval of its COVID vaccine Vaxzevria in the U.S. The British pharma giant noted in its Q3 earnings release that as primary vaccination needs of the U.S. were being met already, it has decided not to submit a Biologics Licence Application (BLA) for Vaxzevria to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The company added that it will continue to focus its efforts to make Vaxzevria available elsewhere in the world, including submissions for its use as a booster. (more) https://seekingalpha.com/news/3905400-astrazeneca-cancels-plan-to-file-for-us-approval-of-covid-vaccine Also: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/astrazeneca-withdraws-us-application-covid-vaccine-2022-11-10/ https://www.wsj.com/articles/astrazeneca-drops-plan-to-sell-covid-19-vaccine-in-u-s-11668076538 From the company's quarterly financial statement: https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/dam/az/PDF/2022/Q3/Year-to-date_and_Q3_2022_results_announcement.pdf

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More on the cited study in the New England Journal of Medicine from Johns Hopkins and their COVID-19 Situation report: MASKING IN SCHOOLS ... "Infection rates were lower among schools that required masking compared with those that did not, even in the area’s public schools that are often in older buildings with poor ventilation systems, more crowded, and attended by students more often from communities considered to be at-risk. The findings add to evidence underlining the importance of public health mitigation measures to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2—and possibly other respiratory viruses—in schools, including universal masking requirements. https://myemail.constantcontact.com/--COVID-19-Updates---November-10--2022.html