Anthony Fauci Warns of ‘Insidious’ Surge of New Coronavirus Cases in Some States Americans would be wise to heed his warnings. by Ethen Kim Lieser

White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has admitted that the rate of positive coronavirus tests in some states outside the southern region of the U.S. is now accelerating.

During an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association on Monday, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases noted that this troubling trend mirrors the “insidious” rise that the Sun Belt region witnessed last month before new cases started to surge.

Fauci advised states to reexamine where they are in the process of reopening businesses and schools.

“You may need to pause, you may need to drop back a little bit,” he said. “I don’t think you necessarily have to revert to go all the way back to reclosing.”

The country’s top infectious disease expert also urged the public to continue to wear face masks and coverings and avoid any large indoor crowds, especially in bars and restaurants.

“Outdoor is always better than indoor if you want to do any kind of function,” Fauci said.

“It’s in our hands, as I’ve said so many times. You have the dynamics of the virus if left to its own devices is going to keep resurging. The only way to stop it is by what we do… as a countermeasure against it.”

Fauci added that he is glad to see the Trump administration at least making an effort to push the general public to wear face masks and coverings.

“I’m very pleased to see that the president is wearing a mask more now,” he said.

“The vice president, and I know I’m with him a fair amount, wears a mask when he goes out and is in a situation where masks are needed. We need more of that consistency.”

Fauci’s remarks come on the heels of Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, warning that the United States has entered a “new phase” in the months-long fight against the pandemic. Nearly 20,000 more Americans could die in the next twenty days, according to a new composite forecast from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are now more than 18.3 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, including at least 695,000 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. has the most cases by far, with nearly 4.7 million confirmed infections and more than 156,000 deaths.

Anthony Fauci: There’s ‘a degree’ of Airborne Spread of Coronavirus

Scientists are still learning more about this means of transmission.

White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has said that he believes there is, in fact, “a degree” of airborne spread of the coronavirus.

“I think that there certainly is a degree of aerosolization,” the seventy-nine-year-old director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said during an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association on Monday.

“But I’m going to take a step back and make sure that we learn the facts before we start talking about it.”

Most health experts, including those at the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, initially said that individuals need to worry chiefly about two types of transmission: inhaling respiratory droplets from an infected person nearby and touching a contaminated surface and then your eyes, nose or mouth.

In July, the WHO decided to publish new guidance that acknowledged it could not rule out the possibility the coronavirus could be transmitted through airborne particles in indoor spaces.

According to the agency, airborne transmission is different from droplet transmission. Airborne transmission refers to the presence of extremely small particles that can remain in the air for long periods of time and has the potential to be transmitted to others over distances greater than one meter.

Fauci admitted that it has become “much clearer” that individuals are likely at greater risk of infection if they’re in poorly ventilated rooms, buses, planes and other confined spaces.

“We need to pay a little bit more attention now to the recirculation of air indoors, which tells you that mask-wearing indoors when you’re in a situation like that is something that is as important as wearing masks when you’re outside dealing with individuals who you don’t know where they came from or who they are,” Fauci said.

“It’s something we’re learning more and more about. We’ve got to make sure that we’re humble enough to accumulate new knowledge and use it as we get it.”

There are now more than 18.3 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, including at least 695,000 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

The United States has the most cases by far, with nearly 4.7 million confirmed infections and more than 155,000 deaths.

WHO Admits There’s No "Silver Bullet" in Coronavirus Fight It will take time and many tools to reduce the virus' toll. by Ethen Kim Lieser

As scientists and pharmaceutical companies across the world scramble to develop a viable coronavirus vaccine, the World Health Organization has admitted that there is no quick cure in the ongoing battle against the pandemic.

There are reportedly a number of vaccines in late-stage trials, and a vaccine that’s at least 50% effective may be given the clear as soon as early 2021.

“However, there is no silver bullet at the moment and there might never be,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference from the agency’s Geneva headquarters.

According to the WHO, there are more than 150 vaccines under development worldwide, and at least twenty-five are already in clinical trials.

The Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed that Pfizer and Moderna, which both have entered Phase 3 trials for their leading vaccine candidates, have already vaccinated “several hundred people.”

Until a safe and effective vaccine is available, Tedros said new coronavirus outbreaks can be stopped by practicing the “basics” of public health and disease control.

“Testing, isolating and treating patients and tracing and quarantining their contacts,” he said.

“Do it all. Inform, empower and listen to communities. Do it all.”

Tedros added that the public needs to continue to practice social distancing, wear face masks and coverings and wash hands regularly.

“The message to people and governments is clear: Do it all,” he said.

“And when it’s under control, keep going, keep strengthening the health system, keep improving surveillance, contact tracing and ensure disrupted health services are restarted as quickly as possible.”

The WHO has warned there is no returning to the “old normal” as the pandemic has accelerated in America and poorer countries in recent weeks.

“It’s completely understandable that people want to get on with their lives, but we will not be going back to the old normal,” Tedros said on July 23.

On Friday, the agency reported nearly 300,000 new cases in just twenty-four hours, marking the largest single-day increase ever.

There are now more than 18.3 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, including at least 695,000 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

The United States has the most cases by far, with nearly 4.7 million confirmed infections and more than 155,000 deaths.

Apple Denies Interest in Bid for Tiktok As of this writing, Microsoft seems to be the most interesting in buying the Chinese app's U.S. operations. by Stephen Silver

Following a bizarre weekend in which President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok in the United States, before Microsoft emerged as a likely bidder for the controversial social media company’s U.S. operations, another contender was said to have emerged: Apple. 

Axios reported Tuesday morning in its Pro Rata newsletter that “multiple sources tell me that Apple has expressed interest.” However, the same newsletter later quoted an Apple spokesperson as stating that “there are no discussions about buying TikTok and the company isn’t interested.” The original report had been clear that the sources weren’t from inside Apple. 

Apple repeated its denial to other outlets in tech media, including The Verge.

The Axios report also stated that private equity firms have also expressed interest in an acquisition of TikTok and that current TikTok parent company Bytedance was clearly hoping for multiple suitors, in order to drive up the price.

Following the back-and-forth that lasted the weekend, Microsoft announced in a blog post on Sunday night that it was indeed looking to purchase TikTok’s U.S. operations, and that it hoped to close the deal by September 15. 

The current controversy began in early July when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show and was asked why the government doesn’t ban TikTok. Pompeo confirmed that the administration was “looking at” doing just that. Over the weekend, the president said first that the administration was going to force a sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations, and then that he would take executive action to ban the app, possibly as soon as Saturday. The app remains available as of this writing. 

The president, Axios said, has also implied that the U.S. Treasury would need to receive a percentage of the purchase price in any deal to sell TikTok. Primack, the newsletter author, described that idea as “akin to extortion” and “what you’d expect to hear on a wiretap, not from the White House to reporters.” 

Charlie Gasparino of Fox Business, meanwhile, tweeted Monday that “a White House war” remains in effect over what to do with TikTok, with such hardliners as trade advisor Peter Navarro and speechwriter Stephen Miller pushing for an outright ban, while the likes of Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were more inclined to compromise. 

Air Force may buy 180 new B-21 stealth bombers

It is by no means impossible to envision a U.S. Air Force fleet of as many as 150-to-180 new B-21 bombers, should the service’s force-size vision come to fruition by virtue of the pace and success of construction, new requirements driven by threats and budget availability.

Air Force senior leaders are looking to expand upon earlier plans for the B-21, which called for 80-to-100 of the bombers and a broader related effort to stay on course to massively increase the number of bomber squadrons, and B-21s.

Gen. Arnold Bunch, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, is among the service’s senior leaders managing the production and ultimate sustainment of the B-21. He believes the industrial base capacity, and success of the program thus far, is such that the Air Force “could go higher” than 100 B-21s, possibly much higher, according to a report in Air Force Magazine.

“As I look at how we set up the mission system and the open systems architecture for the B-21, we are going to retain those aircraft for a long period of time because I am going to bring new technologies in," Bunch told Ret. Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, in a recent video interview. "For small fleets, it is hard to get a vendor base.”

At one point in the conversation, Deptula floated the idea of “180 B-21s,” a number that may actually be within the realm of possibility. Many production specifics on the program are not available for security reasons because it is a “black program,” but there has been vocal and widespread consensus that the program continues to be on track and very successful. Bunch has indicated that the exact numbers of B-21s, and the pace of construction, will be determined as manufacturing continues to make progress and budgets unfold.

During the discussion, Deptula made a significant point about how the Cold War-inspired B-2 program was massively cut from plans to build as many as 134 bombers down to 21. He is urging Congress and senior military planners not to make what he called “the same mistake.”

When the B-2 came into existence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the former Soviet Union was breaking up and opening up. The Cold War was ending, some threat observers may have thought that there may be less of a need for an expensive stealth bomber engineered to elude and destroy Soviet air defenses. Such a perspective, while perhaps developed at a particular time in history, may have been short-sighted or fallen victim to an overly near-term or shallow perspective.

By contrast, there is little question that current threats are driving a significant need for the B-21, given the technical advances of enemy air defenses and rival major power military modernization.

Philippines Bars Military from Joint Naval Exercises in South China Sea.

President Rodrigo Duterte has barred the Philippine military from joining naval exercises in international waters of the South China Sea, officials said Tuesday, indicating the Philippines wanted to avoid taking sides between China and the United States amid rising tensions in the region.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque discussed Duterte’s stance on Tuesday, a day after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced the order.

“The president has long had an independent foreign policy,” Roque told reporters. “We are friends to everyone and an enemy to none.”

“If what the superpowers are doing would result in increased tension, we will avoid joining them,” he said.

In recent weeks, China and the United States have conducted naval maneuvers and exercises in the South China Sea, while being embroiled in a war of words over the contested waterway after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in mid-July declared Beijing’s sweeping claims there illegal.

Last month, the U.S. deployed two aircraft carriers, the USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan along with their strike groups to the South China Sea. The deployment, the first in several years, followed a Chinese military exercise around the disputed Paracel islands.

On Monday, Lorenzana revealed that Duterte had told the military to refrain from joining other countries, including the United States and Australia, in maritime drills in the sea’s international waters.

“President Rodrigo Duterte has a standing order to us, to me, that we should not involve ourselves in naval exercises in the South China Sea except our national waters, the 12-mile distance from our shores,” Lorenzana told reporters, according to Philippine media.

The defense secretary did not immediately respond to several requests for comment from BenarNews on Tuesday.

National address

During his annual State of the Nation Address last week, Duterte said he was “powerless” to enforce Manila’s sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea. He added that China already occupied the islands and the Philippines could not counter Chinese aggression.

China occupies and has fortified islands in the South China Sea. China, Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Beijing’s rival, Taiwan, have overlapping claims to maritime region.

Duterte’s speech came four years after the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled for Manila and against Beijing in dismissing China’s extensive claims to the sea region. Instead of enforcing the 2016 ruling, which was handed down a few weeks before he took office, Duterte set it aside in favor of closer ties with Beijing while distancing Manila from Washington, its traditional ally.

Over the past two weeks, Duterte said he had spoken recently with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whom he said had promised that the Philippines would be among the first countries on the list to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, should one be developed.

Last week, China’s ambassador to Manila, Huang Xilian, said the two nations should not allow others to affect their relationship.

“China and the Philippines should not allow external powers to roil the waters in the South China Sea, nor waver [in] our commitment [in] pursuance of an independent foreign policy and China-Philippine friendly relations,” Huang told an online forum.

“The Philippines’ future will not float anywhere, but will be deeply rooted in its own national development, in a stable and amicable neighborhood, and in a peaceful and prosperous Asian region,” the envoy said in a statement posted on the embassy’s Facebook page on July 29.

Without naming another country, the ambassador said that a “superpower” was locked in a “cold-war mentality” and trying to suppress China in every possible way, as well as to “sow discord” among countries in the region.

Exercises with other nations

Later this month, the U.S. will be hosting a multi-nation exercise, Rim of the Pacific, near Hawaii, far from the South China Sea. A Philippine Navy ship has set sail to join the exercises.

In January, coast guard ships from the Philippines and China staged their first drill – an exercise involving rescuing victims after a ship caught fire in its cargo hold – in waters off Manila.

The next month, Duterte announced that the Philippines would terminate its 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement with the U.S. The bilateral pact has allowed large-scale joint military drills with U.S. forces, which defense analysts said were vital to the Philippines as it faces a challenge from China over claims in the South China Sea.

A month later, the U.S. said the COVID-19 pandemic had forced it to cancel the Balikatan exercise scheduled for May. The annual “shoulder-to-shoulder” military exercises normally draw thousands of troops from both nations along with Australian forces who have been invited to participate.

In June, Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced that his nation, in an effort to reinvigorate ties with the U.S. in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, was holding off on withdrawing from the VFA for at least six months.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila welcomed Locsin’s diplomatic note about the change.

“Our longstanding alliance has benefited both countries, and we look forward to continued close security and defense cooperation with the Philippines,” it said in a statement at the time.

Duterte Says Philippines Powerless over South China Sea Rights.

President Rodrigo Duterte told Congress on Monday he had no power to enforce his country’s ownership of territories claimed by China in the South China Sea.

Duterte made the statement during the annual State of the Nation Address, just two weeks after his foreign and defense departments backed a position by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accusing China of bullying Southeast Asian countries.

Duterte said the nation could not afford to go to war over South China Sea territories.

“I am powerless there. I’m willing to admit it,” he said, suggesting that the conflicts were better treated as “diplomatic endeavors.”

“China is claiming it, we are claiming it. China has the arms, we do not have it. So, it’s simple as that. They are in possession of the property… So what can we do? We have to go to war. And I cannot afford it. Maybe some other president can. But I cannot.”

Duterte also cautioned against the United States returning to Subic Bay, a massive port north of Manila that was a U.S. military base before being shut down in 1992.

“If you put a base there at this time, this will ensure that if war breaks out – because there would be atomic arsenals brought in – this would (lead to) the extinction of the Filipino race,” he said.

It was not immediately clear why Duterte spoke of a military base. U.S. and Australian companies have mounted a joint effort to purchase and potentially set up a naval repair facility at Subic, following the bankruptcy of the South Korean shipbuilding company that ran the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

The U.S. embassy in Manila did not comment when contacted by BenarNews.

Duterte, who has been drifting toward strengthening relations with China since he assumed power in 2016, said Manila would “continue to pursue an independent foreign policy.”

“Neither beholden nor a pawn to anyone, we broaden the boundaries of Philippine diplomacy, we develop productive ties with everyone willing to engage us on the basis of equality and mutual respect,” he said.

A plea to President Xi

The statement came two weeks after Pompeo announced a tougher a stance against China, accusing Beijing of trying to build a “maritime empire” in the South China Sea.

“We are making clear: Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them,” Pompeo said in July 13 statement.

He spoke as the Philippines marked the fourth anniversary of the July 12, 2016, decision by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that junked China’s claims to the South China Sea.

Duterte has not enforced the ruling and instead aligned himself with China despite his country’s defense treaty with the U.S., which once based its largest overseas military installations north of Manila.

Satellite imagery and vessel tracking data shows a China Coast Guard vessel has been patrolling Scarborough Shoal since July 20. The shoal is claimed by the Philippines and sits on the Philippine continental shelf. In addition, vessel tracking data shows a Chinese survey ship was within 200 nautical miles of the Philippine coast on July 21.

On Monday, Duterte said he spoke with his Chinese counterpart and asked to be among the first countries to have access to a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Beijing.

“Four days ago, I made a plea to President Xi Jinping that if they have the vaccine, can they allow us to be one of the first, or if needed, we have to buy it,” Duterte said.

He appealed to the public to cooperate in battling the coronavirus, saying it had wreaked havoc on the economy even as the country had appeared to “withstand the headwinds” of the virus.

“Let me say that the strength of a nation rests in the hands of the people acting as one with government in the pursuit of common goals and objectives,” Duterte said.

The Philippine health department reported 16 deaths and 1,657 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the totals 1,945 and 82,040. Globally, nearly 16.3 million have contracted the coronavirus and nearly 650,000 have died, according to disease experts at U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Protesters rally at the University of the Philippines in Manila to denounce policies by President Rodrigo Duterte, July 27, 2020. [Luis Liwanag/BenarNews]

Protests

Duterte spent a portion of his speech commenting on ABS-CBN Corp., the television network that his allies in Congress recently voted to shut down. The network has been critical in reporting on the government.

“That happened after the [House] Committee on Franchises voted 70-11 to deny the grant of franchise to ABS-CBN,” Duterte said. “Great wealth enables economic elites and corporations to influence public policy to their advantage,” he said.

Duterte said the family that owns ABS-CBN had used it in “battles with political figures.”

“I am a casualty of the Lopezes during the 2016 elections,” he said, referring to an incident when ABS-CBN apparently did not air his political ads during the presidential campaign.

He warned other business owners he would take over vital services if they did not shape up.

“For the remaining two years of my term, all that is good that belongs to government, whether it be airwaves, lines or whatever that is good for the people, will belong to the government,” Duterte said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of activists joined a protest in Manila ahead of Duterte’s address. The fishermen’s group Pamalakaya criticized the president for his defeatist stand on the South China Sea, but said it was expected.

“Asserting what is ours does not mean declaring war with the aggressor,” said Fernando Hicap, a Pamalakaya leader. “Mr. Duterte should be reminded over and over that we have all the legal, political and historical claim over our exclusive economic zone being robbed by China.”

Other protesters carried signs and banners denouncing Duterte’s policies including the new anti-terror law they warned could be used against critics denouncing his drugs war that has left thousands dead.

A protester posted an “oust Duterte” message on his face shield during a rally at the University of the Philippines in Manila, July 27, 2020. [Basilio Sepe/BenarNews]

Chinese Warships, Jets Deployed in South China Sea’s Spratly Islands. by Drake Long

China has deployed warships and sent fighter jets on a long-haul flight to bases it occupies in the disputed Spratly island chain, according to satellite imagery and state media, in the latest show of Chinese military strength in the South China Sea.

That comes ahead of a major, multi-nation military exercise led by the United States planned for Aug. 17 to 31 near Hawaii which will be attended by nations across the Indo-Pacific. A Philippine naval ship has already set sail for the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) drills. Other nations expected to attend include Vietnam, Australia, Brunei, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Advanced fighter jets with China’s Southern Theater Command flew to the Chinese-occupied base at Subi Reef within the past week, according to Chinese state media.

A Hunan province-based Chinese state-owned broadcaster aired a documentary about the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) brigade involved in that drill over the weekend. In the video, four Su-30MKK fighter jets reportedly perform a mid-air refueling while on a 10-hour flight to Subi Reef, with the brigade’s commander noting this breaks the PLAAF’s previous record for long-range flights and demonstrates China’s ability to send any aircraft as far as the Spratlys at a moment’s notice.

However, experts at the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) – part of the U.S. Air Force-affiliated Air University – pointed out it takes less than 10 hours to fly directly to Subi from Changsha, the brigade’s likely home base in Hunan.

“Assuming the video is showing the actual event, they appear to be departing and arriving from Changsha,” Brendan Mulvaney, director of CASI, said after seeing the video report and conferring with colleagues.

“The math on a 10-hour trip doesn’t make sense. It's about 1,300 miles from Changsha to the Spratlys, which should only take two to three hours at typical cruise speeds. At 10 hours round trip, that implies they’re flying at 260 mph which is unlikely,” he said.

Instead of testing the endurance of the aircraft itself or the feasibility of the trip, experts surmised the exercise was likely aimed at testing the physical fitness of the pilots under the conditions of a grueling long-distance flight.

“The Su-30MKK is physically capable of sustaining 10-hour flights with mid-air refueling,” Mulvaney said. “The question is whether a pilot is physically capable of doing so.”

Subi Reef is one of China’s four biggest artificial islands in the Spratlys, an archipelago of rocks and reefs in the southern half of the South China Sea that Vietnam, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei all hold claims.

It is a key stopping point for China’s ships on their way through the area, and satellite imagery showed two identifiable China Coast Guard ships there on Monday morning.

Subi Reef sits less than 13 nautical miles from Thitu Island, a feature occupied by the Philippines that was recently upgraded with a beaching ramp and improved airstrip. However, Thitu’s facilities pale in comparison to those at Subi, which has a 3,000-meter runway, radar and communications arrays and shelters for missile batteries.

China Coast Guard and maritime militia ships are commonplace off the coast of the Philippines, whose President Rodrigo Duterte last week conceded that he had no power to enforce the Philippines’ ownership of territories claimed by China in the South China Sea.

“China is claiming it, we are claiming it. China has the arms, we do not have it. So, it’s simple as that. They are in possession of the property,” Duterte said in his annual State of the Nation Address.

“So what can we do? We have to go to war. And I cannot afford it. Maybe some other president can. But I cannot,” he said.

China also has deployed two warships to Mischief Reef, which lies about 150 miles off the Philippine island of Palawan. Satellite imagery shows what appear to be a Type 054A frigate and a Type 056 corvette in service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) sailing in Mischief Reef’s expansive lagoon on Sunday.  Other ships running supplies to and from Mischief Reef’s settlement are also visible.

Mischief Reef is China’s largest artificial island in the South China Sea. Technically, under international law it is considered a “low-tide elevation,” but after large-scale reclamation efforts China has built it into a formidable base of operations, with a massive harbor and airstrip.

The U.S. updated its position on the South China Sea last month, refuting China’s insistence on holding maritime rights to the area and calling China’s claims to features that sit on the Philippine continental shelf “illegal.” In particular, the U.S. State Department stated on July 13 that China holds no lawful territorial or maritime claim to Mischief Reef or Second Thomas Shoal, both of which lay within Philippine waters.

For its part, Philippines has sent some conflicting signals about its stance toward China. Duterte has sought closer ties with Beijing, but more recently the Philippines appears to have tracked back toward its long-standing U.S. alliance and repudiated China’s claims to “historic rights” over virtually all the disputed waterway.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana welcomed the U.S. statement of July 13. And the Philippine Navy will attend RIMPAC. Its most modern warship, the BRP Jose Rizal,