Pope Blasts Negativity in a New Normal World; Says Catholic Church Itself Must Pull Together

During Mass in St. Peter's Basilica today (May 31, 2020) to mark Pentecost Sunday, Pope Francis noted a tendency to say "nothing will return as before" (the coronavirus crisis), according to the Yahoo News website.

That kind of thinking, he said, guarantees "the one thing that certainly does not return is hope."

He took to task his own Catholic Church for its fragmentation, saying  it must pull together.

"The world sees conservatives and progressives," he said, but instead all are "children of God."

Trump to End Visas of 3,000 Chinese Students; Fears National Security Threats Posed by China

The Trump administration is planning to cancel the visas of at least 3,000 Chinese graduate students and researchers with ties to Communist China's military schools, the Daily Beast website reports today (May 28, 2020).

The FBI and the Justice Department have been briefing American universities for years about potential national security threats posed by Chinese students, particularly those working in the sciences.

The mass visa cancellation would be the first designed to end access to the U.S. school system for a category of Chinese students.

Officials have acknowledged there is no direct evidence that the students who are about to lose their visas have done anything wrong.

US Passes 100K COVID Deaths as States Reopen; Exceed Americans Killed in All Wars Since Korea

The United States blew past another tragic landmark in the fight against coronavirus today (May 27, 2020), surpassing 100,000 deaths nationwide, according to the NY Daily News website.

The devastating toll -- reported by Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center -- is much higher than any other country in the world and vastly exceeds  the number of Americans killed in every conflict since the Korean War.

The deadly virus originated in Wuhan, China, with the first official case diagnosed on December 1, 2019.

As the disease spread worldwide, President Donald Trump insisted in January after the first U.S. patient was diagnosed that the nation had it "totally under control."

UK,Sweden,Brazil Have Highest COVID Deaths; Sweden's Lax Restrictions Have Negative Impact

The UK continues to rank as one of the worst hit countries by COVID-19 deaths per million, the Yahoo News website reports today (March 26, 2020).

Figures compiled by Oxford University show that despite a continuous fall in coronavirus fatalities, only Sweden and Brazil are suffering worse daily death rates.

Both have been highlighted for how they have covered the coronavirus pandemic, with Sweden having more lax restrictions than any other country and Brazil's president often playing down the virus's deadliness.

The data shows the UK's seven-day average up to May 26 was 4.46 confirmed deaths per million, with Sweden on 4.68 and Brazil on 4.49.

US Imposes Restrictions on Travelers from Brazil; Blocks Non-citizens in Brazil during Past 2 Weeks

As the death toll from coronavirus in Brazil continues to rise, the U.S. government announced new restrictions on travelers entering the United States from Latin America's largest country, the NY Daily News website reports today (May 25, 2020).

In a proclamation issued by President Trump on May 24, the U.S. began banning any non-citizen from arriving into the country if they had been in Brazil over the past 14 days.

"Today's action will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infection in our country," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said yesterday.

With 363,618 cases, Brazil has had the largest coronavirus outbreak of any country outside the U.S., as attempts to fight the virus have been hindered by President Jair Bolsonaro's staunch opposition to the lockdowns imposed by some state governments.

Public Gets to Receive Pope at St. Peter's Square; First Time Public Gets to Do So in Past 3 Months

The public returned to St. Peter's Square today (May 24, 2020) to receive Pope Francis's blessing from his window for the first time in nearly three months, as he convoked a year of reflection on the environment, according to the Yahoo News website.

Only a few dozen people went to the square, which was reopened on May 18 along with St. Peter's Basilica following coronavirus lockdowns. They kept to social distancing rules and most wore masks.

Francis delivered his message via the internet from his library, as those in the square watched on large screens, and then went to the window for the silent blessing.

In the past three months, he has blessed an empty square.

Fauci:Most of US Reopening in a Prudent Way; Feels Prolonged Lockdowns Are Not Necessary

White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci said yesterday that "most of the country is reopening in a prudent way," and that staying locked down for a prolonged period of time is not the right approach, the Breitbart website reports today (May 23, 2020).

Fauci said, "I don't want people to think that any of us feel that staying locked down for a prolonged period of time is the way to go."

He added that he is concerned if places are reopening while cases are increasing and the  recommended benchmarks are not being followed.

Fauci warned that there are some situations where people might be rushing to open early and suggested that these people proceed with caution.