1 Chinese Hackers Accused of Trying to Steal COVID Info
The US Justice Department accused two Chinese hackers of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars of trade secrets from companies across the world yesterday. Even more disturbing is the fact they say these hackers have been targeting firms developing a vaccine for the coronavirus. U.S. authorities said Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi stole terabytes of weapons designs, drug information, software source code, and personal data from targets that included dissidents and Chinese opposition figures. They were contractors for the Chinese government, rather than full-fledged spies, U.S. officials said. The indictment says the hackers in recent months had researched vulnerabilities in the computer networks of companies publicly known for their work in developing vaccines and treatments. The good news is there was no immediate indication from the indictment that the hackers had been successful in their efforts or obtained any COVID-19 research, despite efforts to snoop on the companies. The Chinese Embassy has yet to comment.
2 Trump admits Coronavirus Likely To Get Worse
President Donald Trump returned to the White House podium yesterday and offered a stark warning about the progression of the coronavirus, urging Americans to wear a mask as he predicted the spread of the disease will worsen before it improves. "It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better," Trump acknowledged. "Something I don't like saying about things, but that's the way it is." He also encouraged young people to avoid crowded bars and to "be smart." Trump, who was not wearing a mask himself, said he carries one and that he is "getting used" to it. Trump offered up a positive assessment of his administration’s response to the virus, saying scientists have "learned so much about this disease" and predicting vaccines would be coming a lot sooner than anyone thought possible." He also repeated his assertion the virus will eventually "disappear," and insisted the American response to the pandemic was "much better" than in other places. Trump appeared from the podium by himself, unaccompanied by any of the health experts who comprise the White House coronavirus task force, including Dr. Fauci. The briefing lasted about thirty minutes.
3 New York, New Jersey, Connecticut Add 10 States To Mandatory Quarantine Restriction List
New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut will now require travelers from 31 states to self-quarantine for 14 days to limit the spread of coronavirus as cases continue to surge across the country. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that 10 new states had been added to the list: Alaska, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Virginia, Washington. The travel order, first issued in June by Cuomo and the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut, already had restrictions for 21 other states where the positive test rate is higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average. Minnesota has been removed from the list. Cuomo said he is planning to impose a $2,000 fine for travelers arriving from states on the list who leave airports in New York without submitting a form that says where they are arriving from and where they're going. New York's travel advisory has been expanded to 31 states.