AP News in Brief at 9:04 p.m. EST
China reports fall in new virus cases for 3rd straight day
BEIJING (AP) — China reported Sunday a drop in new virus cases for the third straight day, as it became apparent that the country's leadership was aware of the potential gravity of the situation well before the alarm was sounded.
There are 2,009 new cases in mainland China, bringing its total number of confirmed cases to 68,500, according to the country's National Health Commission.
The fatality rate remained stable with 142 new deaths. The death toll in mainland China from COVID-19, a disease stemming from a new form of coronavirus, now stands at 1,665.
The outbreak began in December in Wuhan, capital of the central Chinese province of Hubei.
It has since spread to more than 24 countries and prompted sweeping prevention measures from the Chinese government, including a lockdown of cities with a combined population of more than 60 million.
___
Questions complicate efforts to contain new virus from China
WASHINGTON (AP) — Reports one day suggest the respiratory outbreak in China might be slowing, the next brings word of thousands more cases. Even the experts have whiplash in trying to determine if the epidemic is getting worse, or if a backlog of the sick is finally getting counted.
Continuing questions about the new virus are complicating health authorities' efforts to curtail its spread around the world. And the United States is taking the first steps to check that cases masquerading as the flu won't be missed, another safeguard on top of travel restrictions and quarantines.
Here's what you should know about the illness:
WHAT IS THE NEW VIRUS?
It's a never-before-seen type of coronavirus, a large family of viruses that affect both animals and people. Some types cause the common cold. But two other types have caused severe disease outbreaks before: SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, in late 2002, and MERS, or Middle East respiratory syndrome, which first appeared in 2012.
___
Turkey, Russia to discuss grave situation in Syria's Idlib
MUNICH (AP) — A Turkish delegation will travel to Russia on Monday to discuss the situation in Syria's Idlib province amid mounting fears of a humanitarian disaster there, Turkey's foreign minister said.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Idlib province are scrambling to escape a widening, multi-front offensive by Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.
“What matters is today around 1 million people from Idlib have been moving towards our border," Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement Saturday after a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump in which they discussed Syria and other topics. “We are already hosting 3.5-4 million people. Unfortunately we are not in a position of accepting this another 1 million.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting his German counterpart on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that 2 million people could head for Turkey's border with Syria if no cease-fire is achieved.
He said a Turkish delegation was due to visit Moscow on Monday to talk discuss the situation in Idlib, much of which remains in rebel hands. The meeting follows previous visits by a Russian delegation to Ankara. Russia supports Assad, while Turkey backs the opposition.
___
The Latest: Some who back Sanders more confident this time
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on the 2020 presidential campaign (all times local):
5:10 p.m.
Some Nevada Democrats who made Bernie Sanders their first choice in the state's early caucus voting say they think he has a better chance of being elected president now than he did in 2016.
Solana Kline of Reno says she supported Sanders last time too, but didn't think he could win so she opted for Hillary Clinton because she was more mainstream. Kline says the whole political climate has changed since then and Sanders vs. Donald Trump would be viewed more as good vs. evil. Clinton carried Nevada in 2016, but Sanders won in Washoe County, which includes Reno and Sparks.
Brian Feeney says Sanders has more support and is better positioned to win this time around. The 42-year-old behavioral analyst who works with children with autism at the University of Nevada, Reno says he may consider the Green Party candidate if Sanders isn't the Democratic nominee.
___
'Parasite' shines light on South Korean basement dwellers
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Kim Da-hye, a 29-year-old South Korean, said that moving into a semi-basement apartment was her least-preferred option when she was looking for a new place to live.
But after a rigorous search and a close examination of her finances, she was forced to settle for a "banjiha," the Korean word for a cramped basement flat.
South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning film "Parasite" has brought banjiha dwellers like Kim to worldwide attention, thanks to its depiction of two families — one living in a semi-basement apartment and the other in an airy mansion — and the differences in their social status.
In 2015, around 1.9% of South Koreans lived in semi-basement apartments, according to data from Statistics Korea. It's an affordable choice for urban dwellers in Seoul, one of the most expensive cities in Asia.
The apartments, which are often cramped and sometimes squalid, generally cost between $210 and $500 a month with a hefty deposit.
___
Mississippi braces for flooding amid cresting river
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency Saturday amid predictions that a river running in the area around the state capital of Jackson could burst its banks and spark widespread flooding.
Forecasters believe the Pearl River will crest at 38 feet (11.6 meters) Sunday evening to levels not seen in decades, following days of torrential rains across the Southeast. Reeves said the state should prepare for “the third worst flood” in its history.
“This is a historic, unprecedented flood,” Reeves said via Twitter.
Parts of Jackson and suburban Ridgeland were under evacuation orders, and some people had already filled trucks with furniture and other belongings to get out. Reeves said more than 2,400 homes and other structures in and near Jackson could either be inundated or isolated by the rising waters. That includes 1,925 structures in Hinds County, 461 in Rankin County and 31 in Madison County.
“I cannot stress to you how important the next 24 to 48 hours is for the people who are going to be affected,” Reeves said. He signed an emergency declaration to speed up spending for flood response and recovery. More than 96,000 sandbags had already been distributed by Saturday. The National Guard, the Highway Patrol and other high-water rescue teams were on standby, Reeves said.
___
14-year-old charged with Barnard College student death
NEW YORK (AP) — A 14-year-old has been arrested in the fatal stabbing of a Barnard College student in a park during a robbery in December, a crime that rattled New York City residents, authorities said Saturday.
Rashaun Weaver has been indicted by a grand jury and was taken into custody Friday night without incident, New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said at a news conference.
Weaver, charged with second-degree murder and robbery, is the second teenager to be charged in the attack on 18-year-old Tessa Majors in a Manhattan park.
“We are confident that we have the person in custody who stabbed her,” Shea said. “And that person will face justice in a court of law.”
The Associated Press is naming the juvenile defendant because of the seriousness of the crime and because he has been charged as an adult. Weaver's attorney, Elsie Chandler, did not immediately return a call to Neighbor Defender Service of Harlem seeking comment.
___
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's wall claim is beyond 'redemption'
WASHINGTON (AP) — On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, President Donald Trump told a rally that people who are in the United States illegally are paying for his Mexico border wall. It was the latest iteration of his effort to convince the public that Mexico is covering the cost, just as he promised throughout his 2016 campaign and since.
Evidence to the contrary came three days later. The Pentagon announced it is taking $3.8 billion approved by Congress for fighter aircraft, ships and other military programs and using the money to pay for the wall. The Defense Department took a similar step last year and may yet again. U.S. taxpayers are paying for the wall, not Mexico, as has been the case from the start.
Trump spread a variety of distortions at the rally, and still more in other venues during a week that came to be dominated by machinations involving the Justice Department. The release of his proposed budget prompted Democrats to wrongly accuse him of undermining Medicare.
The week in review:
THE WALL
___
Warren Buffett's son helps Colombia kick cocaine curse
TIBU, Colombia (AP) — With Colombian military snipers in position, Howard Buffett descends from a helicopter and trudges through the wet grass in steel-toe boots chewed through by his dog’s teeth.
Waiting under a tin-roofed shack is a small group of coca farmers. They’ve never heard of multi-billionaire investor Warren Buffett, but after decades of neglect by their own government they’re grateful for the outstretched hand of his eldest son, who they refer to simply as “the gringo.”
“There’s a saying here: The less you know, the better," said Rubén Morantes, his leathery skin and calloused hands a testament to a lifetime of tillage in one of Colombia's most-dangerous territories, where outsiders are traditionally mistrusted.
For nearly two decades Buffett has crisscrossed the world giving away part of his father’s fortune to promote food security, conflict mitigation and public safety. But his latest gamble is one of the most daunting yet: helping Colombia kick its cocaine curse.
He is focusing on Tibu, heart of the remote, notoriously lawless Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela where Buffett accompanied President Iván Duque.
___
The Latest: Miami's Abedayo wins All-Star skills challenge
CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Saturday night at NBA All-Star weekend. (all times local):
7:38 p.m.
Miami's Bam Abedayo has won the All-Star skills challenge.
Abedayo narrowly defeated Indiana's Domantas Sabonis in the final in a matchup of All-Star big men. He shared a hug with former Heat star Dwyane Wade after accepting the trophy.
Abedayo eliminated 2018 champion Spencer Dinwiddie and Raptors star Pascal Siakam in the first two rounds on the obstacle course. Sabonis advanced with victories over defending champion Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee's Khris Middleton.