RAEFORD, N.C. (AP) — Protesters streamed into the nation’s capital Saturday for what was expected to be the city’s largest demonstration yet against police brutality, while George Floyd was mourned in his North Carolina hometown, where hundreds of mourners lined up to squeeze into a church to pay their respects.

Military vehicles and officers in fatigues closed off much of downtown Washington to traffic ahead of the planned march, which authorities estimated would attract up to 200,000 people outraged by Floyd’s death 12 days ago at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

Large protests also took place across the U.S. and in major cities overseas, including London, Paris, Berlin and Sydney, Australia.

In Raeford, the small town near Fayetteville where Floyd was born 46 years ago, a long line of people formed outside a church, waiting to enter in small groups for a chance to look at his coffin. A private memorial service was scheduled for later in the day.

The line of people waiting to view the coffin included families with young children and teenagers. One young woman wore a green and gold graduation cap and gown as she walked beside her parents. Most people wore surgical masks or cloth face coverings.

When a hearse bearing Floyd’s coffin arrived, chants of “Black Power,” “George Floyd” and “No justice, no peace,” echoed from beneath the covered entrance.

“It could have been me. It could have been my brother, my father, any of my friends who are black,” said a man in the crowd, Erik Carlos of Fayetteville. “It was a heavy hit, especially knowing that George Floyd was born near my hometown. It made me feel very vulnerable at first.”

Washington has seen daily protests for the past week — largely peaceful, with people marching back and forth from the White House to the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said local officials expected 100,000 to 200,000 protesters for Saturday’s event. The White House has been fortified with new fencing and extra security precautions.

President Donald Trump had no public events on his daily schedule. But about 100 protesters gathered at his golf resort in Doral, Florida, just outside Miami. The protest was organized by Latinos for Black Lives Matter.

In general, demonstrations in the U.S. have shifted to a calmer tenor in recent days after frequent episodes of violence in the early stages. Protesters and their supporters in public office say they are determined to turn the extraordinary outpouring of anger and grief into change, notably in regard to policing policies.

College student Maiya Mack, 19, who protested in Columbus, Ohio, said a key step would be effective discipline against police officers implicated in racist acts of violence.

“Police who have performed misconduct, they should be held accountable, not just you can still be at home, you can still get paid,” she said.

Theresa Bland, 68, a retired teacher and realtor protesting at the Ohio Statehouse, had a broader agenda in mind

“I’m looking at affordable housing, political justice, prison reform, the whole ball of wax,” she said. “The world is so askew right now ... with people dying from the virus and people dying in prisons and people dying because there’s not enough food.”

There already have been some tangible steps.

In Minneapolis, city officials have agreed to ban chokeholds and neck restraints by police and to require officers to try to stop any other officers they see using improper force. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state’s police training program to stop teaching officers how to use a neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain.

Democrats in Congress are preparing a sweeping package of police reforms, which are expected to included changes to police-accountability laws, such as revising immunity provisions and creating a database of police use-of-force incidents. Revamped training requirements are planned, too, among them a ban on chokeholds.

The House is expected to vote by month’s end. With Democrats in the majority, the bills will almost certainly pass the House. The outcome in the Senate is less certain. Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the chamber would look at the issues, but he has not endorsed any particular legislation.

Meanwhile in New York, two Buffalo police officers were charged with assault Saturday after a video showed them shoving a 75-year-old protester, who fell backwards onto the pavement and was hospitalized. Both pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault and were released without bail. The two were suspended without pay Friday after a TV crew captured the confrontation.

In London, thousands of demonstrators endured cold rain to gather in Parliament Square, a traditional venue for protests. They knelt in silence and chanted Floyd’s name before applauding his memory and then starting a march.

In Paris, hundreds of people gathered at the Place de la Concorde in defiance of a police ban on large protests. Members of the multiracial crowd chanted the name of Adama Traore, a black man whose death while in police custody a few years ago has been likened by critics of French police to Floyd’s death in Minnesota.

Chris Trabot, who works for Paris City Hall and is black, said Floyd’s death triggered his decision to demonstrate for the first time in his life.

Trabot said, “The violence happens every day. The moment has come to say stop.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591527693710.png" alt="Protest march on Saturday in Washington photo courtesy WUSA TV" />
 <figcaption>Protest march on Saturday in Washington photo courtesy WUSA TV</figcaption>
 </figure>RAEFORD, N.C. (AP) — Protesters streamed into the nation’s capital Saturday for what was expected to be the city’s largest demonstration yet against police brutality, while George Floyd was mourned in his North Carolina hometown, where hundreds of mourners lined up to squeeze into a church to pay their respects.Military vehicles and officers in fatigues closed off much of downtown Washington to traffic ahead of the planned march, which authorities estimated would attract up to 200,000 people outraged by Floyd’s death 12 days ago at the hands of police in Minneapolis.Large protests also took place across the U.S. and in major cities overseas, including London, Paris, Berlin and Sydney, Australia.In Raeford, the small town near Fayetteville where Floyd was born 46 years ago, a long line of people formed outside a church, waiting to enter in small groups for a chance to look at his coffin. A private memorial service was scheduled for later in the day.The line of people waiting to view the coffin included families with young children and teenagers. One young woman wore a green and gold graduation cap and gown as she walked beside her parents. Most people wore surgical masks or cloth face coverings.When a hearse bearing Floyd’s coffin arrived, chants of “Black Power,” “George Floyd” and “No justice, no peace,” echoed from beneath the covered entrance.“It could have been me. It could have been my brother, my father, any of my friends who are black,” said a man in the crowd, Erik Carlos of Fayetteville. “It was a heavy hit, especially knowing that George Floyd was born near my hometown. It made me feel very vulnerable at first.”Washington has seen daily protests for the past week — largely peaceful, with people marching back and forth from the White House to the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said local officials expected 100,000 to 200,000 protesters for Saturday’s event. The White House has been fortified with new fencing and extra security precautions.President Donald Trump had no public events on his daily schedule. But about 100 protesters gathered at his golf resort in Doral, Florida, just outside Miami. The protest was organized by Latinos for Black Lives Matter.In general, demonstrations in the U.S. have shifted to a calmer tenor in recent days after frequent episodes of violence in the early stages. Protesters and their supporters in public office say they are determined to turn the extraordinary outpouring of anger and grief into change, notably in regard to policing policies.College student Maiya Mack, 19, who protested in Columbus, Ohio, said a key step would be effective discipline against police officers implicated in racist acts of violence.“Police who have performed misconduct, they should be held accountable, not just you can still be at home, you can still get paid,” she said.Theresa Bland, 68, a retired teacher and realtor protesting at the Ohio Statehouse, had a broader agenda in mind“I’m looking at affordable housing, political justice, prison reform, the whole ball of wax,” she said. “The world is so askew right now ... with people dying from the virus and people dying in prisons and people dying because there’s not enough food.”There already have been some tangible steps.In Minneapolis, city officials have agreed to ban chokeholds and neck restraints by police and to require officers to try to stop any other officers they see using improper force. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state’s police training program to stop teaching officers how to use a neck hold that blocks the flow of blood to the brain.Democrats in Congress are preparing a sweeping package of police reforms, which are expected to included changes to police-accountability laws, such as revising immunity provisions and creating a database of police use-of-force incidents. Revamped training requirements are planned, too, among them a ban on chokeholds.The House is expected to vote by month’s end. With Democrats in the majority, the bills will almost certainly pass the House. The outcome in the Senate is less certain. Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the chamber would look at the issues, but he has not endorsed any particular legislation.Meanwhile in New York, two Buffalo police officers were charged with assault Saturday after a video showed them shoving a 75-year-old protester, who fell backwards onto the pavement and was hospitalized. Both pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault and were released without bail. The two were suspended without pay Friday after a TV crew captured the confrontation.In London, thousands of demonstrators endured cold rain to gather in Parliament Square, a traditional venue for protests. They knelt in silence and chanted Floyd’s name before applauding his memory and then starting a march.In Paris, hundreds of people gathered at the Place de la Concorde in defiance of a police ban on large protests. Members of the multiracial crowd chanted the name of Adama Traore, a black man whose death while in police custody a few years ago has been likened by critics of French police to Floyd’s death in Minnesota.Chris Trabot, who works for Paris City Hall and is black, said Floyd’s death triggered his decision to demonstrate for the first time in his life.Trabot said, “The violence happens every day. The moment has come to say stop.”___

Massive, peaceful protests across US demand police reform

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas education officials are preparing to reopen the state’s schools in the fall but acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic will force widespread changes.

“We want Kansans to know that we will have school in the fall, and that we are prepared to do everything within our power to keep staff, students and families safe,” Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson said in a news release Friday.

Watson assembled a task force in May to develop comprehensive guidance for safely reopening school buildings. One team is working working on guidance about sanitation, social distancing, busing and food served, while another is focused on instruction.

The Kansas State Board of Education will consider the guidelines at its July meeting.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly became the nation’s first governor to order the closure of school buildings on March 17.

Statewide, Kansas has recorded 232 deaths and 10,300 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In the Wichita area, where some of <a href="https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/covid-19/">the largest increases</a> have been recorded, Sedgwick County Health Officer Dr. Garold Minns is raising concerns that the area may have moved too fast to fully reopen the economy. Minns is urging residents to continue social distancing practices, wearing protective face coverings and working from home when possible.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591480312815.png" alt="Virus testing image courtesy Sedgwick Co. Health Department" />
 <figcaption>Virus testing image courtesy Sedgwick Co. Health Department</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas education officials are preparing to reopen the state’s schools in the fall but acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic will force widespread changes.“We want Kansans to know that we will have school in the fall, and that we are prepared to do everything within our power to keep staff, students and families safe,” Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson said in a news release Friday.Watson assembled a task force in May to develop comprehensive guidance for safely reopening school buildings. One team is working working on guidance about sanitation, social distancing, busing and food served, while another is focused on instruction.The Kansas State Board of Education will consider the guidelines at its July meeting.Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly became the nation’s first governor to order the closure of school buildings on March 17.Statewide, Kansas has recorded 232 deaths and 10,300 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.In the Wichita area, where some of <a href="https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/covid-19/">the largest increases</a> have been recorded, Sedgwick County Health Officer Dr. Garold Minns is raising concerns that the area may have moved too fast to fully reopen the economy. Minns is urging residents to continue social distancing practices, wearing protective face coverings and working from home when possible.

Health officials warn of rising COVID-19 numbers in Wichita

TOPEKA —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a video that depicts animal cruelty.

On Thursday, several citizens informed members of the Topeka Police Department of a video posted on a juvenile’s Facebook page, according to Lt. Aaron Jones.

The video depicts a person throwing a cat in the air. When the cat comes down it hits the windshield of a car. The video is short, it leaves a lot to the imagination, but it is disturbing none the less, according to Jones.

Detectives were able to locate the juvenile and determine the video was of people other than the poster and the event occurred in another state. 

Investigators were attempting to contact the proper authorities outside of Kansas. 

TOPEKA —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a video that depicts animal cruelty.On Thursday, several citizens informed members of the Topeka Police Department of a video posted on a juvenile’s Facebook page, according to Lt. Aaron Jones.The video depicts a person throwing a cat in the air. When the cat comes down it hits the windshield of a car. The video is short, it leaves a lot to the imagination, but it is disturbing none the less, according to Jones.Detectives were able to locate the juvenile and determine the video was of people other than the poster and the event occurred in another state. Investigators were attempting to contact the proper authorities outside of Kansas.

Police in Kansas investigate video of alleged animal cruelty

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Residents gathered for a protest march down Main Street in Hutchinson Saturday morning. The march, spearheaded by local resident Teresa Delgado was going to be held Friday but after social media posts showed the event could be threatened, it was postponed until Saturday.

The decision for the postponement came after Delgado met with law enforcement and others. Police still urged organizers to cancel the event to another day but the march went on peacefully. The march started at 30th and Main then stopped at the intersection of 25th and Main where the group knelt for nine minutes before continuing south for several more blocks before turning back north.

The group of about 40 participants were peaceful and were heavily supported by law enforcement who had patrol cars in front and back of the group as well as officers blocking each intersection as the group passed by. Police did have word there could be some counter-protests or trouble from outside Hutchinson but nothing materialized. The Highway Patrol, South Hutchinson Police, and the Reno County Sheriff's department were all on hand.

Many residents supported the march by offering water on a hot day or displaying signs of support. Others drove by and honked in support. Some business owners stood in front of their buildings and one restaurant closed for the day and boarded up their doors and windows.

The group was marching to protest the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police. All four officers have now been arrested and charged in that case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591464071734.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Residents gathered for a protest march down Main Street in Hutchinson Saturday morning. The march, spearheaded by local resident Teresa Delgado was going to be held Friday but after social media posts showed the event could be threatened, it was postponed until Saturday.The decision for the postponement came after Delgado met with law enforcement and others. Police still urged organizers to cancel the event to another day but the march went on peacefully. The march started at 30th and Main then stopped at the intersection of 25th and Main where the group knelt for nine minutes before continuing south for several more blocks before turning back north.The group of about 40 participants were peaceful and were heavily supported by law enforcement who had patrol cars in front and back of the group as well as officers blocking each intersection as the group passed by. Police did have word there could be some counter-protests or trouble from outside Hutchinson but nothing materialized. The Highway Patrol, South Hutchinson Police, and the Reno County Sheriff's department were all on hand.Many residents supported the march by offering water on a hot day or displaying signs of support. Others drove by and honked in support. Some business owners stood in front of their buildings and one restaurant closed for the day and boarded up their doors and windows.The group was marching to protest the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police. All four officers have now been arrested and charged in that case.

Small gathering for postponed protest march in Hutchinson

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Authorities say one person was killed and four were injured in a shooting in a historic jazz district in Kansas City.

Police responded around 2:30 a.m. Saturday to the shooting in the 18th and Vine district, near the American Jazz Museum, which draws thousands of visitors every year.

Kansas City Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said officers also went to a nearby hospital, where several shooting victims had arrived.

Police didn't immediately release the name of the man who was killed. The other four victims, three men and one woman, were in stable condition.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Authorities say one person was killed and four were injured in a shooting in a historic jazz district in Kansas City.Police responded around 2:30 a.m. Saturday to the shooting in the 18th and Vine district, near the American Jazz Museum, which draws thousands of visitors every year.Kansas City Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said officers also went to a nearby hospital, where several shooting victims had arrived.Police didn't immediately release the name of the man who was killed. The other four victims, three men and one woman, were in stable condition.

1 killed, 4 hurt in Kansas City jazz district shooting

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Health officials are asking everyone who attended a Lawrence protest over the death of George Floyd to monitor for symptoms of the coronavirus after one of the participants tested positive.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health said in a news release Friday that the infected person didn’t wear a mask while attending Sunday’s protest, which attracted thousands of people to the downtown.

The person’s sample was taken on Thursday, and health officials were notified of the positive test Friday. The patient disclosed during the contact tracing and disease-investigation process that he was not wearing a mask.

“Similar to what we would ask anyone who goes out in public right now, we are asking anyone who attended the recent protest to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and isolate if they become sick as well as call their healthcare provider for next steps,” Sonia Jordan, informatics director, said in the release.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591460582298.png" alt="Protest rally in Lawrence on Monday -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Protest rally in Lawrence on Monday -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Health officials are asking everyone who attended a Lawrence protest over the death of George Floyd to monitor for symptoms of the coronavirus after one of the participants tested positive.The Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health said in a news release Friday that the infected person didn’t wear a mask while attending Sunday’s protest, which attracted thousands of people to the downtown.The person’s sample was taken on Thursday, and health officials were notified of the positive test Friday. The patient disclosed during the contact tracing and disease-investigation process that he was not wearing a mask.“Similar to what we would ask anyone who goes out in public right now, we are asking anyone who attended the recent protest to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and isolate if they become sick as well as call their healthcare provider for next steps,” Sonia Jordan, informatics director, said in the release.

Kansas protester who didn't wear mask infected with COVID-19

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly said Friday that her administration will consider using part of Kansas’ share of federal coronavirus relief funds to help people struggling to pay their rents or home mortgages because of economic problems tied to the pandemic.

Kelly defended&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/037a5df1a0ec6959576338b6193e1a0d">a May 26 decision</a>&nbsp;to rescind an executive order that had banned landlords from pursuing new evictions or lenders from starting to foreclose on home mortgages. She said she had to lift the order because keeping it in place would have stressed lenders and businesses that rent homes and apartments.

The governor rescinded the order as she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/a5e30a0ec7a5943ada9f03af22ee1970">lifted all statewide restrictions</a>&nbsp;on businesses and left it to the state’s 105 counties to determine their own rules for checking the spread of the new coronavirus.

She said reopening the economy and improving the state’s delivery of unemployment benefits — a problem for weeks — eased the stress on renters and home owners. But housing advocates have worried that a wave of evictions and mortgage foreclosures is coming.

“I want struggling Kansans to know that I understand how you feel and how fearful you remain for your future,” Kelly said, calling such a program “a top priority” during a Statehouse news conference.

The Democratic governor also told reporters that she hopes to avoid two big financial maneuvers that past governors from both parties have used to avoid cuts in state programs. She said she does not intend to divert money from highway projects or short the state’s payments to its pension system for teachers and government workers to help close a shortfall in the next state budget.

While those moves prevented year-to-year cuts in the past, they delayed road projects and left the state with pension obligations to pay later.

The state faces a projected shortfall of about $600 million for the budget year that begins in July. Kelly said she hopes to avoid cutting spending that’s vital to boosting the economy, including funding for public schools.

But she added: “I haven’t committed to not touching anything at this point.”

She and other state officials have justified the lifting of restrictions on businesses by saying that weekslong trends show the growth in new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths slowing.

But Kansas’ four most populous counties reported dozens of new coronavirus cases in the past two days, with the state Department of Health and Environment saying Friday that Kansas has had a total of 10,393 cases since the pandemic reached the state in early March. That’s up 2.2% or 223 from Monday.

The department’s figures show that 70% of the new cases over the past two days — 156 in all — came from only four counties. They were Sedgwick County, home to the state’s largest city, Wichita; Shawnee County, home to Topeka, and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in the Kansas City area, the state’s first hot spot. Those four counties have about half the state’s 2.9 million residents.

The state reported 10 new COVID-19-related deaths over the past two days, up 4% to 232.

Kansas has received $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds, and $116 million already has been allocated to Johnson County and almost $100 million, to Sedgwick County. An economic recovery task force appointed by Kelly has proposed distributing $400 million to other counties and cities to cover their coronavirus-related costs, and the governor hopes they receive the funds later this month.

That would leave about $634 million, with plans to distribute it before November.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591392554433.png" alt="Kansas Governor Laura Kelly discussed the issue of rent and home mortgages during Friday's press briefing." />
 <figcaption>Kansas Governor Laura Kelly discussed the issue of rent and home mortgages during Friday's press briefing.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly said Friday that her administration will consider using part of Kansas’ share of federal coronavirus relief funds to help people struggling to pay their rents or home mortgages because of economic problems tied to the pandemic.Kelly defended&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/037a5df1a0ec6959576338b6193e1a0d">a May 26 decision</a>&nbsp;to rescind an executive order that had banned landlords from pursuing new evictions or lenders from starting to foreclose on home mortgages. She said she had to lift the order because keeping it in place would have stressed lenders and businesses that rent homes and apartments.The governor rescinded the order as she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/a5e30a0ec7a5943ada9f03af22ee1970">lifted all statewide restrictions</a>&nbsp;on businesses and left it to the state’s 105 counties to determine their own rules for checking the spread of the new coronavirus.She said reopening the economy and improving the state’s delivery of unemployment benefits — a problem for weeks — eased the stress on renters and home owners. But housing advocates have worried that a wave of evictions and mortgage foreclosures is coming.“I want struggling Kansans to know that I understand how you feel and how fearful you remain for your future,” Kelly said, calling such a program “a top priority” during a Statehouse news conference.The Democratic governor also told reporters that she hopes to avoid two big financial maneuvers that past governors from both parties have used to avoid cuts in state programs. She said she does not intend to divert money from highway projects or short the state’s payments to its pension system for teachers and government workers to help close a shortfall in the next state budget.While those moves prevented year-to-year cuts in the past, they delayed road projects and left the state with pension obligations to pay later.The state faces a projected shortfall of about $600 million for the budget year that begins in July. Kelly said she hopes to avoid cutting spending that’s vital to boosting the economy, including funding for public schools.But she added: “I haven’t committed to not touching anything at this point.”She and other state officials have justified the lifting of restrictions on businesses by saying that weekslong trends show the growth in new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths slowing.But Kansas’ four most populous counties reported dozens of new coronavirus cases in the past two days, with the state Department of Health and Environment saying Friday that Kansas has had a total of 10,393 cases since the pandemic reached the state in early March. That’s up 2.2% or 223 from Monday.The department’s figures show that 70% of the new cases over the past two days — 156 in all — came from only four counties. They were Sedgwick County, home to the state’s largest city, Wichita; Shawnee County, home to Topeka, and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in the Kansas City area, the state’s first hot spot. Those four counties have about half the state’s 2.9 million residents.The state reported 10 new COVID-19-related deaths over the past two days, up 4% to 232.Kansas has received $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds, and $116 million already has been allocated to Johnson County and almost $100 million, to Sedgwick County. An economic recovery task force appointed by Kelly has proposed distributing $400 million to other counties and cities to cover their coronavirus-related costs, and the governor hopes they receive the funds later this month.That would leave about $634 million, with plans to distribute it before November.

Kansas governor considering relief for renters, home owners

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden formally clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Friday, setting him up for a bruising challenge to President Donald Trump that will play out against the unprecedented backdrop of a pandemic, economic collapse and civil unrest.

“It was an honor to compete alongside one of the most talented groups of candidates the Democratic party has ever fielded,” Biden said in a statement Friday night, ”and I am proud to say that we are going into this general election a united party.”

The former vice president has effectively been his party’s leader since his last challenger in the Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders, ended his campaign in April. But Biden pulled together the 1,991 delegates needed to become the nominee after seven states and the District of Columbia held presidential primaries Tuesday.

Biden reached the threshold three days after the primaries because several states, overwhelmed by huge increases in mail ballots, took days to tabulate results. A team of analysts at The Associated Press then parsed the votes into individual congressional districts. Democrats award most delegates to the party’s national convention based on results in individual congressional districts.

Biden now has 1,995 delegates, with contests still to come in eight states and three U.S. territories.

The moment was met with little of the traditional fanfare as the nation confronts overlapping crises. While Biden has started to venture out more this week, the coronavirus pandemic has largely confined him to his Wilmington, Delaware, home for much of the past three months.

The country faces the worst rate of unemployment since the Great Depression. And civil unrest that harkens back to the 1960s has erupted in dozens of cities following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.

It’s a confluence of events that no U.S. leader has faced in modern times, made all the more complicated by a president who has at times antagonized the protesters and is eager to take the fight to Biden.

“This is a difficult time in America’s history,” Biden said Friday night. “And Donald Trump’s angry, divisive politics is no answer. The country is crying out for leadership. Leadership that can unite us. Leadership that can bring us together.”

Biden spent 36 years in the Senate before becoming Barack Obama’s vice president. This is 77-year-old Biden’s third bid for the presidency and his success in capturing the Democratic nomination was driven by strong support from black voters.

He finished an embarrassing fourth place in the overwhelmingly white Iowa caucuses that kicked off the nomination process in February. Biden fared little better in the New Hampshire primary, where his standing was so low that he left the state before polls closed on election night to instead rally black voters in South Carolina.

His rebound began in the more diverse caucuses in Nevada but solidified in South Carolina, where Biden stomped Sanders, his nearest rival, by nearly 29 points. He followed that with a dominant showing three days later during the Super Tuesday contests, taking 10 of the 14 states.

Biden’s strong showing in states such as North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Texas reinforced his status as the preferred Democratic candidate of African American voters — but the relationship has not been without its strained moments. After a tense exchange with an influential black radio host, Biden took sharp criticism for suggesting that African American voters still deciding between him and Trump “ain’t black.”

That comment, and protests that have spread nationwide, have increased pressure on Biden to pick an African American running mate. He has already committed to picking a woman as a vice presidential candidate.

Black voters are unlikely to back Trump over Biden by a wide margin. A recent Fox News poll shows just 14% of African Americans who are registered to vote have a favorable opinion of the president compared with 75% who favorably view Biden.

But Biden must ensure that black voters are motivated to show up to the polls in November, especially in critical swing states that narrowly went for Trump in 2016.

At one point, the Democratic primary included dozens of candidates of different races, genders and generations and an openly gay man. The contest was dominated by debate over unapologetically progressive ideas, including fully government-funded health care under “Medicare for All” and a sweeping proposal to combat climate change known as the “Green New Deal.”

Biden prevailed by mostly offering more moderate approaches that he argued would make him more electable against Trump.

He refused to budge on his rejection of universal health care and some of the Green New Deal’s most ambitious provisions to combat climate change.

Since clinching the nomination, however, Biden has worked to build his appeal among progressives, forming joint task forces with Sanders’ campaign to find common ground on key issues like health care, the economy and the environment. Biden has also embraced a plan to forgive millions of Americans’ student debt, meaning that he clinches the nomination as easily the most liberal standard bearer the Democratic Party has ever had.

Biden’s embrace of his party’s left flank could help him consolidate a Democratic base that remained deeply divided after the 2016 primary and ultimately hurt Hillary Clinton in her defeat to Trump. But it could also undermine Biden’s attempts to rebuild the Obama coalition, which is often loosely defined as minorities and young people, as well as educated Americans and some working-class voters.

The former vice president has sought, since announcing his candidacy, to cast the election as a battle “for the soul of the nation,” and promised to restore order and dignity to the White House while rehabilitating the U.S. image on the world stage. Such an approach, though, necessarily focuses on being more of an alternative to Trump than offering radically new political ideas. And that further underscores Biden’s difficult task of trying to unite his party’s base while appealing to voters from far beyond it.

“I am going to spend every day between now and November 3rd fighting to earn the votes of Americans all across this great country,” Biden promised Friday, “so that, together, we can win the battle for the soul of this nation, and make sure that as we rebuild our economy, everyone comes along.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583675671957.png" alt="Joe Biden during a&nbsp; March 2020 campaign stop in Kansas City -photo courtesy Joe Biden for President" />
 <figcaption>Joe Biden during a&nbsp; March 2020 campaign stop in Kansas City -photo courtesy Joe Biden for President</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden formally clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Friday, setting him up for a bruising challenge to President Donald Trump that will play out against the unprecedented backdrop of a pandemic, economic collapse and civil unrest.“It was an honor to compete alongside one of the most talented groups of candidates the Democratic party has ever fielded,” Biden said in a statement Friday night, ”and I am proud to say that we are going into this general election a united party.”The former vice president has effectively been his party’s leader since his last challenger in the Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders, ended his campaign in April. But Biden pulled together the 1,991 delegates needed to become the nominee after seven states and the District of Columbia held presidential primaries Tuesday.Biden reached the threshold three days after the primaries because several states, overwhelmed by huge increases in mail ballots, took days to tabulate results. A team of analysts at The Associated Press then parsed the votes into individual congressional districts. Democrats award most delegates to the party’s national convention based on results in individual congressional districts.Biden now has 1,995 delegates, with contests still to come in eight states and three U.S. territories.The moment was met with little of the traditional fanfare as the nation confronts overlapping crises. While Biden has started to venture out more this week, the coronavirus pandemic has largely confined him to his Wilmington, Delaware, home for much of the past three months.The country faces the worst rate of unemployment since the Great Depression. And civil unrest that harkens back to the 1960s has erupted in dozens of cities following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.It’s a confluence of events that no U.S. leader has faced in modern times, made all the more complicated by a president who has at times antagonized the protesters and is eager to take the fight to Biden.“This is a difficult time in America’s history,” Biden said Friday night. “And Donald Trump’s angry, divisive politics is no answer. The country is crying out for leadership. Leadership that can unite us. Leadership that can bring us together.”Biden spent 36 years in the Senate before becoming Barack Obama’s vice president. This is 77-year-old Biden’s third bid for the presidency and his success in capturing the Democratic nomination was driven by strong support from black voters.He finished an embarrassing fourth place in the overwhelmingly white Iowa caucuses that kicked off the nomination process in February. Biden fared little better in the New Hampshire primary, where his standing was so low that he left the state before polls closed on election night to instead rally black voters in South Carolina.His rebound began in the more diverse caucuses in Nevada but solidified in South Carolina, where Biden stomped Sanders, his nearest rival, by nearly 29 points. He followed that with a dominant showing three days later during the Super Tuesday contests, taking 10 of the 14 states.Biden’s strong showing in states such as North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Texas reinforced his status as the preferred Democratic candidate of African American voters — but the relationship has not been without its strained moments. After a tense exchange with an influential black radio host, Biden took sharp criticism for suggesting that African American voters still deciding between him and Trump “ain’t black.”That comment, and protests that have spread nationwide, have increased pressure on Biden to pick an African American running mate. He has already committed to picking a woman as a vice presidential candidate.Black voters are unlikely to back Trump over Biden by a wide margin. A recent Fox News poll shows just 14% of African Americans who are registered to vote have a favorable opinion of the president compared with 75% who favorably view Biden.But Biden must ensure that black voters are motivated to show up to the polls in November, especially in critical swing states that narrowly went for Trump in 2016.At one point, the Democratic primary included dozens of candidates of different races, genders and generations and an openly gay man. The contest was dominated by debate over unapologetically progressive ideas, including fully government-funded health care under “Medicare for All” and a sweeping proposal to combat climate change known as the “Green New Deal.”Biden prevailed by mostly offering more moderate approaches that he argued would make him more electable against Trump.He refused to budge on his rejection of universal health care and some of the Green New Deal’s most ambitious provisions to combat climate change.Since clinching the nomination, however, Biden has worked to build his appeal among progressives, forming joint task forces with Sanders’ campaign to find common ground on key issues like health care, the economy and the environment. Biden has also embraced a plan to forgive millions of Americans’ student debt, meaning that he clinches the nomination as easily the most liberal standard bearer the Democratic Party has ever had.Biden’s embrace of his party’s left flank could help him consolidate a Democratic base that remained deeply divided after the 2016 primary and ultimately hurt Hillary Clinton in her defeat to Trump. But it could also undermine Biden’s attempts to rebuild the Obama coalition, which is often loosely defined as minorities and young people, as well as educated Americans and some working-class voters.The former vice president has sought, since announcing his candidacy, to cast the election as a battle “for the soul of the nation,” and promised to restore order and dignity to the White House while rehabilitating the U.S. image on the world stage. Such an approach, though, necessarily focuses on being more of an alternative to Trump than offering radically new political ideas. And that further underscores Biden’s difficult task of trying to unite his party’s base while appealing to voters from far beyond it.“I am going to spend every day between now and November 3rd fighting to earn the votes of Americans all across this great country,” Biden promised Friday, “so that, together, we can win the battle for the soul of this nation, and make sure that as we rebuild our economy, everyone comes along.”

Biden formally clinches Democratic presidential nomination

Throughout January, the World Health Organization publicly praised China for what it called a speedy response to the new coronavirus. It repeatedly thanked the Chinese government for sharing the genetic map of the virus “immediately,” and said its work and commitment to transparency were “very impressive, and beyond words.”

But behind the scenes, it was a much different story, one of significant delays by China and considerable frustration among WHO officials over not getting the information they needed to fight the spread of the deadly virus, The Associated Press has found.

Despite the plaudits, China in fact sat on releasing the genetic map, or genome, of the virus for more than a week after three different government labs had fully decoded the information. Tight controls on information and competition within the Chinese public health system were to blame, according to dozens of interviews and internal documents.

Chinese government labs only released the genome after another lab published it ahead of authorities on a virologist website on Jan. 11. Even then, China stalled for at least two weeks more on providing WHO with detailed data on patients and cases, according to recordings of internal meetings held by the U.N. health agency through January — all at a time when the outbreak arguably might have been dramatically slowed.

WHO officials were lauding China in public because they wanted to coax more information out of the government, the recordings obtained by the AP suggest. Privately, they complained in meetings the week of Jan. 6 that China was not sharing enough data to assess how effectively the virus spread between people or what risk it posed to the rest of the world, costing valuable time.

“We’re going on very minimal information,” said American epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove, now WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19, in one internal meeting. “It’s clearly not enough for you to do proper planning.”

“We’re currently at the stage where yes, they’re giving it to us 15 minutes before it appears on CCTV,” said WHO’s top official in China, Dr. Gauden Galea, referring to the state-owned China Central Television, in another meeting.

The story behind the early response to the virus comes at a time when the U.N. health agency is under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/20c496f18f7b16c56f6bf4f9de91a0e5">siege</a>, and has agreed to an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/d6297fc78e6627a2b8206bcc58c19649">independent probe&nbsp;</a>of how the pandemic was handled globally. After repeatedly praising the Chinese response early on, U.S. President Donald Trump has blasted WHO in recent weeks for allegedly colluding with China to hide the extent of the coronavirus crisis. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/13ade67f8153a26b8703a48bde7f12ee">cut ties with the organization</a>&nbsp;on Friday, jeopardizing the approximately $450 million the U.S. gives every year as WHO’s biggest single donor.

In the meantime, Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to pitch in $2 billion over the next two years to fight the coronavirus, saying China has always provided information to WHO and the world “in a most timely fashion.”

The new information does not support the narrative of either the U.S. or China, but instead portrays an agency now stuck in the middle that was urgently trying to solicit more data despite limits to its own authority. Although international law obliges countries to report information to WHO that could have an impact on public health, the U.N. agency has no enforcement powers and cannot independently investigate epidemics within countries. Instead, it must rely on the cooperation of member states.

The recordings suggest that rather than colluding with China,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e9fe85641b93d447dfd529095c2640e4">as Trump declared</a>, WHO was kept in the dark as China gave it the minimal information required by law. However, the agency did try to portray China in the best light, likely as a means to secure more information. And WHO experts genuinely thought Chinese scientists had done “a very good job” in detecting and decoding the virus, despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6f2e666485e9abae4bb112251eca77be">the lack of transparency</a>&nbsp;from Chinese officials.

WHO staffers debated how to press China for gene sequences and detailed patient data without angering authorities, worried about losing access and getting Chinese scientists into trouble. Under international law, WHO is required to quickly share information and alerts with member countries about an evolving crisis. Galea noted WHO could not indulge China’s wish to sign off on information before telling other countries because “that is not respectful of our responsibilities.”

In the second week of January, WHO’s chief of emergencies, Dr. Michael Ryan, told colleagues it was time to “shift gears” and apply more pressure on China, fearing a repeat of the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome that started in China in 2002 and killed nearly 800 people worldwide.

“This is exactly the same scenario, endlessly trying to get updates from China about what was going on,” he said. “WHO barely got out of that one with its neck intact given the issues that arose around transparency in southern China.”

Ryan said the best way to “protect China” was for WHO to do its own independent analysis with data from the Chinese government, because otherwise the spread of the virus between people would be in question and “other countries will take action accordingly.” Ryan also noted that China was not cooperating in the same way some other countries had in the past.

“This would not happen in Congo and did not happen in Congo and other places,” he said, probably referring to the Ebola outbreak that began there in 2018. “We need to see the data…..It’s absolutely important at this point.”

The delay in the release of the genome stalled the recognition of its spread to other countries, along with the global development of tests, drugs and vaccines. The lack of detailed patient data also made it harder to determine how quickly the virus was spreading — a critical question in stopping it.

Between the day the full genome was first decoded by a government lab on Jan. 2 and the day WHO declared a global emergency on Jan. 30, the outbreak spread by a factor of 100 to 200 times, according to&nbsp;<a href="http://weekly.chinacdc.cn/en/article/id/e53946e2-c6c4-41e9-9a9b-fea8db1a8f51]" target="_blank">retrospective infection data</a>&nbsp;from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus has now infected over 6 million people worldwide and killed more than 375,000.

“It’s obvious that we could have saved more lives and avoided many, many deaths if China and the WHO had acted faster,” said Ali Mokdad, a professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

However, Mokdad and other experts also noted that if WHO had been more confrontational with China, it could have triggered a far worse situation of not getting any information at all.

If WHO had pushed too hard, it could even have been kicked out of China, said Adam Kamradt-Scott, a global health professor at the University of Sydney. But he added that a delay of just a few days in releasing genetic sequences can be critical in an outbreak. And he noted that as Beijing’s lack of transparency becomes even clearer, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s continued defense of China is problematic.

“It’s definitely damaged WHO’s credibility,” said Kamradt-Scott. “Did he go too far? I think the evidence on that is clear….it has led to so many questions about the relationship between China and WHO. It is perhaps a cautionary tale.”

WHO and its officials named in this story declined to answer questions asked by The Associated Press without audio or written transcripts of the recorded meetings, which the AP was unable to supply to protect its sources.

“Our leadership and staff have worked night and day in compliance with the organization’s rules and regulations to support and share information with all Member States equally, and engage in frank and forthright conversations with governments at all levels,” a WHO statement said.

China’s National Health Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no comment. But in the past few months, China has repeatedly defended its actions, and many other countries —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6a8f85aad99607f313cca6ab1398e04d">including the U.S</a>. — have responded to the virus with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6c7715f300797502329f6117e1141503">even longer delays</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/de2794327607a3a67ed551f0b6b71404">weeks</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7a7e8a0d3c524986412245ec9a23fad0">even months</a>.

“Since the beginning of the outbreak, we have been continuously sharing information on the epidemic with the WHO and the international community in an open, transparent and responsible manner,” said Liu Mingzhu, an official with the National Health Commission’s International Department, at a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.scio.gov.cn/xwfbh/xwbfbh/wqfbh/42311/43043/index.htm?mod=article_inline" target="_blank">press conference&nbsp;</a>on May 15.

The race to find the genetic map of the virus started in late December, according to the story that unfolds in interviews, documents and the WHO recordings. That’s when doctors in Wuhan noticed mysterious clusters of patients with fevers and breathing problems who weren’t improving with standard flu treatment. Seeking answers, they sent test samples from patients to commercial labs.

By Dec. 27, one lab, Vision Medicals, had pieced together most of the genome of a new coronavirus with striking similarities to SARS. Vision Medicals shared its data with Wuhan officials and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, as reported first by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.caixinglobal.com/2020-02-29/in-depth-how-early-signs-of-a-sars-like-virus-were-spotted-spread-and-throttled-101521745.html" target="_blank">Chinese finance publication Caixin</a>&nbsp;and independently confirmed by the AP.

On Dec. 30, Wuhan health officials issued internal notices warning of the unusual pneumonia, which leaked on social media. That evening, Shi Zhengli, a coronavirus expert at the Wuhan Institute of Virology who is famous for having traced the SARS virus to a bat cave, was alerted to the new disease, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-chinas-bat-woman-hunted-down-viruses-from-sars-to-the-new-coronavirus1/" target="_blank">an interview with Scientific American</a>. Shi took the first train from a conference in Shanghai back to Wuhan.

The next day, Chinese CDC director Gao Fu dispatched a team of experts to Wuhan. Also on Dec. 31, WHO first learned about the cases from an open-source platform that scouts for intelligence on outbreaks, emergencies chief Ryan has said.

WHO officially requested more information on Jan. 1. Under international law, members have 24 to 48 hours to respond, and China reported two days later that there were 44 cases and no deaths.

By Jan. 2, Shi had decoded the entire genome of the virus, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200414083649/http://www.whiov.ac.cn/xwdt_105286/zhxw/202001/t20200129_5494574.html" target="_blank">a notice later posted on her institute’s website</a>.

Scientists agree that Chinese scientists detected and sequenced the then-unknown pathogen with astonishing speed, in a testimony to China’s vastly improved technical capabilities since SARS, during which a WHO-led group of scientists took months to identify the virus. This time, Chinese virologists proved within days that it was a never-before-seen coronavirus. Tedros would later say Beijing set “a new standard for outbreak response.”

But when it came to sharing the information with the world, things began to go awry.

On Jan. 3, the National Health Commission issued a confidential notice ordering labs with the virus to either destroy their samples or send them to designated institutes for safekeeping. The notice, first reported by Caixin and seen by the AP, forbade labs from publishing about the virus without government authorization. The order barred Shi’s lab from publishing the genetic sequence or warning of the potential danger.

Chinese law states that research institutes cannot conduct experiments on potentially dangerous new viruses without approval from top health authorities. Although the law is intended to keep experiments safe, it gives top health officials wide-ranging powers over what lower-level labs can or cannot do.

“If the virologist community had operated with more autonomy….the public would have been informed of the lethal risk of the new virus much earlier,” said Edward Gu, a professor at Zhejiang University, and Li Lantian, a PhD student at Northwestern University, in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23812346.2020.1740468" target="_blank">a paper published in March</a>&nbsp;analyzing the outbreak.

Commission officials later repeated that they were trying to ensure lab safety, and had tasked four separate government labs with identifying the genome at the same time to get accurate, consistent results.

By Jan. 3, the Chinese CDC had independently sequenced the virus, according to internal data seen by the Associated Press. And by just after midnight on Jan. 5, a third designated government lab, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, had decoded the sequence and submitted a report — pulling all-nighters to get results in record time, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200529080454/http://www.cams.ac.cn/blog/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%8C%BB%E5%AD%A6%E7%A7%91%E5%AD%A6%E9%99%A2%EF%BC%9A%E6%96%B0%E5%86%A0%E7%97%85%E6%AF%92%E7%A7%91%E6%8A%80%E6%94%BB%E5%85%B3%EF%BC%8C%E7%A7%AF%E7%B4%AF%E3%80%81%E9%80%9F%E5%BA%A6/" target="_blank">a state media interview</a>. Yet even with full sequences decoded by three state labs independently, Chinese health officials remained silent. The WHO reported on Twitter that investigations were under way into an unusual cluster of pneumonia cases with no deaths in Wuhan, and said it would share “more details as we have them.”

Meanwhile, at the Chinese CDC, gaps in coronavirus expertise proved a problem.

For nearly two weeks,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/b981ea744ee2a25f89c5abb0e8c1e92f">Wuhan reported no new infections</a>, as officials censored doctors who warned of suspicious cases. Meanwhile, researchers found the new coronavirus used a distinct spike protein to bind itself to human cells. The unusual protein and the lack of new cases lulled some Chinese CDC researchers into thinking the virus didn’t easily spread between humans — like the coronavirus that casues Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, according to an employee who declined to be identified out of fear of retribution.

Li, the coronavirus expert, said he immediately suspected the pathogen was infectious when he spotted a leaked copy of a sequencing report in a group chat on a SARS-like coronavirus. But the Chinese CDC team that sequenced the virus lacked specialists in the molecular structure of coronaviruses and failed to consult with outside scientists, Li said. Chinese health authorities rebuffed offers of assistance from foreign experts, including Hong Kong scientists barred from a fact-finding mission to Wuhan and an American professor at a university in China.

On Jan. 5, the Shanghai Public Clinical Health Center, led by famed virologist Zhang Yongzhen, was the latest to sequence the virus. He submitted it to the GenBank database, where it sat awaiting review, and notified the National Health Commission. He warned them that the new virus was similar to SARS and likely infectious.

“It should be contagious through respiratory passages,” the center said in an internal notice seen by the AP. “We recommend taking preventative measures in public areas.”

On the same day, WHO said that based on preliminary information from China, there was no evidence of significant transmission between humans, and did not recommend any specific measures for travelers.

The next day, the Chinese CDC raised its emergency level to the second highest. Staffers proceeded to isolate the virus, draft lab testing guidelines, and design test kits. But the agency did not have the authority to issue public warnings, and the heightened emergency level was kept secret even from many of its own staff.

By Jan. 7,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/22221751.2020.1725399" target="_blank">another team at Wuhan University</a>&nbsp;had sequenced the pathogen and found it matched Shi’s, making Shi certain they had identified a novel coronavirus. But Chinese CDC experts said they didn’t trust Shi’s findings and needed to verify her data before she could publish, according to three people familiar with the matter. Both the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology, which oversees Shi’s lab, declined to make Shi available for an interview.

A major factor behind the gag order, some say, was that Chinese CDC researchers wanted to publish their papers first. “They wanted to take all the credit,” said Li Yize, a coronavirus researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.

Internally, the leadership of the Chinese CDC is plagued with fierce competition, six people familiar with the system explained. They said the agency has long promoted staff based on how many papers they can publish in prestigious journals, making scientists reluctant to share data.

As the days went by, even some of the Chinese CDC’s own staff began to wonder why it was taking so long for authorities to identify the pathogen.

“We were getting suspicious, since within one or two days you would get a sequencing result,” a lab technician said, declining to be identified for fear of retribution.

On Jan. 8,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-virus-discovered-by-chinese-scientists-investigating-pneumonia-outbreak-11578485668" target="_blank">the Wall Street Journal&nbsp;</a>reported that scientists had identified a new coronavirus in samples from pneumonia patients in Wuhan, pre-empting and embarrassing Chinese officials. The lab technician told the AP they first learned about the discovery of the virus from the Journal.

The article also embarrassed WHO officials. Dr. Tom Grein, chief of WHO’s acute events management team, said the agency looked “doubly, incredibly stupid.” Van Kerkhove, the American expert, acknowledged WHO was “already late” in announcing the new virus and told colleagues that it was critical to push China.

Ryan, WHO’s chief of emergencies, was also upset at the dearth of information.

“The fact is, we’re two to three weeks into an event, we don’t have a laboratory diagnosis, we don’t have an age, sex or geographic distribution, we don’t have an epi curve,” he complained, referring to the standard graphic of outbreaks scientists use to show how an epidemic is progressing.

After the article, state media officially announced&nbsp;<a href="http://news.cctv.com/2020/01/09/ARTIMxiGSClHAjC4B1Gy2VcP200109.shtml" target="_blank">the discovery</a>&nbsp;of the new coronavirus. But even then, Chinese health authorities did not release the genome, diagnostic tests, or detailed patient data that could hint at how infectious the disease was.

By that time, suspicious cases were already appearing across the region.

On Jan. 8, Thai airport officers pulled aside a woman from Wuhan with a runny nose, sore throat, and high temperature. Chulalongkorn University professor Supaporn Wacharapluesadee’s team found the woman was infected with a new coronavirus, much like what Chinese officials had described. Supaporn partially figured out the genetic sequence by Jan. 9, reported it to the Thai government and spent the next day searching for matching sequences.

But because Chinese authorities hadn’t published any sequences, she found nothing. She could not prove the Thai virus was the same pathogen sickening people in Wuhan.

“It was kind of wait and see, when China will release the data, then we can compare,” said Supaporn.

On Jan. 9, a 61-year-old man with the virus passed away in Wuhan —&nbsp;<a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/2020-01/11/c_1125448269.htm" target="_blank">the first known death</a>. The death wasn’t made public until Jan. 11.

WHO officials complained in internal meetings that they were making repeated requests for more data, especially to find out if the virus could spread efficiently between humans, but to no avail.

“We have informally and formally been requesting more epidemiological information,” WHO’s China representative Galea said. “But when asked for specifics, we could get nothing.”

Emergencies chief Ryan grumbled that since China was providing the minimal information required by international law, there was little WHO could do. But he also noted that last September, WHO had issued an unusual public rebuke of Tanzania for not providing enough details about a worrisome Ebola outbreak.

“We have to be consistent,” Ryan said. “The danger now is that despite our good intent...especially if something does happen, there will be a lot of finger-pointing at WHO.”

Ryan noted that China could make a “huge contribution” to the world by sharing the genetic material immediately, because otherwise “other countries will have to reinvent the wheel over the coming days.”

On Jan. 11, a team led by Zhang, from the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, finally published a sequence&nbsp;<a href="http://virological.org/t/novel-2019-coronavirus-genome/319" target="_blank">on virological.org</a>, used by researchers to swap tips on pathogens. The move angered Chinese CDC officials, three people familiar with the matter said, and the next day, his laboratory was temporarily shuttered by health authorities.

Zhang referred a request for comment to the Chinese CDC. The National Health Commission, which oversees the Chinese CDC, declined multiple times to make its officials available for interviews and did not answer questions about Zhang.

Supaporn compared her sequence with Zhang’s and found it was a 100% match, confirming that the Thai patient was ill with the same virus detected in Wuhan. Another Thai lab got the same results. That day, Thailand informed the WHO, said Tanarak Plipat, deputy director-general of the Department of Disease Control at Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health.

After Zhang released the genome, the Chinese CDC, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences raced to publish their sequences, working overnight to review them, gather patient data, and send them to the National Health Commission for approval, according to documentation obtained by the AP. On Jan. 12, the three labs together finally published the sequences on GISAID, a platform for scientists to share genomic data.

By then, more than two weeks had passed since Vision Medicals decoded a partial sequence, and more than a week since the three government labs had all obtained full sequences. Around 600 people were infected in that week, a roughly three-fold increase.

Some scientists say the wait was not unreasonable considering the difficulties in sequencing unknown pathogens, given accuracy is as important as speed. They point to the SARS outbreak in 2003 when some Chinese scientists initially — and wrongly — believed the source of the epidemic was chlamydia.

“The pressure is intense in an outbreak to make sure you’re right,” said Peter Daszak, president of the EcoHealthAlliance in New York. “It’s actually worse to go out to go to the public with a story that’s wrong because the public completely lose confidence in the public health response.”

Still, others quietly question what happened behind the scenes.

Infectious diseases expert John Mackenzie, who served on a WHO emergency committee during the outbreak, praised the speed of Chinese researchers in sequencing the virus. But he said once central authorities got involved, detailed data trickled to a crawl.

“There certainly was a kind of blank period,” Mackenzie said. “There had to be human to human transmission. You know, it’s staring at you in the face… I would have thought they would have been much more open at that stage.”

On Jan. 13, WHO announced that Thailand had a confirmed case of the virus, jolting Chinese officials.

The next day, in a confidential teleconference, China’s top health official ordered the country to prepare for a pandemic, calling the outbreak the “most severe challenge since SARS in 2003”, as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9">the AP previously reported</a>. Chinese CDC staff across the country began screening, isolating, and testing for cases, turning up hundreds across the country.

Yet even as the Chinese CDC internally declared a level one emergency, the highest level possible, Chinese officials still said the chance of sustained transmission between humans was low.

WHO went back and forth. Van Kerkhove said in a press briefing that “it is certainly possible there is limited human-to-human transmission.” But hours later, WHO seemed to backtrack, and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/who/status/1217043229427761152?lang=en" target="_blank">tweeted</a>&nbsp;that “preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission” – a statement that later became fodder for critics.

A high-ranking official in WHO’s Asia office, Dr. Liu Yunguo, who attended medical school in Wuhan, flew to Beijing to make direct, informal contacts with Chinese officials, recordings show. Liu’s former classmate, a Wuhan doctor, had alerted him that pneumonia patients were flooding the city’s hospitals, and Liu pushed for more experts to visit Wuhan, according to a public health expert familiar with the matter.

On Jan. 20, the leader of an expert team returning from Wuhan, renowned government infectious diseases doctor Zhong Nanshan, declared publicly for the first time that the new virus was spreading between people. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the “timely publication of epidemic information and deepening of international cooperation.”

Despite that directive, WHO staff still struggled to obtain enough detailed patient data from China about the rapidly evolving outbreak. That same day, the U.N. health agency dispatched a small team to Wuhan for two days, including Galea, the WHO representative in China.

They were told about a worrying cluster of cases among more than a dozen doctors and nurses. But they did not have “transmission trees” detailing how the cases were connected, nor a full understanding of how widely the virus was spreading and who was at risk.

In an internal meeting, Galea said their Chinese counterparts were “talking openly and consistently” about human-to-human transmission, and that there was a debate about whether or not this was sustained. Galea reported to colleagues in Geneva and Manila that China’s key request to WHO was for help “in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0e46df9113bd32507d08c1e0569a814e">communicating this</a>&nbsp;to the public, without causing panic.”

On Jan. 22, WHO convened an independent committee to determine whether to declare a global health emergency. After two inconclusive meetings where experts were split, they decided against it — even as Chinese officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ed98662865c3c2eafc1733c827111ab2">ordered Wuhan sealed</a>&nbsp;in the biggest quarantine in history. The next day, WHO chief Tedros publicly described the spread of the new coronavirus in China as “limited.”

For days, China didn’t release much detailed data, even as its case count exploded. Beijing city officials were alarmed enough to consider locking down the capital, according to a medical expert with direct knowledge of the matter.

On Jan. 28, Tedros and top experts, including Ryan, made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f571a05192984a507b94a4b7c2e851ae">an extraordinary trip to Beijing</a>&nbsp;to meet President Xi and other senior Chinese officials. It is highly unusual for WHO’s director-general to directly intervene in the practicalities of outbreak investigations. Tedros’ staffers had prepared a list of requests for information.

“It could all happen and the floodgates open, or there’s no communication,” Grein said in an internal meeting while his boss was in Beijing. “We’ll see.”

At the end of Tedros’ trip, WHO announced China had agreed to accept an international team of experts. In a press briefing on Jan. 29, Tedros heaped praise on China, calling its level of commitment “incredible.”

The next day, WHO finally declared&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0f0f07b30c8cdd2b0f30c6081acc7599">an international health emergency</a>. Once again, Tedros thanked China, saying nothing about the earlier lack of cooperation.

“We should have actually expressed our respect and gratitude to China for what it’s doing,” Tedros said. “It has already done incredible things to limit the transmission of the virus to other countries.”

Report: China delayed releasing coronavirus info, frustrating WHO

LABETTE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 4p.m. Friday in Labette County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1984 Dodge Ram pickup driven by Michael P. Weimer Jr., 16, Altamont, was southbound on Kiowa Road four miles west and three miles south of Altamont. 

The pickup struck the passenger side of a westbound fertilizer spreader driven by&nbsp; Sean R. Merrick, 48, Cherryvale.

Weimer Jr., was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to First Call mortuary.

The KHP did not report if Merrick was transported for treatment. Weimer Jr. was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

LABETTE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 4p.m. Friday in Labette County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1984 Dodge Ram pickup driven by Michael P. Weimer Jr., 16, Altamont, was southbound on Kiowa Road four miles west and three miles south of Altamont. The pickup struck the passenger side of a westbound fertilizer spreader driven by&nbsp; Sean R. Merrick, 48, Cherryvale.Weimer Jr., was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to First Call mortuary.The KHP did not report if Merrick was transported for treatment. Weimer Jr. was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.