(BCN) -- Stockton police announced Saturday that detectives are investigating five homicide cases as possibly related and increased the reward for information leading to an arrest. A Facebook message from Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said that police believe they located a person of interest in the shooting deaths, which occurred between July 8 and Sept. 27 this year.
In the first incident, on July 8, a 35-year-old man was shot to death on the 5600-block of Kermit Lane. On August 11 a 43-year-old man was killed on the 4900-block of West Lane. A second August shooting death on the 800-block of East Hammer Lane took the life of a 21-year-old man.
Stockton police released this undated surveillance footage still of a person of interest in five homicides. (Stockton PD via Bay City News)
A man was also shot and killed on Sept. 21. The 52-year-old man was gunned down on the 4400-block of Manchester Avenue. In the most recent case believed to be connected, on Sept. 27, a 54-year-old man was shot to death on the 900-block of Porter Avenue.
All five homicides occurred in the early morning or evening while the victims were alone, according to Chief McFadden.
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The City of Stockton is offering $75,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the homicides, which bolsters a $10,000 reward available from Stockton Crime Stoppers, making the total reward $85,000 for information in the case that leads to an arrest. Contact Stockton Crime Stoppers at 209-946-0600 or stocktoncrimestoppers.org to report tips anonymously.
The Stockton Police tip line can be reached at 209-937-8167. Tips can also be emailed to policetips@stocktonca.gov.
OAKLEY, Calif. (KRON) -- The City of Oakley announced Tuesday that the reward for missing woman Alexis Gabe increased to $100,000. Gabe, 24, has been missing since January 26.
In a meeting Tuesday, the Oakley City Council increased the city's contribution to the reward fund from $10,000 to $50,000. The other $50,000 comes from an anonymous donor.
“We hope these additional reward funds will lead us to Ms. Gabe’s whereabouts. The Alexis Gabe case continues to consume the Oakley Police Department. Our team is working day and night to bring a resolution to her family”, said Police Chief Paul Beard.
A person with direct information leading to Gabe's whereabouts will be rewarded with up to $100,000. Smaller amounts may be given for tips that help the investigation.
On May 13, investigators found Gabe's phone case in Antioch. She is described as 5-foot-7, 170 pounds with long black hair and brown eyes with glasses.
DETROIT (AP) — A couple of months ago, a woman paid a visit to Jeff Schrier's used car lot in Omaha, Nebraska. She was on a tight budget, she said, and was desperate for a vehicle to commute to work.
She was shown three cars priced at her limit, roughly $7,500. Schrier said the woman was stunned.
"'That's what I get for $7,500? ‘" he recalled her saying. The vehicles had far more age or mileage on them than she had expected for something to replace a car that had been totaled in a crash.
The woman eventually settled on a 2013 Toyota Scion with a whopping 160,000 miles on it. Schrier isn’t sure he made any profit on the deal. "We just helped her out," he said.
As prices for used vehicles blow past any seemingly rational level, it is the kind of scenario playing out at many auto dealerships across the country. Prices have soared so high, so fast, that buyers are being increasingly priced out of the market.
Consider that the average price of a used vehicle in the United States in November, according to Edmunds.com, was $29,011 — a dizzying 39% more than just 12 months earlier. And for the first time that anyone can recall, more than half of America's households have less income than is considered necessary to buy the average-priced used vehicle.
The days when just about anyone with a steady income could wander onto an auto lot and snag a reliable late-model car or buy their kid's first vehicle for a few thousand dollars have essentially vanished.
“I’ve never seen anything remotely close to this — it’s craziness,” said Schrier, who has been selling autos for 35 years. “It’s quite frustrating for so many people right now.”
When the government reported that consumer inflation rocketed 6.8% in the 12 months that ended in November — the sharpest jump in nearly 40 years — the biggest factor, apart from energy, was used vehicles. And while the rate of increase is slowing, most experts say the inflated vehicle prices aren't likely to ease for the foreseeable future.
The blame can be traced directly to the pandemic's eruption in March of last year. Auto plants suspended production to try to slow the virus’ spread. As sales of new vehicles sank, fewer people traded in used cars and trucks. At the same time, demand for laptops and monitors from people stuck at home led semiconductor makers to shift production from autos, which depend on such chips, to consumer electronics.
When a swifter-than-expected economic rebound boosted demand for vehicles, auto plants tried to restore full production. But chipmakers couldn’t respond fast enough. And rental car companies and other fleet buyers, unable to acquire new vehicles, stopped off-loading older ones, thereby compounding the shortage of used vehicles.
Bleak as the market is for used-car buyers, the computer chip shortage has also driven new-vehicle prices higher. The average new vehicle, Edmunds.com says, is edging toward $46,000.
Even so, prices of used cars are likely to edge closer to new ones. Since the pandemic started, used vehicle prices have jumped 42% — more than double the increase for new ones. Last month, the average used vehicle price was 63% of the average new vehicle cost. Before the pandemic, it was 54%.
At this point, Schrier has to tell lower-income buyers that he has very few used vehicles to sell them.
“What used to be a $5,000 car," he said, “is now $8,000. What used to be $8,000 is now $11,000 or $12,000.”
Including taxes, fees, a 10% down payment, and an interest rate of around 7.5%, the average used vehicle now costs $520 a month, even when financed for the average of nearly six years, Edmunds calculated.
To make that payment and afford such other necessities as housing, food and utilities, a household would have to take home about $60,000 a year, or $75,000 before taxes, said Kimberly Palmer, a personal finance specialist at NerdWallet. In 2020, the U.S. median pretax household income was $67,521, the Census Bureau says.
“The average person," Palmer said, “can’t afford the average used car right now.”
Ivan Drury, a senior manager at Edmunds, said that while he doesn’t track used vehicle prices relative to household income, he thinks November marked a record “in the worst way possible for affordability.”
Monthly payments for the average used vehicle, he noted, were $413 two years ago, $382 five years ago and $365 a decade ago. The November average payment of $500-plus for a used vehicle, Drury said, is about the average that was needed five years ago for a brand-new vehicle.
“People are going to have to make hard decisions, maybe cut back in other areas,” Palmer said. “It means that it’s stressful for a lot of families.”
Used vehicle prices are so high that Karl Hogan of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, was able last month to quickly sell his 2007 Toyota Tacoma small pickup truck, with more than 170,000 miles on it. Even with the vehicle's age and mileage, a man from Ohio forked over $6,500 for it.
Hogan didn’t have to budge from the asking price. When some would-be buyers offered him less money, he told them: “I’ve got 12 other guys behind you.”
A week before the sale, when he bought his new Tacoma, Hogan had been on the other side of the equation. The dealer wouldn’t budge from his $38,000 sticker price.
“If I didn’t take it," Hogan said, "there were three people waiting. I couldn’t get any off, but I wanted a new truck.”
David Paris, a senior manager at J.D. Power, noted that used vehicle prices are directly tied to the cost of new ones. Though some automakers report that the computer chip supply is gradually improving, prices paid by dealers at used vehicle auctions kept rising through November, Paris said.
“We’re not seeing any softening in prices, which is extremely rare for this time of the year,” he said.
New vehicle dealers have about 1 million vehicles available nationally — scarcely one-third of the normal supply, Paris said. And the vast majority have already been sold.
Given pent-up demand from consumers, prices for new vehicles are expected to remain historically high until the supply returns to around 2 million or 2.5 million and automakers resume discounting, which could take well into 2023. Once new vehicle prices do ease, the pressure on used-vehicle prices would eventually follow.
Yet even after that, the availability of vehicles will be tight because traditional sources of used vehicles — autos turned in from leases and trade-ins or sold by rental companies — have essentially dried up.
For the past decade, cars returning from two- and three-year leases were a leading source of almost-new used vehicles. But that was when more than one-third of U.S. new vehicle sales were leases, a figure now down to 22%, said Edmunds’ Drury. Because there aren’t many new autos, people with expiring leases are often buying those cars once their leases end.
Rental companies, another key source of late-model used cars, can’t buy new ones now and are holding the ones they have. Some rental companies are even buying used vehicles. Given all those factors, Paris expects the shortage of used cars to worsen through 2024.
Among the few consumers who stand to benefit are those who want to sell a used car and don't necessarily need to replace it. The average trade-in value in October, Paris said, was $9,000 — twice what it was a year earlier.
But for people who have no vehicles to trade in and only modest incomes, the options are few to none. Palmer of Nerdwallet said lower-income people may simply have to pay for repairs to keep a current vehicle running as long as possible. Even that option, though, can become prohibitively expensive.
J.D. Power’s Paris says that if they can afford it, buyers should consider a new vehicle. He recently managed to get a couple thousand dollars whacked off the sticker price on a new Ram pickup, though he had to travel from the Washington, D.C., area to Philadelphia to reach a willing dealer he had located by searching internet forums.
“If you look hard enough and are willing to wait and travel," he said, “you can find deals across most brands.”
(TheRealDeal) - Ever wonder how much “d’oh” it would take to live like Homer and his family from “The Simpsons?” Garretts Real Estate Group has a theory.
The company recently “listed” the property at 742 Evergreen Terrace, a two-story family home with a basement. The 2,200-square-foot home, featuring four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, was given an estimated list price of nearly $450,000.
“Figuring out what the approximate value of Homer and Co.’s house is not really an exact science, but there are some definite clues that aided in figuring out a good ballpark estimate,” Garretts Real Estate Group wrote in its listing.
The listing rattles off some of the features of the home, as seen on the long-running animated Fox comedy. It has an arched front door, multiple rooms with bay windows and four bedrooms on the second floor. The master bedroom also features an en suite bathroom.
Some of the best features of the home are outside, though. A back yard is contained by a wooden picket fence and is overlooked by a patio. It also has a massive custom treehouse.
Garretts came up with the listing price by pulling up some comparison prices of the Simpson family compound. While it’s a logical strategy to create a hypothetical listing price, it does create one potential flaw for accuracy.
The listing claims that the Springfield home is located in Oregon, which is where the creator of the television show Matt Groening grew up. The actual location of Springfield in the show is a well-kept secret, however, and could be in any number of states, if any at all. Putting the home in a different state would dramatically change the listing price.
“The Simpsons” has graced television screens for more than three decades without aging, though, so it doesn’t seem like they’re motivated sellers just yet.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) -- Colorado real estate is on fire, but even so, will there be any takers for a vandalized $590,000 property described as a "little slice of hell"?
Calling the "formerly majestic" five-bedroom, four-bathroom home "every landlord’s nightmare," real estate agent Mimi Foster said it could be turned into "a piece of heaven." She said the home was "once the seller’s pride and joy" but now needs someone to "appreciate its potential."
"If you dream of owning your own little slice of hell and turning it into a piece of heaven, then look no further! This house is not for the faint of heart but for that special person who can see through the rough diamond to the polished gem inside," Foster wrote in the listing on Redfin.
The single-family home, located at 4525 Churchill Court in Colorado Springs, has over 3,500 square feet. The home's features include a three-car garage, an upstairs catwalk and a large master bedroom with soaking tub and dual sinks.
Pictures on the home's listing show black spray paint with vulgar words and phrases on walls of bedrooms, living areas, and even in the kitchen.
The damage was done by an angry departing tenant who didn’t want to pay rent, according to the listing.
"TENANT FROM HELL. In decades of doing real estate, this house was the worst example of tenant destruction I have ever seen. In the beautiful Broadmoor Bluffs neighborhood of Colorado Springs, this house stands as a testament to why it's so important to hire a reputable property management company," Foster said in a video posted on YouTube. (Warning: Video includes profanity.)
The graffiti might not be the worst part of the property, though.
"It’s not nearly as daunting as the freezer in the basement that’s full of meat and hasn’t had electricity to it for over a year. So be sure to wear your mask. Not for anyone else’s protection but your own. You may not be able to endure the smell if you don’t," Foster said
But the agent says the half-a-million-dollar home has its upsides.
"The basement is amazing – or at least it will be once all the debris is cleared out, the floor coverings are replaced, and the obscenities are painted over," she said.
Foster said the property has received 16 offers as of Thursday, two days after it was listed.
(iSeeCars) - With used car prices reaching all-time highs, finding the right used car at an affordable price is harder than ever before. While the average used car price has risen to $26,486, there are plenty of lower cost vehicles to choose from. But does lower cost equate to lower quality? If you’re a savvy car shopper, the answer is no.
For a budget of $15,000 or less, there are a number of high quality used vehicles to choose from. But how can you find the right car without breaking your budget? Opting for a reliable used car that has already taken most of its depreciation hit is a smart and practical choice. After all, cars depreciate quickly and the average vehicle loses half its value in five years. We’ve done the legwork for you and put together a list of the best used cars that can be found in the $15,000 price range.
(Photo courtesy of Honda)
Best Used Cars Under $15,000
The vehicles on our list are between five and seven-years-old, from the 2014 and 2016 model years, and rank the highest on iSeeCars quality analysis that takes into account long-term reliability, value retention, and highest average safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Based on this criteria, an iSeeCars Quality Score was calculated.
We divided top cars into the following segments: small cars, midsize sedans, large sedans, SUVs, and hybrid cars.
Best Small Cars Under $15,000:
Small cars are a popular choice for drivers who don’t require a lot of passenger and cargo space and who want an efficient vehicle. Because of their small size, these cars tend to be more affordable than their larger counterparts.
Earning top honors as the best used car under $15,000 is the Honda Civic, which has enjoyed a longstanding tenure as one of the most popular compact cars in America. The 2014 Civic is available in sedan and coupe body styles. The versatile Civic, which appeals to both sporty and practical drivers alike, is known for its comfortable drive quality, high safety scores, and fuel efficiency. It comes standard with front-wheel drive and a five-speed manual transmission, but a five-speed automatic transmission is also offered. The Civic also offers a 143-horsepower four-cylinder engine. A 2014 used Honda Civic can be found for an average price of $13,524.
The Honda Fit earned top honors on our list of Best Subcompact Cars thanks to its safety and reliability ratings as well as for providing ample passenger room and cargo room with its “magic seat” that folds down to help haul large objects. A 2016 Honda Fit for sale can be found for $13,891.
No small car list would be complete without the Toyota Corolla, which ranks third. The Corolla is fuel-efficient, earning a combined 32 MPG, which is above-average for the class. It also offers ample seating space and cargo room. A 2016 used Toyota Corolla can be found for an average price of $13,868.
The Subaru Impreza ranks fourth. The compact Impreza offers standard all-wheel drive and is considered among the most affordable and best AWD cars on the market. Along with being reliable, it earns high safety scores and offers a spacious cabin. A used 2016 Subaru Impreza costs an average of $14,623.
The compact Mazda MAZDA3 ranks fifth. The fun-to-drive small car has impressive driving dynamics, provides a comfortable ride, and earns excellent fuel economy with a combined 32 mpg. The MAZDA3 also has sporty exterior styling and an upscale interior that belies its price point. The 2016 Mazda MAZDA3 for sale costs an average of $13,986.
The Volkswagen Golf compact hatchback has an upscale interior and impressive driving dynamics. It also has above-average cargo space for the class, making it a practical and fuel efficient SUV alternative. A 2014 Volkswagen Golf for sale costs an average of $14,389.
The Kia Soul ranks seventh. The small wagon has ample cargo and seating space and has a low cost of ownership. A 2016 Kia Soul for sale costs an average of $12,891.
Best Used Midsize Sedans Under $15,000
Drivers who want a vehicle with slightly more space can find a midsize sedan to suit their needs. Here are the best used midsize sedans that can be found for under $15,000.
The Honda Accord earns the top spot as the best midsize sedan. The Accord is praised for its sporty handling and provides more passenger room than what’s typical for its class. It comes standard with either a six-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).The popular sedan also has an upscale interior and gets excellent fuel economy. A rearview camera is the only standard driver’s assistance feature, while forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control are available on higher trim levels. A 2014 Honda Accord for sale costs an average of $14,933.
The Toyota Camry midsize sedan ranks second. The Camry offers a comfortable ride and has ample legroom and headroom for passengers. The Camry also has below-average ownership costs thanks to its stellar reliability rating. Available safety features on the Camry include a rearview camera, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert. A 2014 Toyota Camry for sale has an average cost of $13,291.
The midsize Hyundai Sonata ranks third. The Sonata provides a comfortable ride and has a spacious interior filled with high-quality materials. It comes with standard features including a 7-inch touch screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, remote keyless entry, and a rearview camera. A 2016 used Hyundai Sonata costs an average of $14,030.
The Subaru Legacy ranks fourth. The Legacy is one of the only cars in its class that comes with standard all-wheel drive, making it a practical choice for all-weather driving. It has a spacious interior, offering two comfortable rows of seating. A 2014 Subaru Legacy for sale costs an average of $12,467
The Kia Optima ranks fifth. The Optima offers pleasant drive quality and a 192-horsepower four-cylinder base engine that is among the strongest in its class. It also has an upscale interior and two rows of comfortable seats. A 2014 Kia Optima for sale costs an average of $12,330.
The midsize Mazda Mazda6 ranks sixth. The Mazda6 is praised for its driving dynamics, and it has an upscale interior that rivals a luxury sedan. Cloth seats are standard, but leather seats are available on higher trims. Its base engine is a powerful 184-horsepower four-cylinder that provides swift acceleration and athletic handling. A 2014 Mazda MAZDA6 for sale costs an average of $12,769.
The midsize Ford Fusion ranks sixth. The Ford Fusion provides a smooth and comfortable ride and has powerful engine options. It comes standard with front-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive is also available on higher trims. All Fusions feature a rearview camera, Bluetooth connectivity, and Ford’s SYNC voice control system. A 2016 Ford Fusion for sale costs an average of $12,769.
The Nissan Altima midsize sedan ranks eighth. The fuel efficient sedan rides comfortably and has a stylish cabin with lots of passenger and cargo room. A 2016 Nissan Altima for sale costs an average of $13,928.
Best Used Large Sedans Under $15,000
The large sedan segment has declined in popularity, leading to the discontinuation of several models. While the most popular large sedans are above $15,000 for their five- to seven-year-old versions, two discontinued models make the list.
The Chevrolet Impala is the best used large sedan that can be found for under $15,000. The Impala provides a comfortable ride with roomy front and rear seating. A 196 horsepower four-cylinder comes standard, but a 305 horsepower V6 is also available. As the only large sedan that has a front-row bench seat, it can seat up to six passengers. A seven-year-old Chevrolet Impala for sale can be found for $14,914.
The second spot goes to the Ford Taurus, which has a stylish exterior and a powerful standard V6 engine. The spacious sedan also can be equipped with all-wheel drive to appeal to drivers in all-weather climates. A2014 Ford Taurus for sale can be found for an average price of $12,686.
Best Used SUVs Under $15,000
Although SUVs tend to be more expensive than sedans, there are still used SUVs that represent a smart car buying choice and can be found for under $15,000. Five compact used crossovers make the list.
The best used SUV that can be found for under $15,000 is the Subaru Outback. Although the Outback is technically classified as a wagon and resembles a hatchback, it offers standard all-wheel drive and competes with vehicles in the compact SUV category. Perfect for adventure seekers, the Outback can handle light offroading, has class-leading cargo space, and comes standard with a roof rack. It also has above-average towing capacity for the class, at up to 3,000 pounds. A 2014 Subaru Outback for sale costs an average of $14,940.
Another Subaru, the Subaru Forester compact SUV, ranks second. Like the Outback, it comes standard with all-wheel drive and delivers excellent fuel economy. It also has more passenger and cargo space than what’s typical for the compact SUV class. A 2014 Subaru Forester for sale costs an average of $14,313
The Kia Sportage compact SUV ranks third. Known for its value, the Sportage has impressive driving dynamics and offers a comfortable ride. On the inside, it features a roomy and stylish interior. As the most affordable vehicle on the list, shoppers can get a newer version of this vehicle than any other SUV on the list. A 2016 Kia Sportage for sale can be found for an average of $14,948.
The Hyundai Tucson, which shares a platform and many of the same features as the third-ranked Kia Sportage, ranks fourth. The Tucson offers a comfortable ride and is easy to maneuver thanks to its small size. It also has an attractive cabin and comfortable front seats. A 2014 Hyundai Tucson for sale costs an average of $13,065.
The Ford Escape compact SUV earns the fifth spot. The Escape features above-average cargo space, roomy rear seats, and excellent fuel economy estimates. The 2014 Ford Escape comes standard with a touchscreen infotainment system and a rearview camera. A 2014 Ford Escape for sale costs an average of $12,961.
Best Used Hybrids Under $15,000
For shoppers looking for something more fuel efficient, there are used hybrid vehicles that can be found for under $15,000.
The Toyota Camry Hybrid midsize sedan earns the top spot. The Camry offers the same attributes as its non-hybrid counterpart, including comfortable ride quality and ample legroom and headroom. It has better fuel economy, with 43 mpg city/ 39 mpg highway. A 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid for sale has an average cost of $13,783.
Honda Accord Hybrid
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.5
Reliability Score: 7.2
Value Retention Score: 8.3
Safety Score: 10
The Honda Accord Hybrid midsize sedan ranks second. Like its non-hybrid version, the reliable Accord offers a spacious ride and an attractive cabin. It improves on fuel economy with 50 mpg city/ 45 mpg highway. A 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid for sale has an average cost of $14,808.
Earning the third spot is the Toyota Prius. The Prius is a spacious hatchback with superb fuel economy, earning 55 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway. It also has lower-than-average ownership cost and earns Toyota’s reputation for stellar long term reliability. A 2014 Toyota Prius for sale costs an average of $12,529.
Bottom Line
When it comes to car buying, buying a reliable used car saves you a great deal of money versus buying a brand new car that loses half its value within five years. Even as used car pricing reaches record highs, you can still find reliable used cars for under $15,000 if you know where to look. When buying a used car, be sure to always get a vehicle history report such as Carfax or Autocheck and have it inspected by a trusted mechanic. Additionally, be sure to check out the iSeeCars free VIN Check report that provides you with all the information you need to decide if a used car is a smart purchase decision.
If you’re interested in a new car or a used car, be sure to check out iSeeCars’ award-winning car search engine. It uses advanced algorithms to help shoppers find the best car deals across all vehicle types from sedans, SUVs, sports cars, and minivans. It provides key insights and valuable resources, like the iSeeCars VIN check report. Filter by make, model, price, and special features to find the best deal on your next vehicle.
PARIS (AP) — Naomi Osaka was fined $15,000 when she skipped the news conference after her first-round victory at the French Open on Sunday — and drew a stunning warning from all four Grand Slam tournaments that she could face stiffer penalties, including disqualification or even suspension, if she continues to avoid the media.
Osaka returned to Roland Garros after sitting out the tournament last year and turned in a mistake-filled 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over 63rd-ranked Patricia Maria Tig at Court Philippe Chatrier on Day 1. She had declared Wednesday on social media she would not speak to the press and kept that promise.
Hours later, Osaka turned to her preferred method of communication these days, tweeting: “anger is a lack of understanding. change makes people uncomfortable.”
DALLAS (AP) — An unopened copy of Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. that was bought in 1986 and then forgotten about in a desk drawer has sold at auction for $660,000.
Heritage Auctions in Dallas said the video game sold Friday.
The auction house said the video game was bought as a Christmas gift but ended up being placed in a desk drawer, where it remained sealed in plastic and with its hang tab intact until it was found earlier this year.
“Since the production window for this copy and others like it was so short, finding another copy from this same production run in similar condition would be akin to looking for single drop of water in an ocean,” said Valarie McLeckie, Heritage’s video game specialist.
Heritage said it is the finest copy known to have been professionally graded for auction. Its selling price far exceeded the $114,000 that another unopened copy that was produced in 1987 fetched in a Heritage auction last summer.
The U.S. stood Sunday at the brink of a once-unthinkable tally: 500,000 people lost to the coronavirus.
A year into the pandemic, the running total of lives lost was about 498,000 — roughly the population of Kansas City, Missouri, and just shy of the size of Atlanta. The figure compiled by Johns Hopkins University surpasses the number of people who died in 2019 of chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s, flu and pneumonia combined.
“It’s nothing like we have ever been through in the last 102 years, since the 1918 influenza pandemic,” the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The U.S. virus death toll reached 400,000 on Jan. 19 in the waning hours in office for President Donald Trump, whose handling of the crisis was judged by public health experts to be a singular failure.
The first known deaths from the virus in the U.S. happened in early February 2020, both of them in Santa Clara County, California. It took four months to reach the first 100,000 dead. The toll hit 200,000 deaths in September and 300,000 in December. Then it took just over a month to go from 300,000 to 400,000 and about two months to climb from 400,000 to the brink of 500,000.
Joyce Willis of Las Vegas is among the countless Americans who lost family members during the pandemic. Her husband, Anthony Willis, died Dec. 28, followed by her mother-in-law in early January.
There were anxious calls from the ICU when her husband was hospitalized. She was unable to see him before he died because she, too, had the virus and could not visit.
“They are gone. Your loved one is gone, but you are still alive,” Willis said. “It’s like you still have to get up every morning. You have to take care of your kids and make a living. There is no way around it. You just have to move on.”
Then came a nightmare scenario of caring for her father-in-law while dealing with grief, arranging funerals, paying bills, helping her children navigate online school and figuring out how to go back to work as an occupational therapist.
Her father-in-law, a Vietnam vet, also contracted the virus. He also suffered from respiratory issues and died on Feb. 8. The family isn’t sure if COVID-19 contributed to his death.
“Some days I feel OK and other days I feel like I’m strong and I can do this,” she said. “And then other days it just hits me. My whole world is turned upside-down.”
The global death toll was approaching 2.5 million, according to Johns Hopkins.
While the count is based on figures supplied by government agencies around the world, the real death toll is believed to be significantly higher, in part because of inadequate testing and cases inaccurately attributed to other causes early on.
Despite efforts to administer coronavirus vaccines, a widely cited model by the University of Washington projects the U.S. death toll will surpass 589,000 by June 1.
“People will be talking about this decades and decades and decades from now,” Fauci said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's push for bigger $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks stalled out in the Senate as Republicans blocked a swift vote proposed by Democrats and split within their own ranks over whether to boost spending or defy the White House.
The roadblock mounted Tuesday by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may not be sustainable as pressure mounts. Trump wants the Republican-led chamber to follow the House and increase the checks from $600 for millions of Americans.
A growing number of Republicans, including two senators in runoff elections on Jan. 5 in Georgia, have said they will support the larger amount. But most GOP senators oppose more spending, even if they are also wary of bucking Trump.
Senators will be back at it Wednesday as McConnell is devising a way out of the political bind, but the outcome is highly uncertain.
“There’s one question left today: Do Senate Republicans join with the rest of America in supporting $2,000 checks?” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said as he made a motion to vote.
Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said some of the $600 payments might be sent by direct deposit to Americans' bank accounts as early as Tuesday night. Mnuchin tweeted that paper checks will begin to go out Wednesday.
The showdown over the $2,000 checks has thrown Congress into a chaotic year-end session just days before new lawmakers are set to be sworn into office for the new year. It’s preventing action on another priority — overturning Trump’s veto on a sweeping defense bill that has been approved every year for 60 years.
Saying little, McConnell signaled an alternative approach to Trump's checks that may not divide his party so badly, but may result in no action at all.
The GOP leader filed new legislation late Tuesday linking the president's demand for bigger checks with two other Trump priorities — repealing protections for tech companies like Facebook or Twitter that the president complained are unfair to conservatives as well the establishment of a bipartisan commission to review the 2020 presidential election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden.
The president's last-minute push for bigger checks leaves Republicans deeply split between those who align with Trump’s populist instincts and those who adhere to what had been more traditional conservative views against government spending. Congress had settled on smaller $600 payments in a compromise over the big, year-end relief bill Trump reluctantly signed into law.
Liberal senators led by Bernie Sanders of Vermont who support the relief aid are blocking action on the defense bill until a vote can be taken on Trump's demand for $2,000 for most Americans.
"The working class of this country today faces more economic desperation than at any time since the Great Depression of the 1930s," Sanders said. “Working families need help now.” He also tried to force a vote on the relief checks, but McConnell objected a second time.
The GOP blockade is causing turmoil for some as the virus crisis worsens nationwide and Trump amplifies his unexpected demands.
The two GOP senators from Georgia, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, announced Tuesday they support Trump's plan for bigger checks as they face Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in runoff elections that will determine which party controls the Senate.
Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marco Rubio of Florida, among the party's potential 2024 presidential hopefuls, also are pushing the party in the president's direction.
Other Republicans panned the bigger checks, saying the nearly $400 billion price tag was too high, the relief is not targeted to those in need and Washington has already dispatched ample sums on COVID aid.
In the House, dozens of Republicans calculated it was better to link with Democrats to increase the pandemic payments rather than buck the outgoing president and constituents counting on the money. House Democrats led passage, 275-134, but 44 Republicans joined almost all Democrats on Monday for a robust two-thirds vote of approval.
It's highly possible that McConnell will set up votes ahead on both the House-passed measure supporting Trump’s $2,000 checks as well as his own new version linking it with the repeal of tech company liability shield in “section 230” of communications law as well as the new presidential election review commission.
That's a process that almost ensures neither bill will pass.
Trump's push could fizzle out in the Senate but the debate over the size and scope of the year-end package — $900 billion in COVID-19 aid and $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies through September — is potentially one last confrontation before the new Congress is sworn in Sunday.
The COVID-19 portion of the bill revives a weekly pandemic jobless benefit boost — this time $300, through March 14 — as well as the popular Paycheck Protection Program of grants to businesses to keep workers on payrolls. It extends eviction protections, adding a new rental assistance fund.
Americans earning up to $75,000 will qualify for the direct $600 payments, which are phased out at higher income levels, and there's an additional $600 payment per dependent child.
Biden supports the $2,000 checks and said Tuesday the aid package is merely a “down payment” on what he plans to deliver once in office.
The president also objected to foreign aid funding that his own administration had requested and vowed to send Congress “a redlined version” with spending items he wants removed. But those are merely suggestions to Congress. Democrats said they would resist such cuts.
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Colvin reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta, Ashraf Khalil in Washington and Matt Ott in Silver Spring, Maryland, contributed to this report.
