The U.S. at a glance ... NEWS 7
Miami Beach, Fla.
Rock bottom: Andrew Gillum, the for-
mer Tallahassee mayor and Democratic
candidate for governor in 2018, said he’s
leaving politics and entering rehab after
he was found in a hotel room with a gay
male escort suspected of overdosing on
crystal meth. Police found Gillum vomit-
ing and incoherent after an emergency
call to the hotel room, where they also
impounded three bags of drugs. He was
in Miami Beach to officiate at a friend’s
wedding but did not show up. Gillum, 40,
lost the governor’s race by 32,000 votes,
and was floated as a potential vice presi-
dential candidate. After that defeat, he
said, “I fell into a depression that has led
to alcohol abuse.” Gillum was in the hotel
room with Travis Dyson, 30, who report-
edly calls himself a “porn-star performer”
and gay male escort. Gillum, who denied
using meth, has a wife and three kids and
said Dyson is simply a friend.Chattanooga, Tenn.
Hot commodity: An Amazon seller
donated a stockpile of 17,700 bottles
of hand sanitizer this week after a New
York Times article made him the face of
coronavirus profiteering. Matt Colvin
began hoarding sanitizer after the first
U.S. coronavirus death was reported
March 1. He and his brother, Noah,
drove a U-Haul truck 1,300 miles across
Tennessee and Kentucky, emptying
shelves of antibacterial wipes and hand
sanitizer, mostly at “dollar stores in
the backwoods.” Colvin, a former Air
Force technical sergeant, also bought
2,000 “pandemic packs” that included
face masks, hand sanitizer, and a ther-
mometer, then resold them on eBay at a
roughly $40 markup. He sold 300 hand
sanitizer bottles for between $8 and $
each before Amazon pulled his listings.
Facing a potential price-gouging investi-
gation, Colvin donated his inventory to
people across Tennessee and Kentucky.San Francisco
Lockdown: Seven Bay Area counties
issued “shelter in place” orders this week
for 6.7 million residents in an effort to
slow the
spread of
coronavirus.
The coun-
try’s first
lockdown,
in place
until at least
April 7,
came after
more than 290 people in the region tested
positive. Residents must stay home as
much as possible, but can run essential
errands such as picking up prescriptions,
getting gas, buying food, and checking
on relatives. Outdoor exercise is allowed.
The order carries the weight of law, but
San Francisco Mayor London Breed said
the city is relying on voluntary compliance
and doesn’t want people to feel
like “prisoners in their homes.”
Additional California counties
joined the Bay Area later in the
week. New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio warned that a
lockdown for his 8.6 million
constituents could be immi-
nent, though New York’s gov-
ernor has resisted the move, say-
ing only the state had the power
to impose such an order.Torrington, Conn.
Political death threat: A
man was charged this week
with threatening to kill
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
FBI agents who confronted
Robert Phelps, 62, at
his home said he told
them “he had a right
to contact members of
Congress and defend
‘his president.’” Phelps used the meeting
request form on Schiff’s website to send
the profanity-laced threat Nov. 12, the
eve of the first public impeachment hear-
ing. “I want to kill you with my bare
hands and smash your sick little round
fat lying face in,” he wrote. He listed
his time preference as “Measure your
coffin day,” prosecutors said. Phelps did
not attempt to hide his identity, and was
found through his email address. At least
two other people have been charged with
sending death threats to Schiff, the
House Intelligence Committee
chairman, who served as lead
impeachment manager and
draws frequent attacks from
President Trump and Fox News.
Phelps has a prior conviction for
assault.Clint, Texas
Border fall: A pregnant 19-year-old died
last week
after falling
from the top
of an 18-foot
border fence,
the latest
casualty of
a surge of
accidents
at the bor-
der. Miriam Estefany Girón Luna, a
Guatemalan social worker and former
beauty queen, was 30 weeks pregnant
when she fell while trying to scale the steel
mesh fence with her partner. After several
surgeries in El Paso, doctors could not
save her or deliver the child via cesarean
section. As the Trump administration
installs fencing, some of it 30 feet high,
along the border, smugglers have taken to
having migrants climb up the steel fence,
swing their legs around, then descend on
a ladder. Immigration advocates say new
restrictions have led migrants to attempt
that dangerous route. Last month, U.S.
agents detained 37,119 people at the bor-
der, the first increase in nine months.Washington, D.C.
Pardon power: President
Trump said on Twitter
this week that he’s
“strongly consider-
ing” a pardon for
former national
security adviser
Michael Flynn. After
months of speculation that Trump would
pardon allies ensnared by the Russia
probe, aides say he could make the move
while the public is focused on the coro-
navirus, The New York Times reports.
Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general,
cooperated extensively with special coun-
sel Robert Mueller after pleading guilty
to lying to the FBI and failing to disclose
lobbying work for Turkey. Trump fired
Flynn, a loyal campaign adviser, 24 days
into his presidency after it was revealed
that Flynn lied to Vice President Mike
Pence about discussing sanctions with
the Russian ambassador. Flynn tried to
withdraw his guilty plea last year, and
Attorney General William Barr ordered
an unusual review last month of Flynn’s
case. Prosecutors recommended Flynn
Get serve up to six months in prison.ty,
AP,^ Newscom,
APDowntown S.F., emptied out
SchiffBetween El Paso and JuarezFlynn’s flight?