• Around the time that President Trump was announcing a travel ban from Europe during an address Wednesday evening to try and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, Tom Hanks and his wife became the first major celebrities to publicly confirm they’ve been diagnosed with the virus.
• Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson are currently in Australia for work on director Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming movie about Elvis Presley, in which Hanks will star as Presley’s manager. Word of their diagnosis, meanwhile, capped a frenetic day of news headlines that seemed to emerge almost every hour as a result of the virus’ outbreak and continued spread.
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Around the same time as President Trump was delivering a televised Oval Office address Wednesday night about the spread of coronavirus in the US and the federal government’s new steps to combat it, Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson released a statement via social media confirming they both have tested positive for the virus.

Hanks’ statement in full can be read below. Both he and his wife — who appear to be the first major celebrities to confirm they’ve tested positive for the virus — are in Australia at the moment for work on director Baz Luhrmann’s forthcoming movie about Elvis Presley, in which Hanks is portraying Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker.

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Coronavirus hits Hollywood: Tom Hanks and his wife announce their diagnosis originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 11 Mar 2020 at 23:49:22 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• A stem cell transplant has rid a man of HIV, making him the second person to be declared cured of the virus.
• The transplant used stem cells that contained a unique mutation that works against HIV.
• Doctors are optimistic but warn that this treatment isn’t a magic bullet for all HIV patients.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

A 40-year-old HIV patient has been declared cured after a promising treatment has left him with no active virus. The man, Adam Castillejo, was the subject of extensive research in early 2019 after doctors failed to find HIV in his body over an 18-month period after previously being diagnosed in 2003.

Castillejo, known by the nickname “London Patient” lived with the disease for many years, taking medicine to manage it since 2012. That same year he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and later endured a bone marrow transplant. That operation may have ultimately cured him of HIV, and appears to have made him only the second person to ever be cured of the disease that causes AIDS.

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HIV patient appears to be totally cured after stem cell treatment originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 11 Mar 2020 at 23:15:03 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• There are so many different factors that consumers can use to select which credit card is right for them, from the size of the annual fee to what perks are offered to how well the card fits into the owner’s travel strategy. Meanwhile, there are plenty of credit card offers and deals that promise huge up-front welcome bonuses just for signing up.
• Here’s one thing that might help make the decision a little easier: There are plenty of cards on the market right now that offer up at least $1,000 in value — merely for signing up for one. That’s a result of a combination of perks, including the credit card welcome bonus, and in this post we’ll take a look at seven cards that offer this degree of value. The value being at least $1,000 per the latest card valuations from The Points Guy.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

One of the things that might strike the average person as odd when they come across a savvy credit card user — and we’re specifically referring to those with a robust card-based travel rewards strategy, not, say, profligate shoppers — is how they might have more than one card in their wallet. A handful or more, in fact.

Questions that might be tempting to ask in such cases are things like, How does such a person pick which card to use for which purpose? And why do they even have that many in the first place? In this post, we’re going to talk about the answer to those questions — about how having even one or two extra credit cards, and specifically these cards, might make a huge difference in the out-of-pocket costs for your next vacation. Indeed, this is an incredible time to add a new card to your wallet, with multiple cards offering 100,000-point bonuses. Moreover, you can easily score at least $1,000 or more in value thanks to these cards with especially inviting welcome offers. Of course, the cards with the most perks often come with higher annual fees, so that’s a consideration, as well.

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Deal alert: These 7 credit cards give you at least $1,000 in value just for signing up originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 11 Mar 2020 at 22:47:24 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Google is reportedly developing a new Chromecast Ultra model that will run Android TV and ship with its own dedicated external remote.
• The Chromecast remote in question appears to have gone through the FCC in recent days.
• Google had to cancel its annual developer conference, Google I/O, so the timing for the announcement of the new streaming dongle is unknown.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

The first streaming dongle that I ever bought was a Google Chromecast, but the fact that I had to use my phone as a remote always bugged me. It wasn’t a massive inconvenience, but when it came time to upgrade to a streaming stick that could output 4K video, I decided to jump ship for Roku. I did not think that the lack of a dedicated remote would be a dealbreaker, but it was, which is why the latest Chromecast leak has me especially excited.

9to5Google has heard from a supposedly reliable source that a second-generation Chromecast Ultra is launching in 2020 that will be based on Android TV and will ship with an external remote. Codenamed “sabrina,” the 2nd-gen Ultra is a dongle much like the current model, and will once again support 4K HDR video content.

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Google’s next Chromecast Ultra will run Android TV and have a remote originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 11 Mar 2020 at 22:10:36 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• The official response of the US government to the coronavirus outbreak has now included the extraordinary measure of banning all travel from Europe to the US for 30 days starting on Friday at midnight. The United Kingdom is an exception to this ban.
• President Trump announced the move in a brief but significant Oval Office address televised live Wednesday night that included a number of other steps, including financial relief to various businesses and individuals. The European travel ban, though, drew immediate focus because of how major a step this is.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

In an address tonight from the Oval Office, President Trump announced a range of measures meant to step up the US response to the coronavirus crisis, and one of them includes the extraordinary step of banning all travel from Europe to the US starting on Friday for 30 days.

The European travel ban does not apply to travel from the United Kingdom, but there are still tons of questions about what this all means and how it will be enforced. There were also a number of unanswered questions as of Wednesday night about what this means for cargo — to what degree shipments from Europe will be cut off, for example, and what approvals the White House needs to implement such a move.

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2. Today’s top deals: Massive Anker sale, AirPods Pro at lowest price, $200 Sony ANC earbuds for $87, $23 home cam, more
3. Amazon’s blowing out smart plugs and smart light switches starting at $5.77, today only

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President Trump just banned travel from Europe, and everyone is freaking out originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 11 Mar 2020 at 21:24:23 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• As COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, continues to wreak havoc on so much of daily life here and around the world, from the cancellation of major conferences and events like the E3 gaming expo and Coachella to a shift toward more work-from-home job arrangements, one thing that arguably hasn’t gotten enough attention is the paranoia that’s starting to be generated by the virus, as well as the potential for people to overreact.
• The coronavirus impact on travel is already particularly acute, with some airlines even resigning themselves to flying what have been regarded as “ghost flights” in light of the slump in demand from consumers. In one of the more extreme examples of the kinds of reactions the virus is causing, however, a recent United Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency, unplanned stop after passengers freaked out over someone sneezing on the plane.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned national lawmakers on Wednesday — the same day that the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic — that when it comes to the spread of the virus here, “the worst is yet to come.“

In light of the tens of thousands of infected people around the world, as well as the scores of deaths attributable to the virus, it should come as no surprise that the virus has begun to spark pretty serious reactions bordering on overreaction and even paranoia in some people. To wit: A recent United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency, unplanned stop after a passenger’s sneezing caused other passengers on the plane to basically freak out — so much so that the pilot was forced to land.

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Coronavirus is making us so paranoid that a plane landed because someone sneezed originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 11 Mar 2020 at 21:08:11 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• NASA’s delayed SLS rocket program, headed by Boeing, continues to disappoint.
• Massive budget overruns and significant delays have pushed the completion of the SLS back multiple times.
• Other contractors on the project include Northrop Grumman and Aerojet Rocketdyne.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

NASA’s Space Launch System — the massive uber-rocket which will power future missions to the Moon and beyond — is starting to look even more ridiculous than it already did. As Spaceflight Now reports, a new report by NASA’s Office of the Inspector General reveals the high-tech rocket will set the country back over $18 billion before all is said and done.

This comes on the heels of news that the SLS won’t make its expected 2020 launch window, which was already pushed back multiple times. Instead, NASA is now targeting 2021 as the year when the mega-rocket is finally ready to be sent skyward.

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2. This $22 Fire TV accessory adds a key feature you’ve been missing
3. There’s a secret sale on Sony’s WH1000XM3 headphones that almost no one knows about

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2. There’s one original Avenger whose fate is unclear after Endgame – now we know he’ll be back
3. CDC tells high-risk groups to prepare for lockdown

Boeing’s oft-delayed SLS rocket is now more expensive than ever originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 11 Mar 2020 at 20:06:31 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• The Huawei P40 launch event will go forward on March 26, although the Chinese smartphone vendor will unveil the phone via an online-only presentation because of the coronavirus outbreak.
• The new phones will likely launch in Europe in the weeks following the event, with the P40 Pro model being Huawei’s best answer to Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra.
• A new rumor from China claims that the P40 series might be even more expensive than previous flagships, in spite of the phone’s huge software problem — the P40 will not have any Google apps preinstalled.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

There was no Mobile World Congress event this year, as coronavirus prompted its sudden cancelation last month. But several smartphone makers have unveiled plenty of new devices in the past few weeks, including several interesting Galaxy S20 challengers from Sony, LG, Oppo, and Vivo. Samsung can be considered the unexpected winner of these extraordinary circumstances, having scheduled its Galaxy S20 event a few weeks before MWC was canceled.

But the most significant Android-based Galaxy S20 rival wasn’t even expected at the trade show. We’re talking about the Huawei P40, which should have been unveiled during a press conference in Paris, France, on March 26th. But the COVID-19 outbreak changed that. The reveal event will still happen on the same day, but Huawei will deliver its keynote online, where it will be streamed on YouTube and other social networks instead. And a brand new rumor suggests the Huawei P40 might have the same problem as the Galaxy S20.

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1. This $22 Fire TV accessory adds a key feature you’ve been missing
2. There’s a secret sale on Sony’s WH1000XM3 headphones that almost no one knows about
3. Today’s best deals: AirPods Pro, crazy wireless cameras, secret Sony WH1000XM3 sale, Fire Stick 4K bundle, more

Trending Right Now:

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2. Pixel 4a price and design accidentally leaked by Google
3. PS5 specs might’ve finally just leaked

Huawei’s next flagship phone might have the same problem as the Galaxy S20 originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 11 Mar 2020 at 19:04:19 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• A NASA employee at the Ames Research Center in California tested positive for coronavirus.
• NASA has issued a mandatory work-from-home policy for all employees of the facility.
• The space agency will continue to monitor employees for symptoms to track the potential spread of the infection.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

With new coronavirus cases popping up with troubling regularity across the United States, it was really only a matter of time before someone at NASA came down with the virus. That person happens to be an employee at the Ames Researcher Center in Silicon Valley, and the positive diagnosis has prompted NASA to take appropriate measures to keep its staff safe.

The agency issued a mandatory work-from-home policy for employees of the facility for the time being. Right now, the top priority for the research center is to determine whether or not anyone else may have been exposed to the virus, and ensure that those individuals remain home to prevent the continued spread of the illness.

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2. Today’s best deals: AirPods Pro, crazy wireless cameras, secret Sony WH1000XM3 sale, Fire Stick 4K bundle, more
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2. There’s one original Avenger whose fate is unclear after Endgame – now we know he’ll be back
3. PS5 specs might’ve finally just leaked

NASA employee tests positive for coronavirus, prompting lockdown originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 11 Mar 2020 at 18:02:14 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• The World Health Organization on Wednesday finally declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic. The COVID-19 virus has infected more than 100,000 people around the world, and it’s now affecting everything from small businesses to big tech giants like Apple and Google that are telling employees to work from home — to even political rallies, since we’re in a presidential election year, after all.
• Ironically, a conference on the virus was set to have been held in New York this week. The Council on Foreign Relations had planned a roundtable on “Doing Business Under Coronavirus” — a conference about the virus that the virus is now responsible for canceling.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

The coronavirus is continuing to drive relentless news coverage around the world and here at home in the US, where the virus is now the reason that scores of events have been canceled, the music festival Coachella and the E3 gaming conference being among the latest. Meanwhile, corporate giants like Google and Apple are encouraging as many employees as possible to work from home, and small businesses are also taking their own precautions. I just got back from a vacation to Charleston, and my favorite restaurant there is now scheduling an extra employee each shift whose sole task will be to disinfect the restaurant and make sure things stay clean. In light of all this and more, including the scores of deaths around the world, the World Health Organization on Wednesday finally declared the virus a pandemic.

Meantime, The Daily Beast has shed light on a sobering private briefing that members of Congress were given in recent days about COVID-19, the official name of the coronavirus (which has killed at least two dozen Americans as of the time of this writing). Most Americans, congressional leaders were told, are going to be exposed to this thing eventually, even though many people won’t show symptoms or be infected. Indeed, the influence of the virus is proving to be inexorable and seemingly impossible to contain — and it’s even having ironic consequences. To wit: Even a coronavirus conference that was supposed to have taken place this week in New York has been shelved because of, what else, the virus.

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1. Today’s best deals: AirPods Pro, crazy wireless cameras, secret Sony WH1000XM3 sale, Fire Stick 4K bundle, more
2. There’s a secret sale on Sony’s WH1000XM3 headphones that almost no one knows about
3. This $22 Fire TV accessory adds a key feature you’ve been missing

Trending Right Now:

1. Pixel 4a price and design accidentally leaked by Google
2. There’s one original Avenger whose fate is unclear after Endgame – now we know he’ll be back
3. PS5 specs might’ve finally just leaked

Even a coronavirus conference has now been canceled because of coronavirus originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 11 Mar 2020 at 17:37:14 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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