Saudi Arabia on Thursday banned foreign pilgrims from entering the kingdom to visit Islam’s holiest sites over the new coronavirus, potentially disrupting the plans of millions of faithful ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and as the annual hajj pilgrimage looms. The decision showed the growing worry across the Mideast about the virus as Iran confirmed that infected cases in the country spiked by over 100, to 254 now. Those with the virus in the Islamic Republic now include Iranian vice president Masoumeh Ebtekar, better known as the English-language spokeswoman “Mary” for the 1979 hostage-takers who seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and sparked the 444-day diplomatic crisis, state media reported.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu arrived on Thursday to visit MDA’s National Operations Center in Kiryat Ono, where a joint call center for Magen David Adom and the Ministry of Health was established on Saturday night specifically to deal with the Coronavirus. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Minister of Health Rabbi Yaakov Litzman, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin, Chairman of the National Security Council Meir Ben Shabbat and the Director General of the Ministry of Health Moshe Bar Siman Tov.

New York’s governor says he will ask state lawmakers in coming days to approve $40 million to help state health officials respond to the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, told reporters Wednesday that the funding will help hire additional staff and purchase supplies including protective masks and gloves. He said the state has no confirmed cases of the virus, but officials are waiting for test results regarding one sick person in Nassau County. “Yes, we’re preparing, but this situation is not a situation that should cause undue fear among people,” Cuomo said. A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 81,000 people globally and caused 2,700 deaths. U.S.

At the age of five Yanky fell on his head onto a hard surface, and since then he suffers from brain damage and lives in a wheelchair, with severe epilepsy and muscular dystrophy. He needs to be carried everywhere, he cannot speak and needs constant supervision by a parent, severely limiting their ability to provide parnossa for the other 12 children in the family. The Bituach Leumi only pays for part of Yanky’s care, but he still needs therapists and medications that are not included in the the Israeli National Insurance benefits. Yanky is now 15 years old, too old to be carried around, yet he cannot carry himself. They live on the third floor of the building; any trip outside needs a few strong people to carry the wheelchair down the steps and into the street.

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is bracing his supporters for a difficult stretch, with the sobering assertion that front-runner Bernie Sanders will likely emerge from next week’s Super Tuesday contests well ahead in the race for delegates. The disclosure, made in a strategy memo sent to supporters, comes as the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor prepares for the uncertainty of Saturday’s South Carolina primary. After strong finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, Buttigieg is working to beat expectations in South Carolina, where his pull among African American voters will be tested, while keeping up the fundraising stream that launched him into the top tier.

Facebook said Wednesday that it is banning ads that make false claims about products tied to the new coronavirus. The social network said it is removing ads that feature a product and imply a limited supply, seeking create a “sense of urgency” in their mention of coronavirus. Ads that guarantee a cure or prevention are also banned, it said. For instance, ads for face masks that claim the products are 100% guaranteed to prevent the spread of the virus are not allowed, the company said. The ban went into effect this week. Facebook had previously banned ads, along with regular unpaid posts, that peddle fake cures such as drinking bleach, spread conspiracy theories about the virus, or discourage people from seeking medical treatment.

The first case of an Israeli diagnosed with the coronavirus who was not in quarantine was confirmed on Thursday in a man who returned from Italy on Sunday, the Health Ministry announced on Thursday morning. He was on El Al flight LY 382 from Milan, which landed at 4:10 p.m. on Sunday at Ben Gurion Airport, the ministry says. The confirmation of the virus in an Israeli who has been in contact with others for four days before being diagnosed raises fears that he may have spread the virus to others before being diagnosed and significantly increases the risk of the coronavirus spreading in Israel. The Health Ministry is contacting everyone they know to have been in contact with the man since he returned from Italy and instructing them to self-quarantine at home.

ABC News has suspended political reporter David Wright after he was recorded in a barroom conversation calling President Donald Trump a “nightmare spouse that you can’t win an argument with.” Wright also used a common vulgarity to describe why he didn’t like the president in a conversation recorded by Project Veritas, the conservative website that uses hidden cameras and undercover reporters to ensnare journalists in embarrassing conversations. Months ago, Project Veritas released a tape of ABC’s Amy Robach complaining on set about her bosses not using a report that she had done on Jeffrey Epstein. Wright and an ABC producer, Andy Fies, were recorded in a bar at the Doubletree Hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire, while covering that state’s primary.

Mike Bloomberg’s stockpile of cash, swarm of employees and paid social media influencers are testing the abilities of online platforms — and his Democratic challengers — to keep up with an expensive internet campaign. Despite the billionaire and former New York City mayor’s late entry into the presidential race, he has far outspent his rivals on nearly every platform in a matter of weeks. His unconventional online strategy is heavy on memes and the paid support of prominent social media users, blurring the lines between political advertising, satire and misinformation. That has not only boosted the platforms’ bottom lines, but has also revealed how easily their policies can be bent.

The campaign to reelect President Donald Trump sued The New York Times for defamation Wednesday, saying it was responsible for an essay by a former executive editor for the newspaper that claimed the campaign made a deal with Russian officials to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016. In the lawsuit in state court in New York, Donald J. Trump for President Inc. said the newspaper knowingly published false and defamatory statements when the Op-Ed piece claimed the campaign had an “overarching deal” with “Vladimir Putin’s oligarchy” to defeat the Democratic candidate.