Elaine Thompson/AP Photo As the coronavirus pandemic has spread around the world, with millions infected and thousands dead, billionaire Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has pledged a quarter billion dollars to combat the disease through his foundation. Gates has been an advocate for pandemic preparedness for years, and his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is contributing financing to several coronavirus vaccine initiatives. He famously gave a 2015 TED talk warning of the potential devastation caused by — and urged readiness for — a worldwide pandemic. Those factors are behind bizarre new conspiracy theories that claim Gates is responsible for