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Coronavirus Live Updates: Doctor Says He Was Removed From Federal Post After Questioning Controversial Treatment — The first known U.S. death from the illness came in early February in California. An order by Trump will impose a 60-day halt in issuing green cards. Some stability returned to the energy market.
Discussion:
NBC News, JustOneMinute, Forbes, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Lawyers, Guns & Money, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, The Verge, Twitchy and HuffPost
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Ousted vaccine expert battles with Trump team over his abrupt dismissal — The abrupt ouster of a top vaccine expert at HHS has split officials who see it as either a boon for the nation's Covid-19 response or the latest indication of a dysfunctional health department.
Discussion:
Fox News, Vox, Washington Examiner, National Review, Associated Press, Bloomberg, HuffPost, Breitbart, Deadline, The Hill, The Stranger, The Guardian and Mediaite


A Coronavirus Death in Early February Was ‘Probably the Tip of an Iceberg’ — The startling discovery that the virus was responsible for a Feb. 6 death in California raises questions about where else it might have been spreading undetected. — SAN FRANCISCO — Weeks before there was evidence …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Sputnik News, Raw Story and ABC17NEWS


Head of vaccine agency says he was ousted for resisting hydroxychloroquine — Rick Bright, former director of the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, said in a statement Wednesday that he believes he was removed from his role this week after clashing with HHS leadership …
Discussion:
In the Pipeline, NPR, Talking Points Memo and The New Civil Rights Movement


Top vaccine doctor says his concern about Trump's coronavirus treatment theory led to ouster from federal agency
Discussion:
GovExec.com, Raw Story and STAT


Special Report: HHS chief Azar had aide, former dog breeder, steer pandemic task force — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On January 21, the day the first U.S. case of coronavirus was reported, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services appeared on Fox News to report the latest on the disease as it ravaged China.
Discussion:
Mediaite
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Health Chief's Early Missteps Set Back Coronavirus Response — HHS Secretary Alex Azar waited for weeks to brief the president and oversold his agency's progress — WASHINGTON—On Jan. 29, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told President Trump the coronavirus epidemic was under control.

Trump prepares to hit the road
Discussion:
NBC News, Daily Kos, Vanity Fair, Raw Story and Contemptor


Trump reverses course, says ‘too soon’ for Georgia Gov. Kemp to reopen state — The president said he disagreed with Gov. Brian Kemp's decision to reopen nail salons, barber shops and tattoo parlors - but he won't stop him — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he “strongly disagrees” …
Discussion:
Fox News, One America News Network and The Hill
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‘Too soon.’ Trump opposes Kemp's decision to reopen Georgia businesses
Discussion:
Political Wire and Democratic Party of Georgia

Trump pushes back against CDC director's warning about coronavirus second wave
Discussion:
Politico

Oklahoma governor announces plans to start reopening state economy
Discussion:
Oklahoman.com and The Hill


Fox News Poll: Biden leads Trump in battleground Pennsylvania — With most Pennsylvania voters concerned about catching coronavirus and nearly six-in-ten believing the Trump administration was too slow to act, Joe Biden leads Donald Trump in that battleground state.
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Fox News Poll: Biden tops Trump in Michigan, where Gov. Whitmer is more popular than president — Judge Jeanine: Michigan Gov. Whitmer was taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis until she got caught — Majorities of Michigan voters are concerned about coronavirus, think President Trump …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, CNN and The Hill


Exclusive: Poll signals strengthening support for Biden over Trump in three Midwest battleground states — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican President Donald Trump trails Democrat Joe Biden among registered voters in three Midwestern battleground states that he narrowly carried in 2016 …
Discussion:
The Hill

Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak — The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has significantly disrupted the livelihoods of Americans. In Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 …
Discussion:
Axios, Reuters, Roll Call, HuffPost, CNN, The Daily Caller, Sputnik News and ImmigrationProf Blog

A mysterious blood-clotting complication is killing coronavirus patients — Once thought a relatively straightforward respiratory virus, covid-19 is proving to be much more frightening — Craig Coopersmith was up early that morning as usual and typed his daily inquiry into his phone.
Discussion:
CBS Baltimore


Fox News Stars Touted a Malaria Drug, Until They Didn't — Laura Ingraham called hydroxychloroquine “a game changer.” But after a month of coverage, she stopped discussing the drug on the air. — For a month's stretch, the Fox News star Laura Ingraham relentlessly promoted …
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A disturbing new study suggests Sean Hannity's show helped spread the coronavirus
Discussion:
NPR, Newsweek, The Verge, Twitchy, Conservative News Today, Bloomberg and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »


There's a growing possibility of a W-shaped economic recovery — and it's scary — A resurgence of the virus or a spike in defaults and bankruptcies could lead to another painful economic downturn — There are growing concerns that any economic recovery later this year could prove short-lived …
Discussion:
NBC News and National Review


Seven more big cats test positive for coronavirus at Bronx Zoo — Following a National Geographic inquiry, the zoo confirms that four more tigers and three lions have the virus. This comes the same day as two pet cats in New York become the first in the U.S. to test positive.
Discussion:
Raw Story


Pentagon plans to dispatch Blue Angels and Thunderbirds in coronavirus response — The Pentagon is planning a multi-city tour of the U.S. military's top flight demonstration teams to “champion national unity” amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to defense officials and a memo obtained by The Washington Post.
Discussion:
Axios, The Drive, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite and New York Post


Schumer's Senate Democrats show sharper edge in coronavirus era — Chuck Schumer and his Senate Democrats have found a go-to play in this pandemic: an old-school blockade. — Amid a coronavirus outbreak that's crippling the economy, Schumer's caucus is digging in for longer fights …
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States rushing to reopen are likely making a deadly error, coronavirus models and experts warn — By the end of the week, residents in Georgia will be able to get their hair permed and nails done. By Monday, they will be cleared for action flicks at the cineplex and burgers at their favorite greasy spoon.
Discussion:
CNN


Las Vegas mayor: Reopen casinos, let the ones with the most infections then close — Standing in front of an empty storefront along Main Street, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman was beaming with optimism, believing that businesses would make it through the coronavirus pandemic.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, CNN, The Hill, The Guardian, NPR, New York Post, Daily Kos, YouTube, The New Civil Rights Movement and Gothamist
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I need someone in the media to pick this story up. I have done as much digging as I can do, but I am getting dead ends and literal roadblocks that someone with press credentials would not get. If this is true, this story would be national news. — Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued …
Discussion:
WTKR-TV, The Daily Caller, Breitbart and The Gateway Pundit


Banks Gave Richest Clients ‘Concierge Treatment’ for Pandemic Aid — Some businesses seeking coronavirus loans got to avoid flaky online portals or backed-up queues. Many other small businesses couldn't get their loan requests submitted before the money dried up.


‘Frustrated’ Trump eager to get out of White House, aides exploring ways to allow him to leave D.C. — A “frustrated” President Donald Trump is growing restless after a month of nationwide shutdowns, and top aides and campaign officials are exploring ways to allow him to leave D.C..


Coronavirus updates: World sees growing toll amid warnings of second wave — As the number of deaths blamed on the coronavirus now tops 45,000 in the United States and 180,000 worldwide, California officials say COVID-19 started claiming lives on American soil more than three weeks earlier than previously thought.
Discussion:
National Review, The Gateway Pundit and Twitchy
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Observations on the Great Hunkering (11)
Discussion:
Boston Herald and CNN


A Top Immunologist on Why Coronavirus Is Killing More African-Americans — Head of Nashville's Meharry Medical College discusses Covid-19's outsize toll on people of color, why a vaccine might be far off — James Hildreth has been waging battle against viruses for four decades …

Axios qualifies for PPP loan — Axios is among the small businesses that qualified for a PPP loan to protect existing jobs and help weather the coronavirus crisis. — Why it matters: We are in the somewhat unique position of being both a media company, which covers government and business …
Discussion:
The Hill and CNBC, more at Mediagazer »


AP-NORC poll: Few Americans support easing virus protections — WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite pockets of attention-grabbing protests, a new survey finds Americans remain overwhelmingly in favor of stay-at-home orders and other efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Discussion:
Florida Politics


A ‘U,’ a ‘V’ or maybe a Nike swoosh? Economists try to predict what a recovery will look like — The worst of the economic news is yet to come, with slumps in employment and GDP to be unlike anything seen since the Great Depression. — Those data points, though, won't provide much of a glimpse into the future.


‘These prisoners are tinderboxes of infection’: How a Midwestern county became the center of one of fastest-growing coronavirus outbreaks in the U.S. — For much of the past month, national attention has been focused on large coronavirus-stricken metropolitan areas like New York …


Hard-hit restaurants, gyms and other businesses are battling insurers over coronavirus, sparking a new Washington lobbying war — WASHINGTON - A multi-billion dollar standoff between the nation's leading insurers and the restaurants, hotels, gyms and theaters that purchase their policies …


I live in Britain. Thank goodness there's no Fox News here. — The United Kingdom and the United States are both hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Both countries are run by populist blowhards whose larger-than-life hair and egos are inversely proportional to their regard for expertise.


Georgia Democratic lawmaker announces resignation week after endorsing Trump — A little more than a week after he announced that he was endorsing President Donald Trump, Democratic state Rep. Vernon Jones announced Wednesday morning that he would not complete his term.
Discussion:
Redstate, Big League Politics, TheGrio, The Gateway Pundit, The Root, Fox News, Washington Times, Associated Press, Raw Story and New York Post


Trump Says Harvard Must Pay Back Relief Money He Signed Into Law — Joining a chorus of critics, the president appeared not to realize that Harvard had received $8.6 million in stimulus funding as part of a federal aid package to universities. — President Trump joined mounting criticism …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Fox News, The College Fix, Raw Story, Forbes, New York Daily News and Washington Post


Rikers Island Jail Guards Are Dying in One of the Worst Coronavirus Outbreaks — The New York City correctional complex is among the most-infected workplaces in the U.S. — When Quinsey Simpson relieved a colleague at New York City's Rikers Island jail complex in early March …
Discussion:
The Root


CNN Boss Tells Staff They Will Not Return to Offices Until at Least September — STAY AT HOME — CNN won't send staffers back into its offices until at least September. In an internal email obtained by The Daily Beast, network chief Jeff Zucker told staff that the vast majority of company staff will …
Discussion:
Deadline, Mediaite and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »


2016 Conventions Might Have Been the Last — Will Democrats make it to Milwaukee and Republicans to Charlotte N.C.? — This summer the coronavirus may claim another victim: the Republican and Democratic national conventions, at least in their present form.


Op-Ed: John Cho: Coronavirus reminds Asian Americans like me that our belonging is conditional — I called my parents a few nights ago to tell them to be cautious when stepping out of the house, because they might be targets of verbal or even physical abuse. It felt so strange. Our roles had flipped.
Discussion:
Kaiser Health News