Coronavirus Death in California Came Weeks Before First Known U.S. Death  —  The earliest U.S. deaths publicly attributed to the virus had been on Feb. 26, when two people died in the Seattle area.  Santa Clara County said an autopsy showed a Feb. 6 death was also related.

Fox News Quietly Backs Away From Hyping Trump's Coronavirus ‘Miracle Drug’  —  After spending two full weeks of programming touting an anti-malarial drug as a coronavirus cure, Fox's primetime stars have pulled back almost entirely—and so has the president.

Southern governors create a Covid-19 coalition and experts fear a ‘perfect storm’  —  TALLAHASSEE — Republican governors across the Southeast are teaming up to reopen the region's economy, even as they lack the testing to know how rapidly the coronavirus is spreading.

McConnell slams brakes on next round of coronavirus aid  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is drawing a line: There will be no more attempts at long-distance legislating on the coronavirus.  —  In a telephone interview Tuesday after passage of a $484 billion coronavirus relief bill …

The Quiet Hand of Conservative Groups in the Anti-Lockdown Protests  —  Groups in a loose coalition have tapped their networks to drive up turnout at recent rallies in state capitals and financed lawsuits, polling and research to combat the stay-at-home orders.

Trump (the Company) Asks Trump (the Administration) for Rent Relief  —  The president's family business pays at least $3 million a year to the federal government for the lease on its D.C. hotel, which is all but empty because of the virus.  The next monthly payment is coming due.

CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus is likely to be even more devastating  —  Even as states move ahead with plans to reopen their economies, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday that a second wave of the novel coronavirus will be far more dire …

The Death of the Department Store: ‘Very Few Are Likely to Survive’  —  Shuttered flagships.  Empty malls.  Canceled orders.  Risks of bankruptcy.  The coronavirus has hit the behemoths of the retail world.  —  American department stores, once all-powerful shopping meccas that anchored malls …

NIH Panel Recommends Against Drug Combination Promoted By Trump For COVID-19  —  • The group of experts, assembled under the agency run by Dr. Anthony Fauci, warns that using a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin could result in potential toxicities.  —  SHOTS - HEALTH NEWS

Director of U.S. agency key to vaccine development leaves role suddenly amid coronavirus pandemic  —  WASHINGTON — Rick Bright, one of the nation's leading vaccine development experts and the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, is no longer leading the organization, officials told STAT.

Jay Inslee Endorses Biden, Citing Private Conversations on Climate Policy  —  The governor of Washington State, one of the Democratic Party's most prominent environmentalists, urged progressives to get on board with the presumptive presidential nominee's campaign.

Michigan Governor Whitmer Awards Coronavirus Contract to Dem Consulting Firm  —  UPDATE 6:45 p.m.: After publication of this article, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration announced that the contract was being rescinded.  Read more here.  —  _  —  Recent Stories in Coronavirus

As people stay home, Earth turns wilder and cleaner  —  An unplanned grand experiment is changing Earth.  —  As people across the globe stay home to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, the air has cleaned up, albeit temporarily.  Smog stopped choking New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities …

Secret Recording Reveals NRA's Legal Troubles Have Cost The Organization $100 Million  —  Audio will be available later today.  —  The National Rifle Association's legal troubles have cost the powerful gun rights group $100 million, according to a recording of the group's board meeting obtained by NPR.

Nearly 25,000 email addresses and passwords allegedly from NIH, WHO, Gates Foundation and others are dumped online  —  Who posted them is unknown, but they immediately became fodder for right-wing activists attacking the organizations  —  Unknown activists have posted nearly 25,000 email addresses …

Donna Shalala failed to disclose stock sales in 2019 in violation of federal law  —  Miami Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala, the lone House Democrat on the committee set up to oversee $500 billion in taxpayer money being used for coronavirus-related payouts to large businesses …

Barr calls stay-at-home orders ‘disturbingly close to house arrest’  —  The attorney general said the Justice Department may consider taking legal action against states that go too far.  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that the need for strong restrictions to stop …

Chinese Agents Spread Messages That Sowed Virus Panic in U.S., Officials Say  —  American officials were alarmed by fake text messages and social media posts that said President Trump was locking down the country.  Experts see a convergence with Russian tactics.

Vice Media Document Lays Out Plan for Layoffs Amid Coronavirus Pandemic  —  Planning document calls for over 300 layoffs, though company says several such proposals are being worked up  —  An internal document at Vice Media Group lays out a plan for substantial layoffs at the new-media company's websites …

Georgia leads the race to become America's No. 1 Death Destination  —  Whether you're going to heaven or hell, the old joke goes, you'll have to change planes in Atlanta.  —  But Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is proposing to offer a new nonstop service to the Great Beyond: He has a bold plan to turn his state into the place to die.

Jeffrey Sachs on the Catastrophic American Response to the Coronavirus  —  In the early nineties, the economist Jeffrey Sachs was known as a “shock therapist,” for advising the Soviet Union on its controversial transition to a free-market economy.  Since then, Sachs has shifted his focus …

Senate Republicans Contradict Trump on Russian Interference  —  But the biggest mysteries of the 2016 election remain unsolved.  —  In what amounts to a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump's views on the subject, the Republican-chaired Senate Intelligence Committee released a 158-page report on Tuesday …

Coronavirus Changes Trump Re-Election Calculus in Key States  —  Rising job losses, coronavirus cases and political tensions may affect the president's prospects in the states that ensured his victory in 2016  —  Rising job losses, deaths and political tensions are putting new pressure …

Michael Moore's ‘Planet of the Humans’ asks: what if green energy cannot save the planet?  —  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As environmentalists celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day this week, a new documentary poses a sobering question.  —  What if wind farms, solar panels …

Why Is Harvard Getting $9 Million In Stimulus Money When It Has A $40 Billion Endowment?  —  Harvard is under attack for the $9 million in stimulus money it's getting from the federal government.  “America's Richest University Grabs Nearly $9 Million In Taxpayer Aid,” blasted a Huffington Post headline yesterday.

32 millionaire CEOs who scooped up taxpayer money meant for struggling small businesses  —  With the pandemic severely restricting economic activity, thousands of small businesses across the country are on the brink of collapse.  Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program as a lifeline.

Coronavirus pandemic brings Ben's Chili Bowl, iconic DC business, to its knees  —  The family owners wait for its government loan, but so far, nothing.  —  LIVE NOW  —  Sage Ali's family has been through a lot, seen a lot.  His parents, Ben and Virginia, lived through segregation and the strictures of Jim Crow.

Valerie Jarrett: ‘No chance’ Michelle Obama will be Biden's VP  —  Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has committed to choosing a woman as his running mate.  But an Obama family confidante on Tuesday said there's “no chance” that woman will be Michelle Obama.