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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Trump's Coronavirus Response May Be Turning Off Older Voters  —  Two of the political data points that currently spell bad news for Donald Trump are steadily worsening public assessments of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and Joe Biden's strong position among voters over 65 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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

Trump prepares to hit the road  —  President Donald Trump is eager to hit the road.  —  As his own health officials continue to warn against non-essential travel, Trump has privately urged aides over the past week to start adding official events back to his schedule, including photo ops …

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.

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 …

End the Globalization Gravy Train  —  Donor dollars shouldn't be made in China.  —  In the present crisis, we find ourselves locked in an interminable debate about whether to “reopen” the economy.  To put my cards on the table, I've found many of the orders issued by governments …

Scoop: Biden's “four Cs” of Trump coronavirus criticism  —  Watch for Joe Biden and his surrogates to stand up a disciplined criticism of President Trump's coronavirus response around “the four Cs,” per a campaign memo obtained by Axios: “Coverup.”  “Chaos.”  “Corporate favoritism.”

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.

Team Trump Turns to Peter Thiel's Palantir to Track Virus  —  Palantir, a longtime partner of intelligence agencies, co-founded by major Trump backer Peter Thiel, is helping build “the single source for [coronavirus] testing data.”  —  A Silicon Valley company co-founded by a close ally …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Donald Trump and Cindy Adams reminisce about Miss Universe on birthday call  —  This is not to complain or moan.  This is just to tell a story.  Friday is my birthday.  This special age usually gets you a statue in Central Park.  I refused one because I hate pigeons leaving their opinions on me.