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.

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.

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 …

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” …

The Federalist Publisher's Tweet Was Illegal: Labor Board Judge  —  Listen  —  The publisher of conservative online magazine The Federalist broke federal labor laws when he tweeted last year that he'd send employees “back to the salt mine” if they tried to unionize, a National Labor Relations Board administrative judge decided.

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 …

McConnell Says He Favors Letting States Declare Bankruptcy  — Senate leader says his party opposes bailout of state pensions  — Hits ‘pause button’ on any additional pandemic aid to states  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he favors allowing states struggling …

Observations on the Great Hunkering (11)  —  • Cast your mind back to the early weeks after 9/11.  Who was the person who dominated the scene as New York City coped with the aftermath?  Mayor Rudy Giuliani, of course, so much so that Time magazine made him its Person of the Year for 2001.

Most people dying from Covid-19 are old.  Don't treat them just as statistics. … I know to stay 6 feet away from others, to leave my shoes at the door, to tip like a Rockefeller on deliveries, and that I can take my temperature with a meat thermometer.  I'd been briefed on preventative measures …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Mayor called reckless for urging Vegas to test reopening  —  FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2019, file photo, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman points toward protesters during the council meeting where the city council was considering a ban on homeless camping in Las Vegas.

We're Never Going Back to ‘Normal’  —  We've reached the part of quarantine where—if you were privileged enough to perhaps have enjoyed a honeymoon period where working and being at home all the time still felt novel—things are starting to feel long.  I'm sick of my shows, I'm sick of new shows …

‘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..

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 …

Orthodox Jews are donating plasma by the thousands to fight Covid-19  —  Well before the rest of the world was talking about blood plasma and its use in fighting coronavirus, Dr. Shmuel Shoham knew all about it — and where he could probably get a lot of it.

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.

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.

Snohomish County Residents and Business Owners,  —  I just watched the Governor's speech to Washingtonian's regarding our approach to getting Washington back in business and I am left to wonder if he even has a plan?  To be quite honest I wasn't even sure what he was trying to say half of the time.

Trump Admin Gives Coronavirus Tracking Contract to Peter Thiel's Palantir: Report  —  Palantir, the surveillance firm founded by conservative billionaire Peter Thiel, has landed a contract with the feds to build a database tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus around the country, according to the Daily Beast.

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.

Usama bin Laden wanted to kill Obama so ‘totally unprepared’ Biden would be president, declassified docs show  —  Usama bin Laden wanted to assassinate then-President Barack Obama so that the “totally unprepared” Joe Biden would take over as president and plunge the United States “into a crisis …

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 …

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.

Here's what's behind the Senate-House disputes on Russian meddling in 2016 election  —  Intelligence officials ‘need to be held accountable’ for FISA abuse: House minority leader  —  While the nation is focused on the coronavirus pandemic, the Senate Intelligence Committee issued …

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.

Opening up the economy won't save the economy  —  A customer waits for a takeout order at Kelly's Irish Times in Washington, DC, on March 24.  Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images  —  Trump and Republican governors can't make people eat at restaurants.

Luxury Hotel Company Is Biggest Beneficiary of Small-Business Funds  —  Ashford Inc. and the real estate investment trusts it oversees have tapped $53 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds via Ritz Carltons and other hotel holdings  —  Hotels, luxury resorts and management companies …