White House weighing plan to replace Azar  —  White House officials are weighing a plan to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, according to four people familiar with the discussions.  —  Among the names on the short list to replace Azar are White House coronavirus coordinator …

In North Korea, the Fourth Man Could Be a Woman  —  The conventional wisdom is that a woman could never ascend to the leadership of North Korea, a country stuck in a time warp of passé fashions, hairdos, music, and social mores.  A toxic mix of Confucianism and totalitarianism indentures women …

13 hours of Trump: The president fills briefings with attacks and boasts, but little empathy  —  President Trump strode to the lectern in the White House briefing room Thursday and, for just over an hour, attacked his rivals, dismissing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as a …

USDA let millions of pounds of food rot while food-bank demand soared  —  Tens of millions of pounds of American-grown produce is rotting in fields as food banks across the country scramble to meet a massive surge in demand, a two-pronged disaster that has deprived farmers of billions of dollars …

Perfect storm: Lombardy's virus disaster is lesson for world  —  ROME (AP) — As Italy prepares to emerge from the West's first and most extensive coronavirus lockdown, it is increasingly clear that something went terribly wrong in Lombardy, the hardest-hit region in Europe's hardest-hit country.

Seattle's Leaders Let Scientists Take the Lead.  New York's Did Not  —  The initial coronavirus outbreaks on the East and West Coasts emerged at roughly the same time.  But the danger was communicated very differently.  —  The first diagnosis of the coronavirus in the United States occurred …

Statement From CEO Goli Sheikholeslami To The NYPR Staff On The Death Of WNYC's Richard Hake  —  It's with a heavy heart that I write to inform you that our beloved colleague and friend Richard Hake passed away suddenly on Friday at home.  We are in touch with his family, and the exact cause of death hasn't yet been determined*.

Trump, Putin issue joint commemorative statement triggering concerns from government officials  —  President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement on Saturday commemorating the 75th anniversary of a World War II meeting of U.S. and Soviet troops at the Elbe river in 1945.

'We're basically ill-prepared': Hobbled House majority frets about its effectiveness amid pandemic  —  House Democrats have blasted President Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic as inept and dangerous.  Party leaders insisted on the creation of a special committee to root out abuse …

Experts worry ‘quarantine fatigue’ is starting  —  Researchers tracking smartphone data say they recently made a disturbing discovery: For the first time since states began implementing stay-at-home orders in mid-March to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, Americans are staying home less.

Exclusive: Coronavirus caused heart to rupture in nation's first known victim, autopsy shows  —  The Santa Clara woman whose death from COVID-19 is the earliest so far known in the United States suffered a massive heart attack caused by coronavirus infection, signs of which were found throughout her body …

Michigan senator apologizes for wearing face mask that looks like Confederate flag  —  State Sen. Dale Zorn, R-Ida, wore the face mask during a Senate vote; he told WLNS-TV 6 on Friday that the mask was more similar to the Kentucky or Tennessee flag  —  A Michigan senator has apologized …

Democrats see Senate suddenly within reach, boosted by Biden's ascent  —  Joe Biden's unexpectedly rapid consolidation of the Democratic presidential nomination has upended calculations in both parties about the U.S. Senate landscape, with Democrats hopeful that Biden can actively help …

With rallies banned, Joe Biden welcomes voters to another kind of show  —  Gov. Jay Inslee told Joe Biden he had used a 30-mile bike ride to clear his head from “ludicrous noises out of the White House.”  Sen. Amy Klobuchar joked how her husband, after fully recovering from the novel coronavirus …

This Pandemic Is Over.  Let's Stop the Economic Suicide, and Get Back to Work  —  With the latest reports of plummeting death rates from all causes, this crisis is over.  The pandemic of doom erupted as a panic of pols and is now a comedy of Mash-minded med admins and stooges …

A Federal Bailout Won't Fix States' Finances  —  This contagion has nothing to do with coronavirus.  —  Bailing out the Illinois state pension system is the worst idea from a week in which we were discussing the health benefits of mainlining Lysol.  —  (Please do not mainline Lysol.  It will kill you.)

Trump expands battle with World Health Organization far beyond aid suspension  —  President Trump and his top aides are working behind the scenes to sideline the World Health Organization on several new fronts as they seek to shift blame for the coronavirus pandemic to the world body …

Hawaii's governor extends stay-at-home order until May 31  —  HONOLULU (AP) — Gov. David Ige on Saturday extended the state's state-at-home order and the mandatory quarantine for visitors through May 31.  —  “This was not an easy decision.  I know this has been difficult for everyone.

Tens of thousands of Californians escape their homes to open beaches during a heatwave despite Gov. Newsom's pleas for them to stay home as state reached 40,000 cases  — California recorded its deadliest day yet, with 115 fatalities in the 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday

A Labradoodle breeder, an internet thug and a college senior walk into the White House  —  Michael D'Antonio is the author of the book “Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success” and co-author with Peter Eisner of “The Shadow President: The Truth About Mike Pence.”