Coronavirus

The Associated Press reports: Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday vetoed provisions of a law that obligated the federal government to provide drinking water, disinfectants and a guarantee of hospital beds to indigenous communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil’s indigenous population of roughly 850,000 is more vulnerable to the COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as they live …

The Chicago Tribune reports: United Airlines is warning 36,000 employees — nearly half its U.S. workforce — they could be furloughed in October, the clearest signal yet of how deeply the coronavirus outbreak is hurting the airline industry. The outlook for a recovery in air travel has dimmed in just the past two weeks, as infection rates rise in much …

NBC News reports: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will release additional guidance next week on how to reopen schools safely, Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday during a White House coronavirus task force briefing at the Department of Education. The guidance, however, is only a recommendation and will not replace state and local decision-making, Pence said. Recommendations on …

The Christian Post reports: First Assembly of God, a megachurch in Fort Myers, Florida, has denied reports that they hosted a huge party, attended by a 17-year-old girl who later died from COVID-19, where no social distancing was practiced or masks worn. The church reportedly hosted a “party” on June 10 which was advertised on Facebook but deleted from the …

Orlando’s ABC News affiliate reports: Florida reported 9,989 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday morning and 48 new resident deaths. As part of that, both Miami-Dade and Monroe counties reported their highest single-day case increases since the start of the pandemic. The state is now up to 223,783 confirmed cases with 3,889 resident deaths associated with the novel coronavirus, according …

The Associated Press reports: The White House coronavirus task force will host a news conference on Wednesday to address the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the country. States across the U.S. have been experiencing significant spikes in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, which is presumed to be related to premature reopening of economies amid the pandemic. On Tuesday Florida …

CBS New York reports: New York City students will return to school in the fall with a “blended learning” model, the mayor announced Wednesday. Mayor Bill de Blasio said most students will attend in-person classes two or three days a week, depending on the week. Families who aren’t comfortable sending their children back to school may continue remote learning. They …

The Guardian reports: Doctors may be missing signs of serious and potentially fatal brain disorders triggered by coronavirus, as they emerge in mildly affected or recovering patients, scientists have warned. Neurologists are on Wednesday publishing details of more than 40 UK Covid-19 patients whose complications ranged from brain inflammation and delirium to nerve damage and stroke. In some cases, the …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are threatening to cut federal funding if schools don’t fully physically reopen, increasing pressure on education leaders as the Trump administration intensifies its drive to get kids back in classrooms.  On Tuesday night, DeVos said she is “very seriously” looking at withholding federal funds from schools that don’t pen their …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The U.S. reported over 60,000 new coronavirus cases, a single-day record, with infections continuing to rise rapidly in states such as Florida and Texas, while others expanded quarantine requirements on inbound travel and New York City stepped up testing. The total number of cases in the U.S. neared three million Wednesday, according to data compiled …

CNBC reports: The coronavirus pandemic has now claimed one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious retailers. Brooks Brothers — pioneer of the polo and uniform of the polished prepster — filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, as it continues to search for a buyer. The retailer, which is more than two centuries old, boasts of having dressed 40 U.S. presidents …

The Washington Post reports: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that voters consider alternatives to casting their ballots in person during upcoming elections, as states expand absentee and early voting options for November amid fears of spreading the coronavirus. President Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that one popular alternative — mail-in ballots — promotes widespread voter …

CBS News reports: A growing number of sheriffs in Texas say they are refusing to follow a recent executive order requiring masks in public. Governor Greg Abbott’s mandate aims to slow the spread of coronavirus, as cases in the state soared past 200,000 on Tuesday. Police officials in at least nine counties — including Denton, Houston, Montgomery, Gillespie, Upshur, Kerr, …

Politico reports: The White House is hammering a message of reopening schools even as coronavirus cases spike throughout the country, insisting it’s OK to move ahead and that decisions last spring to close doors came from states rather than health experts at the CDC. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, wrote an op-ed for USA Today advocating liability …

Law & Crime reports: The latest viral video, filmed more than one week ago at a Costco in Fort Myers, Florida, showed a man in a red “Running the World Since 1776” t-shirt screaming that he “felt threatened” as he approached the purported source of the threat. “I feel threatened,” he yelled. “Back off! Threaten me again. Back the fuck …

The Hill reports: The White House has officially withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), a senior administration official confirmed Tuesday, breaking ties with a global public health body in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. withdrawal is effective as of Monday and has been submitted to the United Nations secretary-general, the official said Tuesday. …

The San Antonio Express-News reports: The United States military is sending nurses and respiratory specialists to San Antonio as COVID-19 hospitalizations surge in the city. On Monday, the U.S. Northern Command said approximately 50 medical and support personnel from from Colorado would be deployed. The personnel will “provide medical assistance by embedding in medical care facilities in the San Antonio, …

Arizona Central reports: The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied multiple requests for a mega-COVID-19 testing site in Phoenix, according to Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. Gallego said her office asked FEMA to implement a large-scale, drive-thru testing site — as they’ve done in other cities, including Houston — multiple times since the earliest days of the novel coronavirus pandemic. She said …

The Guardian reports: The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has announced live on television he has tested positive for coronavirus. “It came back positive,” a mask-wearing Bolsonaro told a hand-picked group of reporters on Tuesday lunchtime. Bolsonaro, 65, has repeatedly trivialized the pandemic and flouted social distancing, even as Brazil became the second-worst hit country after the United States, with more …

Jacksonville’s CBS News affiliate reports: The Jacksonville 2020 Host Committee released a memo today outlining health and safety guidelines during the Republican National Convention. In the memo, it said “everyone attending the convention within the perimeter will be tested and temperature checked each day.” Action News Jax reached out to the spokesperson for the host committee to find out how …