Coronavirus

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration is asking state labor officials to delay releasing the precise number of unemployment claims they are fielding, an indication of how uneasy policymakers are about further roiling a stock market already plunging in response to the coronavirus outbreak. In an email sent Wednesday, the Labor Department instructed state officials to only “provide …

CNBC reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued a statewide order for all residents to ‘stay at home’ amid a coronavirus outbreak. “We need to bend the curve in the state of California,” Newsom said, as he announced a statewide order for Californians to stay home. “There’s a social contract here, people I think recognize the need to do …

The Daily Beast reports: The Senate’s newest member sold off seven figures’ worth of stock holdings in the days and weeks after a private, all-senators meeting on the novel coronavirus that subsequently hammered U.S. equities. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) reported the first sale of stock jointly owned by her and her husband on Jan. 24, the very day that her …

The New York Post reports: It began one week ago. First came the social media posts, the rich showing off their fleets of SUVs — three to a family sometimes — with fresh and canned food bought in the city, announcing they were headed to their second homes out east, where they immediately ravaged every supermarket and stripped the shelves …

Reuters reports: President Donald Trump will cancel an in-person meeting of G7 leaders at Camp David in June because of the coronavirus and will hold a video-conference instead, the White House said on Thursday. The decision comes as nations around the world seal their borders and ban travel to stop the virus’ spread. Trump held a video-conference with the leaders …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday asked Congress for $1 billion in federal funds to support the state’s medical response to the novel coronavirus, which he expects will infect more than half of all Californians. The state projects that 25.5 million people in California will be infected with the coronavirus over an eight-week period, Newsom said …

The New York Post reports: New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton [photo] has tested positive for coronavirus, Payton told ESPN. Payton is the first known person within the NFL to test positive for the virus. The 56-year-old received the result Thursday after taking the exam Monday. He’s experiencing fatigue at home but doesn’t have a fever or cough. Payton, …

ProPublica reports: Soon after he offered public assurances that the government was ready to battle the coronavirus, the powerful chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, sold off a significant percentage of his stocks, unloading between $582,029 and $1.56 million of his holdings on Feb. 13 in 29 separate transactions. As the head of the intelligence committee, Burr, a …

The Washington Post reports: Connecticut on Thursday became the sixth state to push back its presidential primary because of the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Ned Lamont announced the move on Twitter, saying he would work with his secretary of state to reschedule the contest, originally scheduled for April 28, to June 2. The Democratic governor said the decision was part of …

Here’s the official warning I reported was coming: The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for …

Axios reports: Russia is already spreading misinformation about the coronavirus throughout the West, according to digital forensics experts and government officials. The most effective misinformation plays into existing fears, especially around health, safety and well-being. Russia often takes advantage of real-world health crises to sow discord among Americans. A document sent to European lawmakers Monday by European Union officials asserts …

Politico reports: The State Department is set to announce a Level 4 travel advisory applying to all international travel, its most severe warning, three individuals with knowledge of the pending announcement said. The advisory, which appears to be unprecedented, would instruct all Americans abroad to either return to the United States or prepare to shelter in place, given the global …

The Associated Press reports: Not every house of worship is bowing to government guidelines designed to help snuff out the virus. Rodney Howard-Browne, a Florida-based charismatic Christian pastor who prayed over Trump in the Oval Office in 2017, vowed not to stop services and encouraged worshippers to shake hands. In Louisiana, pastor Tony Spell was warned by police Tuesday after …

Reuters reports: A pill containing two HIV drugs that was touted as a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus was not effective, according to a study released late on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. A test in Chinese patients with severe COVID-19 disease found the 99 who received AbbVie Inc’s Kaletra, a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, …

Politico reports: Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, has tested negative for coronavirus, a party spokesman announced, just days after she displayed flu-like symptoms following a trip to Mar-a-Lago. “On the advice of her doctor, @GOPChairwoman was administered a test for COVID-19. That test has fortunately come back negative,” Michael Ahrens, the RNC communications director, posted on Twitter. …

NPR reports: The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee warned a small group of well-connected constituents three weeks ago to prepare for dire economic and societal effects of the coronavirus, according to a secret recording obtained by NPR. The remarks from U.S. Sen. Richard Burr were more stark than any he had delivered in more public forums. On Feb. 27, …

NBC News reports: Minnesota has classified grocery store workers as emergency personnel, allowing them to access free child care provided by the state. As people continue to practice social distancing and restaurants and bars remain closed, grocery store workers have essentially become first responders to the crisis, making sure everybody stays fed. For this reason, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz added …

Fox News reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told spring breakers in the state on Thursday that “The party’s over” amid the coronavirus outbreak. DeSantis made the comment on “Fox & Friends” after images of students on spring break crowding Florida beaches surfaced this week, despite officials’ encouragement of social distancing. “The message I think for spring breakers is that the …

ABC News reports: Members of the coronavirus task force will hold a press briefing about the virus in Washington D.C. The conference is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Thursday in the White House. President Donald Trump on Wednesday invoked rarely used emergency powers to marshal critical medical supplies against the coronavirus pandemic. Trump also signed an aid package — …

The Anchorage Daily News reports: Alaska’s lone member of the U.S. House, Rep. Don Young, told a gathering of senior citizens last week that dangers posed by the coronavirus pandemic — the “beer virus,” he called it — have been overblown due to media-fueled hysteria. Speaking on Friday at Mat-Su Senior Services, a Palmer nonprofit that provides housing and services …