Live updates: As states begin to reopen, a report suggests coronavirus pandemic could last two more years

Against that backdrop comes a new report from the University of Minnesota suggesting the coronavirus pandemic could stretch on for two more years with recurring spikes until roughly two-thirds or more of the population is immune. In one of three scenarios in the report, the U.S. is expected to experience a severe resurgence this fall or winter.

Here are some significant developments:

Armed demonstrators stormed the Michigan Capitol to protest Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s strict stay-at-home order. The Republican-led legislature decided against extending the emergency declaration, so Whitmer did it herself.

Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, warned governors to avoid “leapfrogging” crucial milestones before reopening. “Obviously you could get away with that, but you’re making a really significant risk,” he said.

While millions of Americans will be able to return to stores, restaurants and movie theaters this weekend, stay-at-home restrictions are being extended in Ohio, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Arizona and Washington, among other states.

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans have sought unemployment benefits since the pandemic began â€" a number unprecedented in U.S. history.

The Trump administration is racing to develop a vaccine that could be fielded nationwide by January.

Despite widespread speculation that the coronavirus accidentally escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, there is no evidence of any connection between the two, experts said.

May 1, 2020 at 10:22 AM EDT

Why the IRS sent $1,200 to a wealthy British woman who lives in London and says she doesn’t need it

Tens of millions of Americans are still waiting for their $1,200 stimulus checks â€" but some payments have already gone out to people who don’t even remotely qualify as Americans in need.

Elizabeth B., a British national who asked that her last name not be used for fear of backlash, was shocked to find that her U.S. bank account had received a direct deposit from the IRS for $1,200. She received the payment on April 15.

The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or Cares Act, provides a $1,200 refundable tax credit for qualified individuals and $2,400 for qualified joint filers. There is an additional payment of $500 for every dependent child under 17.

In an effort to quickly disburse the stimulus money, the IRS used people’s tax returns from 2018 or 2019. If you got a refund in those years, you were among the first to receive money. Nearly 90 million Americans received their $1,200 stimulus payments, including people who received payments meant for deceased spouses, parents and siblings â€" and Elizabeth.

By Michelle Singletary

May 1, 2020 at 10:08 AM EDT

Experimental coronavirus drug not a cure, but ‘a very, very significant’ treatment, firm’s CEO says

Amid speculation that the Food and Drug Administration will seek authorization for doctors to prescribe the experimental drug remdesivir to coronavirus patients, the company behind the drug said it was poised to get more of the product out if that happens.

Daniel O’Day, chief executive of Gilead Sciences, the pharmaceutical company that invented the drug, said Friday morning that he expects the FDA to “act very quickly.”

“And we are prepared as a company to make sure we get this medicine to as many patients as possible as soon as possible after that approval,” O’Day said on NBC’s “Today” show.

The drug is being examined as a coronavirus treatment to speed up the recovery time for people with the virus. Anthony S. Fauci, who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases â€" which is overseeing a study of its impact â€" said data showed the drug had “a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery.”

The study found that patients treated with the drug were ready to be discharged within 11 days on average, lower than the 15-day average for patients who received a placebo. Fauci said this week that while the accelerated recovery time “doesn’t seem like a knockout 100 percent, it is a very important proof of concept.”

O'Day said Friday that the drug is “really for the most severe patients,” specifically those who are hospitalized and seriously ill.

“What we see here is really of course not a cure, but a very, very significant and important treatment for patients,” he said.

He was also asked Friday about the affordability of the drug if its use expands.

“Our responsibility is to get this medicine in the hands of as many patients as possible and really try to make a difference in this pandemic,” he said. “We’re all focused on making sure that we make this accessible and affordable to patients around the globe.”

By Mark Berman

May 1, 2020 at 10:04 AM EDT

Was the new coronavirus accidentally released from a Wuhan lab? It’s doubtful.

President Trump suggested Thursday that he had seen evidence that the new coronavirus emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China â€" just hours after the director of national intelligence issued a statement saying the matter is under investigation.

At least two labs in Wuhan research bat coronaviruses: the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Wuhan branch of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They have become a focal point of suspicion, in part because of their proximity to the Huanan Seafood Market, where a cluster of the first cases of the new coronavirus appeared. Speculation has also been heightened because of the actions of Chinese officials. Before the Chinese government had even alerted the World Health Organization to the growing epidemic, scientists were told to destroy early samples of the virus, according to the Straits Times, making it difficult to find the virus’s origins.

While technically possible, no direct evidence has emerged to support the lab leak theory. The Fact Checker found that the balance of the scientific evidence strongly supports the conclusion that the new coronavirus emerged from nature â€" be it the Wuhan market or somewhere else. Too many unexpected coincidences would have had to take place for it to have escaped from a lab. But the Chinese government has not been willing or able to provide information that would clarify lingering questions about any possible role played by either Wuhan lab.

By Meg Kelly and Sarah Cahlan

May 1, 2020 at 9:49 AM EDT

Mnuchin says private schools with large endowments should return business loan funding

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday that private schools with large endowments should return federal funds received under a new loan program to aid businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

His pronouncement, in a morning tweet, comes amid reports that a number of elite schools throughout the country have secured assistance through the Paycheck Protection Program, including one in West Los Angeles attended by two of Mnuchin’s children.

“It has come to our attention that some private schools with significant endowments have taken #PPP loans,” Mnuchin tweeted, referring to the program, which is intended to help keep employees on the payroll. “They should return them.”

The Los Angeles Times reported this week that Brentwood School, an elite K-12 institution, received a loan, according to an April 24 newsletter it sent to parents that said the federal funds would “help us enormously as we move forward into a financially ambiguous future.” At least two of Mnuchin’s children attend the school, according to The Times.

Monica Crowley, assistant secretary of the Treasury for public affairs, said in a statement to the paper that Mnuchin “has no knowledge if the school has taken out a PPP loan.”

“He saw in the press today that private schools with endowments have taken out these loans and he does not think it’s appropriate,” she added.

Among the other private schools that have secured money through the program is St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Md., which is attended by President Trump’s son, Barron. In a statement to CNN on Thursday, the school said it intends to keep the money, which it said would help “ensure retention of our full faculty and staff, including hourly employees and coaches, during this very challenging and uncertain time."

By John Wagner

May 1, 2020 at 9:38 AM EDT

The coronavirus spreads fast. Dangerous conspiracy theories about it spread faster.

Since the novel coronavirus pandemic began, misinformation has proliferated on the Internet â€" par for the course during a crisis. People took to social media in droves to share false claims that covering your body in chlorine or eating garlic were effective methods of fighting the virus, both of which were disproved by the World Health Organization.

The pandemic has also sparked a wave of more insidious conspiracy theories such as the false claim that 5G mobile networks spread and worsen the coronavirus, which has led to dozens of instances of arsonists setting fire to cell towers across Europe.

Misinformation spreads online much like a virus itself. Though various types spread slightly differently, the transmission of the 5G conspiracy theory offers some insight into how false claims grow online.

By Travis Andrews

May 1, 2020 at 9:18 AM EDT

Coronavirus lockdowns in Afghanistan trigger rise in food prices, put more than 7 million children at risk of hunger

More than 7 million children in Afghanistan are at risk of hunger as the price of food has soared because of lockdowns imposed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a Save the Children report Friday.

The report stated that border closures have caused the price of food to skyrocket, and lockdown restrictions have deprived many Afghans of income. The price of wheat flour and cooking oil in markets of Afghanistan’s main cities increased by up to 23 percent in the past month, according to United Nations data.

“For many Afghans, the biggest impact of the pandemic will not be the virus itself, but the hunger caused by lockdown measures and a breakdown in supply lines,” said Timothy Bishop, Save the Children’s Afghanistan country director.

“We are facing the very real risk that children could die from starvation,” he said. He called on the international community to “fly in food supplies to be distributed to some of the most vulnerable communities.”

Afghanistan had recorded over 2,300 cases of the coronavirus as of Friday morning, according to the Health Ministry, but officials fear the true number is much higher, as testing remains limited.

Decades of violence and poor funding have left Afghanistan with one of the weakest health-care systems in the world. More than half the country’s population lives below the poverty line. Before the coronavirus outbreak, Save the Children estimated that more than 5 million children in Afghanistan would need aid or support this year.

The U.N. World Food Program recently warned that more than a quarter-billion people worldwide could be affected by a global hunger pandemic triggered by the coronavirus lockdowns.

David Beasley, WFP’s executive director, said that if funding is cut or assistance is blocked by border closures, “300,000 could starve to death every single day for the next three months,” according to a WFP analysis.

By Susannah George

May 1, 2020 at 9:03 AM EDT

China threatened Australia with a boycott if it pushed a coronavirus investigation, reigniting a debate over economic ties

SEOUL â€" Soon after Australian officials called in April for a joint international investigation of the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese government ratcheted up pressure on Canberra to drop a proposal that it believed would unfairly target China.

In an interview last weekend, Ambassador Cheng Jingye hinted that Beijing held a trump card: a boycott. Persist with the inquiry, Cheng said, and “ordinary people might ask: “Why should we drink Australian wine? Why eat Australian beef?”

Cheng hoped to quickly squelch the investigation. Instead, he sparked a furor â€" and reignited a years-long debate in Australia over how a self-described “middle power” in China’s shadow should balance its economic and other national interests.

By Gerry Shih

May 1, 2020 at 8:54 AM EDT

Sports leagues really want to play games again. They just can’t figure out how.

After the novel coronavirus brought athletic competitions to a screeching halt in mid-March, the organized sports world in the United States is no closer today than seven weeks ago in determining how and when to resume play.

Amid mounting economic pressure for the sports world to recommence â€" with everything from eight-figure player salaries to stadium workers’ minimum-wage paychecks hanging in the balance â€" the American sports leagues have considered a variety of options, but every possibility presents obstacles, many insurmountable.

Interviews with league and union officials across the United States’ major sports reveal that no league is prepared to cancel its suspended season, but with the clock ticking â€" in a normal year, the NHL and NBA playoffs would be well underway â€" none is close to announcing definitive return-to-play plans either. League officials have mulled adjusting schedules, realigning divisions, staging games at neutral sites, and sheltering an entire league and isolating players in a single city. But as state restrictions change and the understanding of the virus evolves, no option has risen above the speculative.

By Rick Maese

May 1, 2020 at 8:42 AM EDT

End of federal social distancing guidelines ‘a very, very bad idea,’ Schumer says

Schumer made his comments during a remote appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” where the host posed the question in a colorful fashion: “Do you think ending the federal guidelines now is a good idea? I mean, is it over? Can we go start licking doorknobs?”

“It’s a very, very bad idea,” Schumer replied. “We should be listening to the medical experts, and they all tell us we should not go too soon, because it could come back with a vengeance.”

Administration officials say the distancing measures in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak have been replaced by White House guidance on how states should reopen â€" which include less-stringent social distancing recommendations.

During his appearance with Colbert, Schumer also repeated criticism that President Trump has not been aggressive enough in implementing testing.

Trump subsequently attacked Schumer, claiming he was “using a false talking point over & over again” and calling him a “totally overrated loser.”

By John Wagner

May 1, 2020 at 8:39 AM EDT

Pandemic could last two years, researchers say

The coronavirus pandemic could stretch on for two more years with recurring spikes until roughly two-thirds or more of the population is immune, researchers estimate in a new report.

In the report released Thursday by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, researchers warned that the United States should prepare for a dip in cases followed by a sharp resurgence this fall or winter that is even more severe than the current spike.

The late-season spike is among three scenarios researchers predict for the Northern Hemisphere. The other two include a series of smaller waves following the current spring 2020 peak and a “slow burn” of repeated, smaller waves for the next 18 to 24 months.

In all three scenarios, people will continue to die. A vaccine is not predicted to significantly change the projections because one will realistically not be available until after the worst of the outbreak, the report says. It says the novel coronavirus remains hard to contain since people don’t immediately, if ever, show symptoms, so they spread it before they realize they’re infected.

Experts advise governments to plan for the worst-case scenario and prioritize protecting health-care workers, crafting clear communication of the risk and duration of the threat and planning strategies to repeatedly undergo restrictions.

Mike Osterholm, who directs CIDRAP, told CNN that all indications for now point to a longer and harder road ahead.

“The idea that this is going to be done soon defies microbiology,” he said.

By Kim Bellware

May 1, 2020 at 8:17 AM EDT

Justice Dept. scrutinizes White House-connected doctor linked to hydroxychloroquine

Federal prosecutors are examining the communications of a New York family doctor who appears frequently on Fox News and has been in touch with the White House to tout an anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, as a treatment for the novel coronavirus, according to people contacted as part of the inquiry.

The examination of Vladimir “Zev” Zelenko’s records began when an associate, conservative commentator Jerome Corsi, accidentally sent an email intended for Zelenko to another “Z” name in his address book â€" federal prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky, who as a member of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team had spent months scrutinizing Corsi’s activities during the 2016 presidential election.

During episodes of his daily podcast this week and in a YouTube video he posted late Thursday in response to questions from The Washington Post, Corsi said that Zelinsky responded to the unexpected email by reaching out to Corsi’s lawyer and requesting all of Corsi’s communications with Zelenko.

Corsi said he and Zelenko are collaborating on a website designed to connect people with doctors. They have acted lawfully, Corsi added, but he plans to cooperate with the request and has handed over his communications.

By Rosalind Helderman and Matt Zapotosky

May 1, 2020 at 7:54 AM EDT

After a day of armed protesters and a GOP lawsuit threat, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extends state of emergency

Confronted with armed protesters at the state capitol and a lawsuit threat from GOP lawmakers over her executive orders, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) was unmoved, deciding to extend Michigan’s state-of-emergency declaration against the legislature’s wishes and without its approval.

Whitmer’s Thursday executive actions, which extend various business closures and the emergency declaration to May 28, capped a remarkable day at the Michigan Capitol building, complete with gun-toting protesters and impassioned speeches on the House floor by Republican lawmakers trying to curtail Whitmer’s power.

Outside the House chamber, protesters crammed into the hallway and stairwell, periodically chanting, “Lock her up!” and “Let us in!” Their chanting could be heard faintly from the House floor â€" and, ultimately, the Republicans gave the protesters what they wanted: a refusal to extend Whitmer’s emergency declaration. It didn’t stop Whitmer from extending it anyway.

By Meagan Flynn

May 1, 2020 at 7:32 AM EDT

Reopened restaurants reveal dining’s ‘new normal’: masked waiters, e-menus and booth dividers

The waiters wear plastic gloves and masks. The menus might be disposable, or even on customers’ phones. Diners might not be allowed to sit with anyone who doesn’t live in their household. Perhaps there’s a faint whiff of bleach in the air, or dividers between booths. The dining rooms can look mostly empty, with six feet or more between tables and restaurants limited to as little as 25 percent of their capacity.

This is what’s not normal about the dining scene this week in Georgia, Tennessee and Alaska, where restaurants were given the go-ahead to resume serving patrons in-house, weeks after the coronavirus shuttered eateries, from farm-to-table bistros to greasy-spoon diners.

But here’s what is: patrons settling into tables and booths, ordering the “Summertime Setback” cocktail at Hugo’s Oyster Bar in Roswell, Ga., the chiles rellenos at Chapultepec in Tyrone, Ga., or the burgers at Matanuska Brewing in Anchorage. They’re greeting servers they haven’t seen in weeks.

By Emily Heil and Tim Carman

May 1, 2020 at 7:17 AM EDT

Stranded in the United States, with no way home or health insurance: ‘We’re just trapped’

She was supposed to stay in New York for a month, exploring the city and swapping business cards. Then the pandemic struck, and her country shuttered its airports. Now, Nuong Faalong, a broadcast journalist from Ghana, is trapped on a friend’s pullout couch.

“This is a terrible nightmare,” said Faalong, 33, who doesn’t have American health insurance â€" or any idea when she can leave.

Thousands of Africans are thought to be stranded in the United States after borders tightened around the world, thrusting them into coronavirus limbo in the nation with the world’s highest death toll. Getting back to an African country is particularly hard when 34 of the continent’s 57 international airports have closed or dramatically cut flights. Panicked people are calling embassies, diplomats say, but national budgets are strained from fighting outbreaks â€" and repatriation flights are astronomically costly.

By Danielle Paquette

May 1, 2020 at 6:42 AM EDT

Trump prepares to leave White House for first time in a month, head to Camp David

President Trump on Friday is scheduled to head to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Western Maryland, in what will be his first travel outside the White House compound in more than a month.

Trump has been eager to resume travel around the country to tout what he sees as his administration’s progress in combating the novel coronavirus and highlight efforts to reopen the country’s economy.

On Tuesday, Trump is scheduled to travel to Phoenix, where he plans to visit a Honeywell facility that is manufacturing N95 respirator masks at an existing aerospace facility to meet increased demand during the pandemic, according to the White House. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) recently extended a stay-at-home order in the state until May 15.

It is not clear how long Trump will stay at Camp David, a trip that was announced late Thursday by the White House. He is scheduled to depart at 5 p.m. Friday. The last time Trump left Washington was March 28, when he traveled to Norfolk to see off the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship that was deployed to New York.

Meanwhile, Kayleigh McEnany is scheduled Friday to hold her first briefing from the podium since becoming the new White House press secretary. Such briefings had long been commonplace under presidents of both parties but had been phased out under Trump. McEnany’s appearance comes as the White House continues to search for ways to better publicize what Trump is doing in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

By John Wagner

May 1, 2020 at 6:33 AM EDT

Fauci warns states rushing to reopen: ‘You’re making a really significant risk’

With the White House’s social distancing guidelines expiring Thursday, leaving states largely in charge of deciding how to move forward, Anthony S. Fauci warned local leaders to avoid “leapfrogging” critical milestones in an effort to reopen their economies amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“Obviously you could get away with that, but you’re making a really significant risk,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Thursday evening on CNN.

Fauci, who has repeatedly cautioned against prematurely easing restrictions, said he already noticed that some states and cities are not adhering to the steps laid out in the White House’s recently issued guidance on reopening â€" a plan that administration officials say will now replace the expired federal social distancing measures.

By Allyson Chiu

May 1, 2020 at 6:27 AM EDT

Countries step up police presence as they monitor May Day activities

Authorities around the world were closely monitoring public gatherings on Friday, a day that in normal years is dominated by mass rallies for workers’ rights and has triggered clashes between activists and police in the past.

Concerns over May Day, or International Workers’ Day, rallies prompted an increased police presence in a number of countries on Friday, with one top police official in the Philippines saying authorities were preparing for “mass actions” by militant groups. There were reports of several arrests. In Hong Kong, additional riot police officers were deployed, as well.

In Germany and Greece, some activists had also vowed to ignore bans on gatherings ahead of May 1, but it remained unclear on Friday morning if those plans would result in any major disruptions. The vast majority of events on the continent have been moved online; virtual protests were scheduled to take place in numerous countries, including France and Finland.

This year’s May Day activities come as millions of jobs worldwide are at risk from the coronavirus pandemic, with workers in nations without functioning welfare systems being hit particularly hard.

In Europe, initial figures published Thursday showed that seasonally adjusted unemployment in the euro zone rose by only 0.1 percentage point in March, to 7.4 percent from 7.3 percent in February â€" a relatively slight uptick compared to the far steeper rise in the United States. But some European workers’ rights advocates argue that the numbers do not fully reflect the threat the current crisis poses, because many governments in Europe currently subsidize the salaries of employees to prevent mass layoffs and keep employment figures up.

By Rick Noack

May 1, 2020 at 5:19 AM EDT

Ventilators sent to Britain from China could kill or cause ‘significant patient harm,’ doctors warn

LONDON â€" British doctors have warned that 250 ventilators that arrived in the United Kingdom from China to help treat people infected with the novel coronavirus may actually kill or cause “significant patient harm,” according to a letter reviewed by NBC News.

The document, dated April 13, highlights a string of concerns and notes that the Shangrila 510 model ventilators cannot be cleaned thoroughly and have a “variable and unreliable” oxygen supply. The letter, which was addressed to a senior National Health Service official, also states that the machinery is of “basic” quality and is not suitable for the current crisis.

“We believe that if used, significant patient harm, including death, is likely,” the doctors, who represent a group of health-care workers operating in and around the city of Birmingham, wrote. “We look forward to the withdrawal and replacement of these ventilators with devices better able to provide intensive care ventilation for our patients.”

As the crisis on British soil accelerated and the infection and death rates surged, hospitals struggled to treat patients due to a severe shortage of beds, ventilators and personal protective equipment for staff, with at least one hospital running out of oxygen. Officials appealed to car manufacturers to create breathing devices, while other countries such as Turkey and China flew aid into a country that was scrambling to contain the disease.

In early April, the British government confirmed it had purchased 300 ventilators from China, with senior minister Michael Gove thanking the Chinese government for its support during the crisis.

The coronavirus has so far claimed at least 26,000 lives in the United Kingdom, making it the second worst-hit country in Europe. Italy is currently the most badly affected, with at least 27,967 recorded deaths.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was hospitalized with the infection himself, has faced widespread criticism in recent months, including accusations that the country was not adequately prepared for the outbreak. A recent BBC investigation uncovered that the government failed to include crucial items of personal protective equipment, such as gowns, swabs, body bags and visors, in its pandemic stockpile.

By Jennifer Hassan

May 1, 2020 at 5:12 AM EDT

NASCAR will return this month, but without fans in the stands

NASCAR will resume its season midway through this month, it said on Thursday, although fans will not be allowed in the stands.

A 400-mile Cup Series race on May 17 will mark one of the first major U.S. sporting events in more than two months, after the coronavirus pandemic shut down racing and every other professional league in the country. So far, only UFC professional mixed martial arts said it will return sooner, on May 9.

The competition at South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway will kick off a slate of seven races across NASCAR’s top three series, and all events will employ strict social distancing measures, the sanctioning body said.

Below the empty grandstands, anyone present at the track will be required to wear a face mask, while garages and team motor coaches will be spread out to avoid any possibility of spreading the virus.

Besides Darlington, most of NASCAR’s other regular venues will remain closed. After three races in South Carolina, its May schedule will also include the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, a much-hyped race scheduled to take place there on Memorial Day weekend this year, as it has for almost six decades.

The event will be staged with the blessing of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), who said earlier this week the event would probably be held if health conditions did not deteriorate.

Last week, the state classified NASCAR teams as “essential businesses,” allowing race shops in Charlotte and beyond to resume preparing for the season.

Despite the body’s announcement, the outlook for most other sporting events is not as optimistic. The Little League World Series will not be played this year for the first time since the tournament began in 1947, its governing body said Thursday.

By Teo Armus

May 1, 2020 at 5:09 AM EDT

Teens in Georgia will be able to get a driver’s license without a road test

Teenagers in Georgia have a brief window to get their driver’s licenses without ever taking a road test, thanks to the global pandemic.

Because driving tests aren’t exactly compatible with social distancing, the rite of passage has been on hold for weeks. That has created a backlog of roughly 30,000 people who are otherwise qualified to get their licenses but have yet to take the test, WSB-TV reported.

While Georgia started to loosen many restrictions last Friday, allowing businesses such as nail salons and gyms to reopen, driving tests are still suspended. In an executive order issued last week, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) attempted to address the backlog by waiving the road test requirement for teens who already have learner’s permits.

The waiver will remain in place until May 15, when Kemp’s statewide emergency order expires. Teens still have to meet all the other requirements, such as completing 40 hours of supervised driving with a parent or an instructor, and they can’t have any violations on their driving record.

Still, the change is making some parents nervous.

“I have mixed feelings because I do feel we need to keep social distancing,” Alicia Wiggins, whose 15-year-old has a learner’s permit, told WSB-TV. “But I also feel nervous about having drivers on the road that haven’t actually passed a road test.”

By Antonia Farzan

May 1, 2020 at 4:22 AM EDT

Analysis: Brazil’s Bolsonaro sits on a ticking coronavirus time bomb

The president could only muster an impatient shrug Tuesday when confronted by reporters about the country’s more than 5,500 confirmed coronavirus deaths. “So what?” he said. “I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?”

By Ishaan Tharoor

May 1, 2020 at 3:54 AM EDT

U.S. officials crafting retaliatory actions against China as President Trump fumes

Senior U.S. officials are beginning to explore proposals for punishing or demanding financial compensation from China for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to four senior administration officials with knowledge of internal planning.

The move could splinter already strained relations between the two world powers at a perilous moment for the global economy.

President Trump has fumed to aides and others in recent days about China, blaming the country for withholding information about the virus, and has discussed enacting dramatic measures that would probably lead to retaliation by Beijing, these people said.

By Jeff Stein, Carol D. Leonnig, Josh Dawsey and Gerry Shih

May 1, 2020 at 3:15 AM EDT

Anderson Cooper announces birth of his son, urges people to ‘hold on to moments of joy’

Toward the end of his weekly coronavirus town hall on Thursday night, Anderson Cooper broke some good news and offered a moment of reprieve from the pandemic: “I am a dad.”

Cooper, 52, announced that a surrogate gave birth to Wyatt Morgan Cooper, who was born on Monday at 7.2 pounds.

The anchor, whose interviews during the pandemic have seen him clash with Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and console a woman whose husband had died of covid-19, was emotional in announcing Wyatt’s birth on a day in which the U.S. coronavirus death toll approached 63,000.

By Timothy Bella

May 1, 2020 at 3:06 AM EDT

Malaysia will allow businesses to reopen on Monday

Malaysia will allow most businesses to reopen starting next week, the nation’s prime minister said Friday, the country’s first major step to loosen restrictions meant to contain the novel coronavirus.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised address that the Southeast Asian country was ready to carefully reopen its economy, according to Reuters. After Malaysia was shut down for more than six weeks and leading the region in infections, cases have started to slow.

But the move is only a first step. Schools and universities, as well as cinemas, nightclubs and other businesses involving close contact, will remain closed, as will religious events and other large gatherings, Muhyiddin said.

The country’s largest cluster of infections was linked to a Muslim prayer event in late February, when at least 12,500 people congregated in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. Some of the summit’s foreign attendees carried the virus across Southeast Asia.

Muhyiddin said Malaysians would have to continue wearing masks and practicing social distancing, and he encouraged employers to let workers stay home or come into the office on alternate days.

Restaurants can open under strict guidelines, while all travel between states or outside the country remains prohibited.

By Teo Armus

May 1, 2020 at 3:04 AM EDT

3.8 million Americans sought jobless benefits last week, extending pandemic’s grip on the national workforce

More than 3.8 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week, according to the Labor Department, as the coronavirus pandemic’s economic toll burrowed deeper into the American workforce.

The outbreak and subsequent recession have wiped away all jobs created since the Great Recession. Economists estimate the national unemployment rate sits between 15 and 20 percent, compared to about 25 percent at the peak of the Great Depression.

For comparison, 4.4 million people applied for benefits for the week ending April 18, and 30.3 million have sought benefits in the past six weeks alone. That figure represents roughly 1 in 5 American workers.

By Rachel Siegel and Andrew Van Dam

May 1, 2020 at 2:51 AM EDT

Federal judge orders release of hundreds of immigration detainees in Florida

The U.S. government must release hundreds of immigrants detained in three facilities in South Florida, a federal judge in Miami said Thursday.

Her order, which said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has acted with “deliberate indifference” toward the health of its detainees, comes amid growing concerns about outbreaks inside the detention centers.

“There is record evidence demonstrating that ICE has failed in its duty to protect the safety and general well-being of the petitioners,” U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke wrote.

Nationwide, at least 490 detainees have contracted the virus, according to ICE data, although none have died in custody.

But with hunger strikes emerging at some facilities, advocates fear it may be only a matter of time. One of the Florida lockups grouped together a hundred people who had been exposed in large, crowded dormitories with no masks or hand sanitizer, the Miami Herald reported.

Under Cooke’s order, the agency must provide new face masks each week to detainees in three facilities and report on steps to release detainees who are deemed medically vulnerable and not facing criminal prosecution â€" a group that includes hundreds of people.

Similar cases to release migrants are being argued across the country. In Louisiana, a magistrate judge recommended the release of more than a dozen detainees across five facilities.

“People who are detained are right now being exposed to risks to their health and safety that are completely disproportionate with whatever interest the government might have in detaining them,” said Sirine Shebaya, director of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, which is arguing the Louisiana case.

Previous legal rulings have ordered ICE to disclose its efforts to release parents and children held at three family detention centers, as well as adults detained in some Southern states who are considered at higher risk of dying from the virus.

By Teo Armus

May 1, 2020 at 2:48 AM EDT

‘People need these procedures’: Beverly Hills votes to end moratorium on plastic surgeries

Nose jobs and facelifts will be allowed to resume in Beverly Hills, Calif., following a City Council vote Wednesday that ended a six-week moratorium on cosmetic surgeries.

The amended ordinance allows medical clinics to resume all elective procedures, including colonoscopies and heart valve replacements. But it also permits doctors to perform surgeries that aren’t quite so crucial. John Mirisch, the only member of the City Council to vote against the change, argued that Beverly Hills should have drawn a distinction between medically necessary procedures, such as angioplasties, and those that are purely cosmetic, like breast augmentation.

“I think it would be extremely irresponsible of us, and it would send a terrible message to the world, if the first thing we do is to allow boob and butt jobs to happen again,” he said, according to KTLA.

One Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Arash Moradzadeh, argued that it was possible to perform cosmetic procedures safely despite the pandemic. He plans on limiting appointments, banning patients from the waiting room, screening all staff and patients with infrared thermometers and recommending a seven-day quarantine period before surgeries, he told Fox 11 Los Angeles.

“People need these procedures because it helps them feel better, and feeling better is very important right now when we’re taking such a psychological impact of being stuck at home or losing our jobs,” Moradzadeh told the station.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced last week that hospitals would be allowed to resume scheduled surgeries, but he emphasized that the goal was to prevent further delays for essential procedures such as tumor removals. Beverly Hills city officials on Wednesday noted on Facebook that cosmetic procedures, although technically legal, “are still not recommended by the State, LA County Health or the City of Beverly Hills during the covid-19 pandemic.”

By Antonia Farzan

May 1, 2020 at 2:35 AM EDT

Boeing raises $25 billion in massive bond sale, turns down bailout funds

Boeing has raised $25 billion in a massive debt sale, allowing it to avoid tapping a $17 billion coronavirus bailout fund meant to shore up businesses critical to national security.

The company announced Thursday that it would not accept any additional funding from private or government sources before the bond sale closes Monday. The announcement came ahead of the Friday deadline to accept federal funding through the $2 trillion Cares Act. Federal funds could still filter through to the company’s 17,000 suppliers; Boeing has suggested the broader aerospace manufacturing industry should receive at least $60 billion to see it through the crisis.

By Aaron Gregg and Christian Davenport

May 1, 2020 at 1:51 AM EDT

China wasn’t wild about Mike Pompeo before the virus. It’s really gunning for him now.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is, according to the official Chinese narrative, an “enemy of humankind” practicing “highly venomous” diplomacy. He’s a “super-spreader” of a “political virus.” He’s a “rumor monger” with a “dark mind.”

This past week, the organs of the Chinese state have unleashed surprisingly personal salvos against America’s top diplomat in a manner reminiscent of the way North Korea used to speak about then-national security adviser John Bolton.

In response to Pompeo’s relentless attacks on Beijing over the coronavirus outbreak â€" including unsupported claims that the virus could have leaked from a Wuhan lab â€" China’s most-watched nightly news broadcast has devoted prime airtime to lambasting the secretary of state.

By Anna Fifield

May 1, 2020 at 1:42 AM EDT

France will encourage cycling post-lockdown by paying for some bike repairs

In an effort to cut down on car traffic and avoid overcrowding on public transit, France will help cover the cost of bike repairs when the country’s nationwide lockdown ends May 11.

Worried that people will start driving to work when restrictions are lifted, leading to a massive increase in air pollution, France’s environmental ministry on Wednesday announced a 20 million euro (roughly $22 million) plan to encourage cycling instead. As part of the package, the government is offering a stipend of about $55 per person that can be used for new chains, brakes, tires or whatever else they need to get their bikes street-ready.

The funds will also be used to create temporary parking spots for bicycles, and make free lessons available to adults who have never learned how to ride a bike. A separate initiative, which is still in the works, aims to subsidize up to roughly $438 in travel costs for people who commute to work by bike.

By Antonia Farzan

May 1, 2020 at 1:29 AM EDT

Amazon sales soar as worried consumers shop from home, but costs rise

SEATTLE â€" The massive shopping surge fueled by the coronavirus pandemic caught Amazon unprepared, even as it drove a 26 percent jump in first-quarter revenue, the company said Thursday.

Now, Amazon plans to spend at least $4 billion in the current quarter to add warehouse and delivery workers, test its staff and provide them with personal protective gear so it can unclog its network that still struggles to meet customer demand for household staples such as toilet paper and bleach. (Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

By Jay Greene

May 1, 2020 at 1:03 AM EDT

A Japanese aquarium wants you to FaceTime with its lonely eels

If you’ve ever wanted to video chat with an eel, the coronavirus lockdown could provide your chance.

In one of the stranger requests to come out of the global pandemic, Tokyo’s Sumida Aquarium is inviting people to take part in a “face-showing festival” for the benefit of its slippery residents, who appear to have forgotten how to behave around humans.

“Let us make an emergency plea,” the aquarium wrote on Twitter this week, according to Agence France-Presse. “Could you show your face to our garden eels from your home?”

The aquarium has been closed for two months, and during that time, the eels have gotten used to a world where visitors aren’t constantly peering into their tanks. They’re now so unaccustomed to people that they burrow into the sand and hide whenever their keepers walk by â€" which makes it hard for the keepers to check up on their health.

To help the wary eels become reacquainted with humans, aquarium staff are setting up five tablets outside the tanks and inviting people to call the eels on FaceTime. Waving and talking to the eels is encouraged, but shouting is not, due to the animals’ sensitive nature.

The “face-showing festival” will take place from May 3 to May 5, during the peak of Japan’s Golden Week holiday. Typically, the holiday is a busy time for travel, but authorities have urged people to help contain the spread of the coronavirus by staying at home instead â€" giving them plenty of time to call up some eels.

By Antonia Farzan

May 1, 2020 at 1:01 AM EDT

Coronavirus hits European economies but governments help shield workers

BRUSSELS â€" The coronavirus pandemic has dealt Europe an economic wallop on par with that in the United States, but Europe has more successfully managed to shield workers, according to data released Thursday.

The European economy shrank by 3.5 percent in the first quarter of the year, the sharpest decline on record. The U.S. economy contracted by an annualized 4.8 percent during the same period.

The contrast shows the effect of Europe’s starkly different approach to fighting the economy-busting effects of the pandemic, with many governments intervening to subsidize private-sector salaries.

By Michael Birnbaum

May 1, 2020 at 12:44 AM EDT

How 10 Americans are navigating the coronavirus economy

An artist wakes before 4 a.m. to report to her new job at a grocery store. A restaurant manager tearfully lays off his staff and gives away meals. A personal trainer begins making his own plastic face shields.

These Americans are among 10 people whose journeys The Washington Post will follow over the coming months, as they and millions of others navigate the trail of economic devastation the coronavirus pandemic has left in its wake. They are telling their stories to Post reporters, and The Post is publishing excerpts, edited only for length, from those conversations.

By Rachel Siegel, Kanyakrit Vongkiatkajorn, Renae Merle, Julie Vitkovskaya and Jena McGregor

May 1, 2020 at 12:34 AM EDT

Democrats question McConnell’s decision to return Senate to business

A prominent Democrat suggested Thursday that the Senate’s return to work next week would put support workers on Capitol Hill â€" many of them racial minorities â€" at undue risk of contracting covid-19.

The comment from Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a former presidential candidate, was an implicit criticism of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to convene the chamber after a month-long hiatus prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, and it highlighted significant discomfort on Capitol Hill over a return to legislative business â€" even with social distancing precautions in place.

By Mike DeBonis and Paul Kane

May 1, 2020 at 12:26 AM EDT

Analysis: Betsy DeVos finds new pot of cash to push education agenda: federal relief money

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has found a new pot of cash with which to pursue her school “choice” agenda: money from the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package Congress passed to boost the economy as it deals with the pandemic.

DeVos, who has made it her top priority as education secretary to find alternatives to traditional public school districts, announced this week that she is starting a competition for states to apply for “rethinking” education grants.

By Valerie Strauss

May 1, 2020 at 12:22 AM EDT

As White House’s social distancing guidelines expire, health experts worry mixed messages will spur public complacency

As the federal government’s social distancing guidelines expire Thursday to be replaced by less stringent advice, health officials worry some governors may relax the measures prematurely and the public will become complacent â€" even as an estimated 20,000 new cases of the disease caused by the coronavirus are reported daily.

By Yasmeen Abutaleb and Rachel Weiner

May 1, 2020 at 12:13 AM EDT

More airlines move to make masks mandatory for travelers

Momentum is growing behind the push to require passengers to wear masks when they fly, in hopes of providing an extra layer of protection against the spread of the novel coronavirus.

On Thursday, American, Delta, Frontier and United announced that starting this month, passengers would be required to wear masks or facial coverings when they fly. The shift comes after JetBlue announced a similar policy Monday.

Crew members also will be required to wear masks, the airlines said.

By Lori Aratani

May 1, 2020 at 12:10 AM EDT

Administration describes a dash for a coronavirus vaccine that would be available in January

The Trump administration is racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine that could be fielded nationwide by January, U.S. officials said Thursday, as national stay-at-home guidance expired.

The January timeline represents a fast pace for vaccine development but still means there would be no fail-safe protection from the novel coronavirus until long after most Americans are likely to have returned to work or school and until after the November presidential election.

Anthony S. Fauci, the United States’ top infectious-disease specialist, said the goal is production of hundreds of millions of doses by January, an effort dubbed “Operation Warp Speed.”

By Anne Gearan, Felicia Sonmez and Erica Werner