Updates

People wearing face masks walk on a street Sunday in the Hongdae district of Seoul, South Korea. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks walk on a street Sunday in the Hongdae district of Seoul, South Korea. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images In South Korea, churches resumed in-person services and stadiums welcomed sports fans over the weekend as the country once again manages to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The government eased social distancing restrictions after the country apparently dodged a surge in cases that was feared to […]

More than 40 million coronavirus infections have now been reported worldwide. Here, a staff member at a school in Moscow uses an infrared thermometer on Monday to screen students. Moscow schools reopened after a two-week fall holiday, but a rise in cases means only primary school pupils will be in classrooms. Sergei Fadeichev/TASS via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Sergei Fadeichev/TASS via Getty Images More than 40 million coronavirus infections have now been reported worldwide. Here, a staff member at a school in Moscow uses an infrared thermometer on Monday to screen students. Moscow schools reopened after a two-week fall […]

President Trump announced a partnership with two national pharmacy chains to administer coronavirus vaccines to nursing homes at an event in Fort Myers, Fla. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images President Trump announced a partnership with two national pharmacy chains to administer coronavirus vaccines to nursing homes at an event in Fort Myers, Fla. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images The Trump administration announced a new partnership with two major national pharmacy chains to facilitate the distribution of a future coronavirus vaccine to nursing homes on Friday. “Today, I’m thrilled to announce that we […]

The government shortfall for the fiscal year that just ended is far greater than was seen during the height of the Great Recession. The national debt now exceeds the size of the U.S. economy. Patrick Semansky/AP hide caption toggle caption Patrick Semansky/AP The government shortfall for the fiscal year that just ended is far greater than was seen during the height of the Great Recession. The national debt now exceeds the size of the U.S. economy. Patrick Semansky/AP Updated at 3:16 p.m. ET The U.S. budget deficit soared to a record $3.1 trillion, following a massive surge in government spending aimed […]

Shoppers stroll through the newly reopened Westfield Santa Anita mall in Arcadia, Calif., on Oct. 7. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images Shoppers stroll through the newly reopened Westfield Santa Anita mall in Arcadia, Calif., on Oct. 7. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images Updated at 9:23 a.m. ET U.S. retail spending grew a stronger-than-expected 1.9% in September, delivering a slight boost of confidence to a recent spate of signs that the U.S. economic recovery has lost momentum from the pandemic’s toll. Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, and retail sales are a […]

People wear face masks as they leave a store in Vernon Hills, Ill., last week. State health officials say the number of coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths in the state are hitting worrisome new highs. Nam Y. Huh/AP hide caption toggle caption Nam Y. Huh/AP People wear face masks as they leave a store in Vernon Hills, Ill., last week. State health officials say the number of coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths in the state are hitting worrisome new highs. Nam Y. Huh/AP Health officials in Illinois on Thursday announced the largest number of COVID-19 deaths for a single day since […]

United Airlines’ nearly empty terminal at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in April. David Schaper/NPR hide caption toggle caption David Schaper/NPR United Airlines’ nearly empty terminal at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in April. David Schaper/NPR As the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a huge financial toll on the travel industry, airlines are trying to shift their focus from stopping the bleeding to planning for a recovery. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is expressing confidence, saying a recovery is “now visible on the horizon,” even though that recovery still appears to be a long way off. “The light at the end of the […]

Commuters walk over London Bridge toward the City of London during the morning rush hour on Thursday. The city and other large areas are now under a high alert for the coronavirus, as health officials enact new restrictions. Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images Commuters walk over London Bridge toward the City of London during the morning rush hour on Thursday. The city and other large areas are now under a high alert for the coronavirus, as health officials enact new restrictions. Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images London, Birmingham and other U.K. cities […]

French President Emmanuel Macron is ordering nightly curfews for Paris and other large cities, hoping to control the coronavirus. A woman wears a protective face mask as she sits in the Louvre Museum’s courtyard Wednesday in Paris. Chesnot/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Chesnot/Getty Images French President Emmanuel Macron is ordering nightly curfews for Paris and other large cities, hoping to control the coronavirus. A woman wears a protective face mask as she sits in the Louvre Museum’s courtyard Wednesday in Paris. Chesnot/Getty Images Coronavirus restrictions are taking effect in the Netherlands, the U.K., the Czech Republic and other parts of […]

Russia’s Vektor State Enterprise, a former Soviet-era bioweapons lab that has developed a new and yet-to-be-proven coronavirus vaccine, shown in 2018. Donat Sorokin/TASS hide caption toggle caption Donat Sorokin/TASS Russia’s Vektor State Enterprise, a former Soviet-era bioweapons lab that has developed a new and yet-to-be-proven coronavirus vaccine, shown in 2018. Donat Sorokin/TASS Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the approval of a second new coronavirus vaccine in as many months – but neither has completed the kind of extensive and rigorous three-phase trials required in the U.S. Speaking during a televised news conference, Putin said the new vaccine developed by Siberian […]

First lady Melania Trump, pictured wearing a face mask at the presidential debate on Sept. 29, said she and the Trumps’ son Barron, no longer test positive for the coronavirus. Julio Cortez/AP hide caption toggle caption Julio Cortez/AP First lady Melania Trump, pictured wearing a face mask at the presidential debate on Sept. 29, said she and the Trumps’ son Barron, no longer test positive for the coronavirus. Julio Cortez/AP Barron Trump, the 14-year-old son of President Trump and Melania Trump, tested positive for COVID-19, after initially testing negative. The First Lady made the announcement on Wednesday in a post called, […]

Administrators at Brigham Young University’s campus in southeastern Idaho say they are “deeply troubled” by reports that students may have intentionally tried to contract COVID-19, lured by blood donation centers that are paying a premium for plasma with COVID-19 antibodies. “Students who are determined to have intentionally exposed themselves or others to the virus will be immediately suspended from the university and may be permanently dismissed,” the university said in a statement issued Monday. The school condemned the behavior, saying it is “actively seeking evidence of any such conduct among our student body.” Possible donation sites for BYU-Idaho students include the […]

Dozens of Delta jets have been parked on the tarmac of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport since last spring. The airline reported $5.4 billion in third quarter losses on Tuesday. Russell Lewis/NPR hide caption toggle caption Russell Lewis/NPR With summer vacation travel weaker than expected and business travel a fraction of what it used to be, the losses continue to mount at Delta Air Lines. Delta, the nation’s second largest airline by the number of passengers flown last year, reports losing $5.4 billion in the third quarter of this year, as the travel industry continues to suffer from low demand due to […]

A health care worker tests a patient for the coronavirus in Nevada in July. Scientists say a 25-year-old Nevada man was infected with the virus twice. It is the first confirmed case of reinfection in the U.S. John Locher/AP hide caption toggle caption John Locher/AP A health care worker tests a patient for the coronavirus in Nevada in July. Scientists say a 25-year-old Nevada man was infected with the virus twice. It is the first confirmed case of reinfection in the U.S. John Locher/AP A 25-year-old was infected twice with the coronavirus earlier this year, scientists in Nevada have confirmed. It […]

A Wisconsin judge upheld Gov. Tony Evers’ order mandating that face coverings be worn in enclosed spaces statewide, save for a few exceptions. A conservative legal group challenged the measure arguing Evers overstepped his authority in issuing successive emergency orders. AP hide caption toggle caption AP A Wisconsin judge upheld Gov. Tony Evers’ order mandating that face coverings be worn in enclosed spaces statewide, save for a few exceptions. A conservative legal group challenged the measure arguing Evers overstepped his authority in issuing successive emergency orders. AP A judge in Wisconsin has ruled that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has the authority […]

Grey reef sharks, seen in Fiji, are among the top species of sharks fished for their liver oil. Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images Grey reef sharks, seen in Fiji, are among the top species of sharks fished for their liver oil. Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images A conservation group is warning that the development of an effective coronavirus vaccine on a global scale could ravage shark populations worldwide, as researchers race to produce a vaccine using an oil derived from sharks. Squalene, a compound that is harvested from the […]

Police officers man a roadside checkpoint in Madrid Friday as travel restrictions are imposed to cope with a new wave of coronavirus infections. Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Bloomberg via Getty Images Police officers man a roadside checkpoint in Madrid Friday as travel restrictions are imposed to cope with a new wave of coronavirus infections. Bloomberg via Getty Images The Spanish government has declared a state of emergency in the Madrid region, making it possible to impose new anti-coronavirus lockdown restrictions, against the strong opposition of the local government. Tensions have heightened between the center-left national government and […]

A cruise ship is shown here approaching a port in Singapore in March. Singapore plans to launch cruises with no destinations next month. AP hide caption toggle caption AP A cruise ship is shown here approaching a port in Singapore in March. Singapore plans to launch cruises with no destinations next month. AP Singapore announced cruises will start sailing next month — but in order to keep crew and passengers safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, the ships will make no stops and simply return to the port they came from. The island country is trying to creatively fire up its travel […]

William Foege, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, receives the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2012. Charles Dharapak/AP hide caption toggle caption Charles Dharapak/AP William Foege, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, receives the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2012. Charles Dharapak/AP Dr. William Foege doesn’t know how his private letter to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield, got leaked — but he stands by its contents. “I think we’ve got about the worst response to this pandemic that you could […]

“Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment,” reads a New England Journal of Medicine editorial signed by some three dozen editors. Michael Dwyer/AP hide caption toggle caption Michael Dwyer/AP “Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment,” reads a New England Journal of Medicine editorial signed by some three dozen editors. Michael Dwyer/AP The Trump administration has “taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy” in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The New England Journal of […]

Morgan Wallen performs during the 2019 Can’t Say I Ain’t Country Tour at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta. Katie Darby/Katie Darby/Invision/AP hide caption toggle caption Katie Darby/Katie Darby/Invision/AP Morgan Wallen performs during the 2019 Can’t Say I Ain’t Country Tour at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta. Katie Darby/Katie Darby/Invision/AP One of country music’s hottest stars says his invitation to appear this weekend on Saturday Night Live has been revoked. Morgan Wallen, whose hits include “Whiskey Glasses” and “7 Summers,” posted an emotional video to his Instagram page saying show executives nixed his appearance for violating coronavirus safety violations. “I […]

American Airlines ticket agent Henry Gemdron, left, works with a customer at Miami International Airport on Sept. 30. Travel industry groups warn of huge job losses if Congress and the White House fail to reach agreement on coronavirus relief soon. Lynne Sladky/AP hide caption toggle caption Lynne Sladky/AP American Airlines ticket agent Henry Gemdron, left, works with a customer at Miami International Airport on Sept. 30. Travel industry groups warn of huge job losses if Congress and the White House fail to reach agreement on coronavirus relief soon. Lynne Sladky/AP With about 40,000 workers furloughed in recent days, airlines and their […]

Operation Warp Speed’s Moncef Slaoui, seen here at the White House in May, says clinical trials of experimental COVID-19 vaccines will soon reveal if they work. Meanwhile, manufacture of the vaccines is picking up speed. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Operation Warp Speed’s Moncef Slaoui, seen here at the White House in May, says clinical trials of experimental COVID-19 vaccines will soon reveal if they work. Meanwhile, manufacture of the vaccines is picking up speed. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser to the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed program, has sketched out the timetable for […]

Traders gather on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor on Sept. 30. Major U.S. stock indexes rose Wednesday after President Trump said he’d be willing to consider economic stimulus measures after earlier calling off talks with lawmakers. Courtney Crow/AP hide caption toggle caption Courtney Crow/AP Traders gather on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor on Sept. 30. Major U.S. stock indexes rose Wednesday after President Trump said he’d be willing to consider economic stimulus measures after earlier calling off talks with lawmakers. Courtney Crow/AP Stocks opened higher, reversing Tuesday’s losses, amid word that Trump administration officials are considering stand-alone […]

President Trump’s team of medical specialists overseeing his care at Walter Reed National Military Medical center. He will still have access to round-the-clock care from the White House medical staff. Brendan Smialowski /AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Brendan Smialowski /AFP via Getty Images President Trump’s team of medical specialists overseeing his care at Walter Reed National Military Medical center. He will still have access to round-the-clock care from the White House medical staff. Brendan Smialowski /AFP via Getty Images Like hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been hospitalized with the coronavirus, President Trump is recovering at home […]

A man waits to cross the street in the largely Latino neighborhood of East Los Angeles on Aug. 7. California has implemented a new health equity metric to help address the outsize effect of coronavirus on the state’s communities of color. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images A man waits to cross the street in the largely Latino neighborhood of East Los Angeles on Aug. 7. California has implemented a new health equity metric to help address the outsize effect of coronavirus on the state’s communities of color. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images […]

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, shown here at a meeting on Monday, has said that the coronavirus death toll is likely higher than the more than 1 million fatalities officially reported. Christopher Black/AP hide caption toggle caption Christopher Black/AP WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, shown here at a meeting on Monday, has said that the coronavirus death toll is likely higher than the more than 1 million fatalities officially reported. Christopher Black/AP About 10% of the global population may have been infected by the coronavirus, according to a senior World Health Organization official. It’s an estimate that’s far higher than the […]

Teachers and staff protest outside Franklin D. Roosevelt High School as they call for more and better COVID-19 testing and precautions on Friday in New York City. The ZIP codes listed on this sign are among those soon to face restrictions by the city. John Minchillo/AP hide caption toggle caption John Minchillo/AP Teachers and staff protest outside Franklin D. Roosevelt High School as they call for more and better COVID-19 testing and precautions on Friday in New York City. The ZIP codes listed on this sign are among those soon to face restrictions by the city. John Minchillo/AP Facing an increase […]

When the real world is as crazy as five Saturday Night Live skits, the bar raises to an absurd height for the quality of satire you need to make sense of it all. Which explains, in part, why SNL’s 46th season opener last night felt so flat and uninspired. After the kind of week President Trump had in real life – contracting the coronavirus and getting airlifted to a hospital days after making fun of opponent Joe Biden for wearing a mask – there wasn’t much Alec Baldwin could do to top that. To be sure, SNL was taking on a […]

Michigan’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (pictured here on Sept. 16) does not have the authority to extend a state of emergency past April 30. Whitmer had cited two state laws that allowed her to maintain the state’s coronavirus measures via executive order. AP hide caption toggle caption AP Michigan’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (pictured here on Sept. 16) does not have the authority to extend a state of emergency past April 30. Whitmer had cited two state laws that allowed her to maintain the state’s coronavirus measures via executive order. AP […]

Meghan Hicks Nolan sets the Fastest Known Record for Colorado’s Nolan’s 14 trail. Eszter Horanyi /courtesy hide caption toggle caption Eszter Horanyi /courtesy Meghan Hicks Nolan sets the Fastest Known Record for Colorado’s Nolan’s 14 trail. Eszter Horanyi /courtesy At the end of a dirt road in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, endurance athlete Alyssa Godesky switches on her headlamp. It’s 4 a.m. when Godesky begins what will be the first of three and a half days of scrambling up rocky trails and bushwhacking through thick forests. Godesky is one of thousands of runners chasing down speed records in the mountains since […]

Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, is shown on Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn. The Titans’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which had been scheduled for Sunday, has been delayed. Mark Humphrey/AP hide caption toggle caption Mark Humphrey/AP Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, is shown on Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn. The Titans’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which had been scheduled for Sunday, has been delayed. Mark Humphrey/AP After the league’s first coronavirus outbreak, the NFL is postponing Sunday’s game between the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers by at least a day. The NFL says the game will […]

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez speaks with the news media, last month, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Gimenez said Tuesday that he would keep some COVID-19 restrictions in place despite an order by Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis. Lynne Sladky/AP hide caption toggle caption Lynne Sladky/AP Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez speaks with the news media, last month, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Gimenez said Tuesday that he would keep some COVID-19 restrictions in place despite an order by Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis. Lynne Sladky/AP Miami-Dade County says it will not fully comply with a decision […]

In Little Rock, Arkansas, more than a hundred teachers didn’t show up for class on Monday. Instead, at least 166 instructors represented by Little Rock Education Association say they are concerned about COVID-19 and only willing to teach remotely. Until the district allows for remote-only instruction or increases school safety, they say they will stay home, according to a union statement. “Our schools are NOT safe. Someone is going to get sick and someone is going to die if we continue in the current manner,” association President Teresa Knapp Gordon said in a statement. The statement detailed a lack of adherence […]

New coronavirus infections are on the rise in the U.S., with cases surpassing 7 million this week. Some two dozen states reported increases in new infections, with a handful of states marking new daily records. Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images New coronavirus infections are on the rise in the U.S., with cases surpassing 7 million this week. Some two dozen states reported increases in new infections, with a handful of states marking new daily records. Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images The number of new daily coronavirus infections in the U.S. continued to rise this past week, driven by […]

Dancers partake in the Carnival celebrations earlier this year at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro. Silvia Izquierdo/AP hide caption toggle caption Silvia Izquierdo/AP Dancers partake in the Carnival celebrations earlier this year at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro. Silvia Izquierdo/AP Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival, known as one of the best spectacles in the world, has been derailed by the coronavirus. Event organizers announced Thursday evening that the colorful, rhythmic parades of 2021 are postponed indefinitely. It’s the first time Carnival has been postponed in more than a century, according to The Associated Press. “We came to the conclusion that […]

An American flag flew at half-mast at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in Massachusetts last spring, when dozens of veterans died at the facility. Two of its leaders are now facing criminal neglect charges over their handling of a COVID-19 outbreak. Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images An American flag flew at half-mast at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in Massachusetts last spring, when dozens of veterans died at the facility. Two of its leaders are now facing criminal neglect charges over their handling of a COVID-19 outbreak. Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images Former leaders at a state-run nursing home for […]

Three potential coronavirus vaccines are kept in a tray at Novavax labs in Gaithersburg, Md., in March 2020. The company has moved into phase 3 trials in the U.K. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Three potential coronavirus vaccines are kept in a tray at Novavax labs in Gaithersburg, Md., in March 2020. The company has moved into phase 3 trials in the U.K. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Novavax, a vaccine maker in Maryland, is becoming the 10th coronavirus vaccine candidate to enter the final phase of testing, called phase 3. The […]

Gov. Mike Parson and his wife, Teresa, share a kiss after he was sworn in as Missouri’s 57th governor in 2018. Jeff Roberson/AP hide caption toggle caption Jeff Roberson/AP Gov. Mike Parson and his wife, Teresa, share a kiss after he was sworn in as Missouri’s 57th governor in 2018. Jeff Roberson/AP Just two days after announcing that they have contracted the coronavirus, Republican Gov. Mike Parson and his wife, Teresa Parson, have reassured Missourians that they still plan to host their annual fall festival next month. “WE WILL BE PROCEEDING WITH THIS EVENT,” the first lady wrote in all caps […]