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Trump sees ‘hard days’ ahead in coronavirus fight, with as many as 240,000 Americans dead

Nearly a quarter million people in the United States could die as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Trump administration officials said Tuesday. 

DJ Khaled’s foundation provides 10,000 masks and gloves to health care workers

Hospitals and recovery facilities are in dire need of supplies to support COVID-19 patients, and protective equipment for health care workers as they care for patients who experience symptoms. To help efforts in New York and Miami hospitals, DJ Khaled and his wife, Nicole Tuck, partnered with Direct Relief and online retailer simplehuman to help health care workers receive necessary supplies through the couple's We the Best Foundation. "Helping our local community when and where we can has always been our mission since we started the We The Best Foundation back in 2018," Khaled told PR Newswire.

One of the largest single-site jails in the US grapples with 141 coronavirus cases

The number of detainees testing positive for coronavirus at the Cook County Jail in Chicago skyrocketed over the weekend, leaving Sheriff Tom Dart grabbling with a dilemma that runs against the very grain of a veteran lawman and former prosecutor: whether to free alleged criminals instead of keeping them locked up. With roughly 75% of his jail's inmates arrested on suspicion of violent crimes, Dart said he's been working around the clock with Cook County officials, judges, probation officers and the State's Attorney's Office to devise a plan from scratch on how to keep dangerous people locked up and still create space in the jail without jeopardizing the community. Since crime hasn't been put on quarantine with the bulk of the population, Dart has also had to juggle the daily intake of more inmates while thinking of ways to secure the health of those already under his watch.

Coronavirus live updates: New York City death toll crosses 1,000

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has infected more than 857,000 people around the world. More than 42,000 people across the globe have died, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. With more than 188,000 diagnosed COVID-19 cases, the United States has by far the highest national tally in the world, according to the Johns Hopkins data.

Oil prices mixed, U.S. inventory build-up heightens oversupply concerns

U.S. crude inventories rose by 10.5 million barrels last week, far exceeding forecasts for a 4 million barrel build-up, data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute showed. Wednesday's opening session left oil prices marooned near their lowest levels since 2002 amid the global coronavirus crisis that has brought worldwide economic slowdown and slashed oil demand. Crude futures ended the quarter down nearly 70% after record losses in March.

Bond investor Jeffrey Gundlach bets stocks March lows to be surpassed in April

Gundlach said the market is acting "somewhat dysfunctionally" and that projections by banks that the U.S. economy will quickly recover were too optimistic. Gundlach said earlier in March that there was a 90% chance the United States would enter a recession before the end of the year due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump and his top healthcare advisers urged Americans to follow strict social distancing measures ahead of a "tough two weeks" that could see at least 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus in the United States.

'I heard the roar': Big earthquake hits Idaho

A large earthquake struck north of Boise Tuesday evening, with people across a large area reporting shaking. More than 2 million live in the region that could feel the Idaho quake, according to the USGS, with reports of shaking coming in from as far away as Helena, Montana, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Marcus Smith, an emergency room health unit coordinator at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center, said the hospital, about 65 miles (104 kilometers) south of the epicenter, shook but the quake didn't interfere with the treatment of any patients.

Political realities may dilute GOP opposition to mail-in voting amid coronavirus

Congressional Republicans have resisted allocating the billions of dollars experts say are necessary to implement nationwide mail-in voting ahead of the presidential election.

Exclusive: U.S. aims to lease space in emergency oil stockpile, after buying plan canceled - sources

The Trump administration plans to lease out space for energy companies to store oil in the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, after a previous effort to buy millions of barrels for the emergency stockpile was canceled over a lack of funding, according to two people briefed on the matter. The new plan could help the United States deal with a growing glut of crude oil that risks overwhelming commercial storage tanks and sending world energy prices deeper into a tailspin as the coronavirus pandemic slashes demand for fuel. The plan is a change of tack from the initial scheme, which would have had the Department of Energy (DOE) purchase crude from domestic drilers using federal funds.

Here's how to make 'whipped coffee'

"Whipped coffee" is the latest trend to take over the coffee world as people are whipping up this caffeinated creation during their extra time at home amid the coronavirus outbreak.The light and airy coffee drink, known as Dalgona, comes from South Korea and has gone viral on social media. The coffee drink recently landed on TikTok's trending page with over 766 million videos using the hashtag #whippedcoffee. ...

U.S. pension funds may pour $400 billion into stocks, lifting virus-hit markets: JP Morgan

U.S. pension funds that delayed rebalancing their portfolios are likely to pump about $400 billion into stocks over the next two quarters, analysts at JP Morgan said, providing a potential boost to equity markets battered by the coronavirus pandemic. Weeks of asset price volatility may have pushed some fund managers to postpone rebalancing portfolios where equity allocations have been knocked out of whack by a sharp decline in stocks, the bank said in a note to investors. "We still expect that US pension funds will eventually rebalance within 1-2 quarters," wrote strategist Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou.

Pentagon says coronavirus outbreak on carrier doesn't warrant evacuation

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday it was not time to evacuate a U.S. aircraft carrier reeling from an outbreak of coronavirus, adding that he had not read in detail a letter from the commander of the ship pleading for help. Reuters reported earlier on Tuesday about a letter from Captain Brett Crozier, the commanding officer of the Theodore Roosevelt, calling for removing over 4,000 sailors from the ship and isolating them. In his interview with CBS News, Esper did not comment directly on Crozier's proposal, at least in the portions that aired.

Macy's to drop from S&P 500 to small-cap index

The company's shares have plunged more than 70% so far this year, leaving Macy's with a market value of $1.52 billion as of Tuesday's close, according to Refinitiv IBES data. "Macy's has a market capitalization more representative of the small-cap market space," S&P said, adding that the company would become part of the S&P small-cap 600 index, effective April 6. The pandemic has forced U.S. brick-and-mortar retailers, including Macy's Inc and Gap Inc , to shut stores, furlough employees, withdraw forecasts and suspend dividends.

Nearly half-mile tunnel filled with over 4,000 pounds of drugs found near San Diego

Thirteen-hundred pounds of cocaine, 86 pounds of meth, 17 pounds of heroin and 3,000 pounds of marijuana were found — a street value of about $29.6 million.

Nearly half-mile tunnel filled with over 4,000 pounds of drugs found near San Diego

Thirteen-hundred pounds of cocaine, 86 pounds of meth, 17 pounds of heroin and 3,000 pounds of marijuana were found — a street value of about $29.6 million.

With 2020 race all but halted over coronavirus, Biden quietly widens lead over Trump: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden has quietly expanded his lead over President Donald Trump among registered voters, even as the rapidly spreading coronavirus has all but sidelined the former vice president's campaign, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday. The poll conducted on Monday and Tuesday of more than 1,100 American adults found that 46% of registered voters said they would support Biden if he were running against Trump in the Nov. 3 election, while 40% said they would vote for Trump.

Liberty University students choose sides after fallout from coronavirus reporting

The New York Times reported this week that almost a dozen Liberty University students have come down with COVID-19 symptoms since the school reopened last week. But Liberty University officials have since pushed back on these claims, calling the Times story “fake news”. Now, students are choosing sides in who they believe is telling the truth.

Mexican journalist gunned down in first fatal attack of 2020

* María Elena Ferral shot eight times in Veracruz state * Attacks on reporters continue despite coronavirus pandemicA Mexican journalist has been shot dead in broad daylight as violent crime in the country – and attacks on the press – continue amid the coronavirus pandemic.María Elena Ferral was shot eight times on Monday by the masked pillion rider on a motorcycle as she left a notary public’s office in Papantla, a city plagued by organised crime in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.She was taken to a nearby hospital, but died of her injuries several hours later, according to the press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (known by its French initials, RSF).Ferral reported for the Veracruz newspaper El Diario de Xalapa and founded the news website Quinto Poder de Veracruz, where she investigated sensitive issues such as crime, corruption and the police.The motive for her murder remains unclear and no suspects have been arrested. She had received death threats from a local political candidate in 2016, according to the news weekly Proceso.Threats and harassment from local politicians prompted Ferral to seek protection from a state commission for protecting journalists. The government later withdrew the bodyguards assigned to her, according to RSF.Ferral’s death marked the first case of a murdered journalist in Mexico this year. The country registered 10 murders of journalists in 2019 and RSF ranks Mexico 144th of 180 countries on its most recent press freedom rankings.More than 100 journalists have been murdered in Mexico since the country launched a militarised crackdown on drug cartels in 2006. And Veracruz, where organised crime and political power are sometimes hard to tell apart, has become a cemetery for reporters.The state’s ruling party has changed twice since 2016 – with an ally of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador winning in 2018 – but observers say Veracruz remains rife with dangers for reporters and activists.“There have been changes in government in terms of party colours, but there hasn’t been any change in terms of security for journalists,” said Miguel Ángel Díaz, founder of the Veracruz publication Plumas Libres.“Investigations into aggressions against journalists and activists in Veracruz are stalled. There are no advances, there are no convictions.”

Trump warns Americans of a tough two weeks ahead in coronavirus fight

President Donald Trump warned Americans on Tuesday of a "painful" two weeks ahead in fighting the coronavirus, with a mounting U.S. death toll that could stretch into the hundreds of thousands even with strict social distancing measures. In perhaps his most somber news conference to date about the pandemic, Trump, who has faced criticism for playing down the threat of the outbreak in its initial phases, urged the population to heed guidance to limit groups to no more than 10 people, work from home and not dine in restaurants or bars. White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx displayed charts demonstrating data and modeling that showed an enormous jump in deaths to a range of 100,000 to 240,000 people from the virus in the coming months.