JPMorgan economists expect the second quarter to be a bad one, with 25 million jobs lost and a sizable chunk taken out of the country’s gross domestic product as the coronavirus pandemic hits its stride.
Read the full story
Acknowledging the mounting death toll, President Donald Trump and members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force said Friday that improvements in New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Michigan and other coronavirus hot spots indicate that the nation’s response to the pandemic is working to slow COVID-19’s spread.
Read the full story
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told police to take down tag numbers of people attending churches and other gatherings on Easter so the government could go to their homes and impose a 14-day quarantine over COVID-19 concerns.
Read the full story
Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order Friday afternoon that grants the Department of Health permission to share the addresses of COVID-19 patients with law enforcement agencies.
Read the full story
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has sued multiple landlords who have attempted to evict tenants during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency.
Read the full story
Michigan has 15 weeks before the state’s unemployment reserves are depleted.
Read the full story
The Tennessee Department of Health is now releasing the names and locations of nursing homes with positive cases of COVID-19.
Read the full story
A model by Vanderbilt University Medical Center says social distancing has brought Tennessee close to — but not close enough to — the point at which COVID-19 is being contained.
Read the full story
At some point early in the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump had a choice to make. While Congress was hopelessly distracted with impeachment mania, the first case had arrived in the U.S. on Jan. 15 in Washington state from Wuhan, China, and would not be identified until Jan. 20. That was just three days after the second death had been reported from Wuhan on Jan. 17.
Read the full story
Medical personnel in Tennessee had 110 confirmed COVID-19 cases in their respective intensive care units on Tuesday of this week, but by Wednesday those numbers dropped to 79.
Read the full story
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) said Thursday the House of Representatives blocked the Senate’s $250 billion small business relief proposal based on the fact that no data existed to support this idea.
Read the full story
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) held a Coronavirus Town Hall by phone this week where he touted mail-in voting and warned that Russians are in America putting out misinformation about COVID-19.
Read the full story
Vietnam has shipped nearly half a million protective suits to the United States, marking a quick turnaround in bilateral talks to deal with the significant U.S. shortage in medical equipment, and resulting in a tweet of thanks from the U.S. president.
Read the full story
Retailers are frequently running out of everything from flour and fresh meat to toilet paper and pharmaceuticals as supply chains hammered by the coronavirus struggle to keep up with stockpiling consumers.
Read the full story
The Tennessee State Board of Education made substantial changes to graduation requirements and grading protocols during a special meeting Thursday.
Read the full story
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called a press conference Friday afternoon to discuss the modeling the state is using in its coronavirus response, but faced harsh criticism for closing the briefing to the public.
Read the full story
Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm responded Thursday to concerns about the accuracy of the number of deaths caused by COVID-19.
Read the full story
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model has updated its Ohio projection to show that both the peak hospital resource day and highest fatality day have already happened.
Read the full story
The Michigan Conservative Coalition (MCC) will be hosting a rally to protest what they call “erratic, unilateral orders” to stay at home and for non-essential businesses to be shut down.
Read the full story
Tennessee saw 112,438 people file for unemployment benefits last week, according to the state’s department of labor.
Read the full story
Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist Dr. Carol Swain.
Read the full story
The State Department has repatriated more than 50,000 U.S. citizens stranded around the world since the coronavirus began, the administration revealed on Wednesday.
Read the full story
Michigan’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order has been extended through the end of April, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced on Thursday.
In addition to continuing the banning of non-essential businesses and travel, the new order also prohibits gathering of people of more than one household and imposes new restrictions on stores to help customers maintain social distancing.
“Michigan has the third highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country, and we’re still on the upswing. We must continue to do everything we can to slow the spread and protect our families,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Data shows that most Michiganders are doing their part by staying home and staying safe. That’s good, but we must keep it up.”
Read the full story
People gathered in front of the Ohio state capitol to protest the way the state has handled the coronavirus pandemic.
Currently, Ohio is under a “Shelter-at-Home” order until May 1, which it has been under since March 23.
Around 100 people came to Ohio’s capital Columbus Thursday to protest, according to Tom Bosco, an ABC6 journalist. On their way to the building, Bosco said people were chanting “Open Ohio.”
Read the full story
A record 384,844 Michigan residents filed for unemployment benefits between March 29 and April 4, according to data released by the Department of Labor on Thursday.
The number passes up data from the previous two weeks, which saw 128,006 people file between March 15 and March 21 and 304,335 people file between March 22 and March 28. That brings the three-week total to 817,185 for those filing for unemployment benefits in the state.
Read the full story
Some Republican lawmakers were disappointed in Gov. Tim Walz after he announced Wednesday that his stay-at-home order will be extended until May 4.
Read the full story
Minnesota has seen 385,318 new applications for unemployment insurance since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove said Thursday.
Read the full story
Tennessee House Democratic Caucus Chair Mike Stewart (D-Nashville) called on Gov. Bill Lee to create a “statewide system to trace the steps of those testing positive for COVID-19.”
“I call on Gov. Lee to use state resources to create a statewide contact tracing system including testing where necessary,” Stewart said in an interview with WKRN.
Read the full story
Tennessee has brighter days coming in the future as the coronavirus model used by the White House has lowered its projections for the state’s COVID-19 peak. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model has pushed up Tennessee’s projected coronavirus peak for hospital resources by one day from April 18 to April 17. Last week, the IHME model said the Volunteer State would see its peak for hospital resources on April 26. Based on the previous April 26 projection, Tennessee was expected to need 3,494 beds for its hospitals, including 525 beds for the intensive care unit (ICU). However, the updated IHME projection displays Tennessee needing 1,244, which is a decrease of 2,250 beds. In terms of death, the older IHME model had Tennessee experiencing 1,067 fatalities. But one week later, the new model sees Tennessee having 617 deaths. It must be noted, the projection on Monday anticipated Tennessee having 584 deaths. Between April 17 to April 20, the updated projection shows an average of 25 Tennesseans dying. Previously, the IHME projection had April 26 through April 28 as the stretch were the highest daily death rates. IHME predicts Tenneesse’s fatality rate will flatline around…
Read the full story
One of the characteristics of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States is its unique political explosiveness. In order to deal effectively with it, President Trump has had to show a good deal of dexterity, which his always numerous and vocal critics have assailed as incoherence, or insincerity.
Read the full story
U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07), a physician, expressed concern in a recent interview about a potential shortage of sedatives for COVID-19 patients on ventilators.
Read the full story
by Mary Margaret Olohan A federal appeals court backed Texas’s right to ban abortions during the coronavirus crisis. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the state’s right to temporarily prohibit abortions until April 21 during the coronavirus pandemic in a Tuesday ruling, Politico reported. The court threw out a previous ruling from a lower court blocking Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that all non-essential medical procedures temporarily cease — including abortions. “I thank the Fifth Circuit for their attention to the health and safety needs of Texans suffering from this medical crisis,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. “Governor Abbott’s order ensures that hospital beds remain available for Coronavirus patients and personal protective equipment reaches the hardworking medical professionals who need it the most during this crisis.” He added: “Texans must continue to work together to stop the spread of COVID-19, and we must support the health professionals on the frontlines of this battle.” But acting Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson called the decision “unconscionable” in a Tuesday statement. “Patients are already being forced to put their lives in harm’s way during a pandemic, and now will be forced to continue doing so…
Read the full story
A father was arrested and cuffed in front of his 6-year-old daughter at a park in Brighton, Colorado, Sunday afternoon, after he allegedly violated the state’s social distancing guidelines and refused to show his identification to the police.
Now Matt Mooney, 33, thinks the police owe him an apology, according to FOX31.
Read the full story
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday vowed to strip funding for the World Health Organization from the next appropriations bill because of its pro-China virus.
During an appearance on Fox News’ “The Story,” Graham agreed with President Trump’s view that W.H.O. under the current leadership has become “very China-centric” and unworthy of the United States’ funding.
Read the full story
Officials within Major League Baseball (MLB) – along with the players – are working on a plan to return for a 2020 season as early as May, according to ESPN Monday.
Read the full story
A bipartisan consensus has emerged among Americans of all political stripes regarding the Chinese government’s culpability for the spread of coronavirus.
Some 90% of Republicans, 67% of Democrats and 75% of independents believe the Chinese government is responsible for the spread of the virus, according to a Harris tracking poll of 1,993 American adults surveyed between April 3 and April 5.
Read the full story
State Sen. Scott Jensen (R-Chaska), a practicing physician, has sounded the alarm about a CDC guidance that gives doctors the authority to include “suspected or likely” cases of COVID-19 on death certificates.
Read the full story
When Bill and Gloria Gaither penned the words for “The King Is Coming,” they were warning of Jesus Christ’s imminent return. They weren’t describing life during the current global coronavirus pandemic, which has shut down some of the busiest cities in the world such as New York, Los Angeles, London and Moscow. We know a lot about the pandemic. Now is a good time to discuss the possible spiritual significance for Christians.
Read the full story
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model has lowered its coronavirus projections for Ohio. Last week, the IHME model projected the coronavirus peak for hospital resources in Ohio would be April 20, and also showed that Ohio would need 5,609 beds, including 854 beds for the intensive care unit (ICU). In addition, this old model projected Ohio would experience 1,672 fatalities by August 4. Fast forward one week, and the picture IHME is painting for Ohio is far more optimistic. The IHME projection on April 8 shows that Ohio reached its coronavirus peak for hospital resources yesterday, which is a decrease of 12 days. The number of projected beds needed for the state’s peak decreased by 4,404 beds to 1,205. Furthermore, the ICU beds needed for Ohio’s coronavirus peak fell by 617 beds to 237. Projected Fatalities occurring by August 4 also went down by 1,183 to 489. The old IHME model projected the highest death toll day in Ohio was April 23 with 57. However, the updated model displays April 12 being the day Ohio experiences the most deaths with 26. By May 1, the updated model shows Ohio having between 0 and…
Read the full story
The office of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer confirmed to FOX 2 that the governor will announce an extension of the state’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order on Thursday.
Read the full story
Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) apologized Tuesday after a video showed him flipping off his Republican colleagues.
Read the full story
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Consistent with #EmptyHospitals trending on Twitter, Nashville area testing centers and hospitals show a high level of preparedness for an onslaught of potential COVID-19 patients, but little to no signs of activity.
Read the full story
Seven states will have seen their peak hospital resource use come and go by the end of Wednesday, according to a leading coronavirus projection model that has informed the White House’s response to the pandemic.
New York, Michigan and Louisiana, which have seen some of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the United States, are among the states projected to reach peak hospital resource usage by the end of Wednesday, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model. Vermont, Washington, Colorado and Ohio are also projected to reach their peak hospital resource use by the end of the day, the model shows.
Read the full story
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday signed an executive order ensuring that all immigrants and refugees — including illegal aliens — are eligible to receive the city’s coronavirus benefits.
Read the full story
Mayo Clinic announced last week that it is exploring the possibility of 3D printing face masks and other personal protective equipment items to employ in the national fight against COVID-19.
The famous clinic said its 3D Anatomic Modeling Laboratories across the country as well as its Division of Engineering are working together to “reverse-engineer, 3D-print and machine solutions for patient care.”
Read the full story
Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the line during the program’s second hour by Tennessee State Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield.)
Read the full story
Michigan legislature voted on Tuesday to approve an extension of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency powers through the end of April.
The governor originally asked for a 70-day extension of emergency powers, but Michigan legislators said they felt that was too much.
“I agree that there needs to be an extension; we’re far from being out of the woods on this issue. But I believe 70 days looks too far forward considering the information we have now and how quickly that changes,” said Sen. Rick Outman (R-33-Six Lakes) in a statement. “The best thing to do for the immediate future is continue following suggested protocols and stay at home to keep you, your family and your community safe.”
Read the full story
The Ohio Liquor Control Commission passed an emergency rule that allows restaurants to sell and deliver alcohol with take-out and delivery orders, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Tuesday.
The rule only applies to establishments with an existing on-premises liquor permit and has restrictions on quantity.
Breweries can now sell beer and wine that are not their own without food purchase, although liquor must be purchased with food. Patrons are only allowed to purchase two drinks per meal, and all drinks must remain closed during transport per the state’s open container laws.
Read the full story
Republican Senate candidate Jason Lewis placed the blame for the coronavirus pandemic squarely on China’s shoulders in a new commercial released Monday.
Read the full story
Across the country governors, county commissioners and executives, and city and town officials have announced “lockdowns” or stay-at-home orders of dubious constitutional validity. The result of these orders is the bizarre situation in which jails are being emptied of criminals while individuals engaged in their ordinary business at appropriate social distance have been arrested for the crime of being outside their home.
One of the most high-profile examples of this inverted constitutional order happened in California, where a paddle boarder was arrested near the Malibu Pier for ignoring orders from lifeguards to get out of the water. CBS News Los Angeles reports the unidentified man spent 30 to 40 minutes paddling in the ocean waters off Malibu Beach after refusing to heed orders from L.A. County lifeguards to go ashore. LASD Harbor Patrol brought in a boat, at which point the paddleboarder voluntarily swam in and was taken into custody.
Read the full story