The Associated Press: American Virus Deaths At 100,000: What Does A Number Mean?
The fraught, freighted number of this particular American moment is a round one brimming with zeroes: 100,000. A hundred thousands. A thousand hundreds. Five thousand score. More than 8,000 dozen. All dead. This is the week when America’s official coronavirus death toll reaches six digits. One hundred thousand lives wiped out by a disease unknown to science a half a year ago. (Anthony, 5/27)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Nears 100,000 As South American Cases Surge
As the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus pandemic climbs closer to 100,000, other countries—especially in South America—are struggling with rising infection rates. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases neared 5.6 million across 188 countries and regions, with the U.S. making up 1.68 million of those, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. death toll exceeded 98,900, while more than 350,000 people world-wide have died from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. (Ping, 5/27)

The Associated Press: Can Trump Feel Your Pain? US Nears Haunting Virus Milestone
In the rubble of buildings and lives, modern U.S. presidents have met national trauma with words such as these: “I can hear you.” “You have lost too much, but you have not lost everything.” “We have wept with you; we’ve pulled our children tight.” As diverse as they were in eloquence and empathy, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama each had his own way of piercing the noise of catastrophe and reaching people. (Woodward, 5/27)

NPR: Obituary Writer Aims To Show How Coronavirus Impacts 'All People In Our Society'
As the number of COVID-19 deaths continues its upward march, many of the rituals designed to help people navigate the loss of a loved one aren't possible. One rite of grief that is still happening is the obituary. But with the sheer number of deaths, obituary writers can't write one for every victim of the coronavirus, says Maureen O'Donnell, who's been an obituary writer for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than a decade. (Dorning and Kelly, 5/26)

Reuters: Where U.S. Coronavirus Cases Are On The Rise
Twenty U.S. states reported an increase in new cases of COVID-19 for the week ended May 24, up from 13 states in the prior week, as the death toll from the novel coronavirus approaches 100,000, according to a Reuters analysis. Alabama had the biggest weekly increase at 28%, Missouri’s new cases rose 27% and North Carolina’s rose 26%, according to the analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the outbreak. New cases in Georgia, one of the first states to reopen, rose 21% after two weeks of declines. The state attributed the increase to a backlog of test results and more testing. (Canipe and Shumaker, 5/26)

The Hill: US Braces For COVID-19 'Slow Burn' 
The U.S. is likely to enter a period of “slow burn” of coronavirus cases through the summer, with coronavirus cases and deaths down from their peak but still taking a heavy toll, experts say. As the country passes the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths, experts say the pace of harm might be slower in the coming months, but there is unlikely to be a steep drop-off in the virus. There even could be some significant upticks as restrictions on businesses and movement are eased around the country. Risk looms even higher in the fall and winter, as experts expect a new spike in cases of the virus as the weather gets colder, combined with the added damage from flu season. (Sullivan, 5/26)

Stat: New Research Rewrites History Of When Covid-19 Took Off In The U.S.
New research has poured cold water on the theory that the Covid-19 outbreak in Washington state — the country’s first — was triggered by the very first confirmed case of the infection in the country. Instead, it suggests the person who ignited the first chain of sustained transmission in the United States probably returned to the country in mid-February, a month later. The work adds to evidence that the United States missed opportunities to stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus from taking root in this country — and that those opportunities persisted for longer than has been recognized up until now. (Branswell, 5/26)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus ‘Silent Spreaders’ A Danger As California Reopens
The role of “silent spreaders” in transmitting the coronavirus is becoming an even greater issue for health officials as they ease stay-at-home rules and slowly reopen the economy. Health officials have stressed the importance of creating an army of disease detectives — investigators who can interview newly infected people and find their close contacts, telling them to quarantine themselves for 14 days in hopes of keeping other people from getting infected. (Lin, 5/26)

The Hill: Packed Crowds Spark Pandemic Alarms As States Reopen 
Health experts are growing alarmed after seeing photos and videos of big crowds over Memorial Day weekend. People are significantly less likely to get the coronavirus while outside, but the crowds of people in packed bars and pools in Missouri, boardwalks in Virginia and a race track in North Carolina are renewing concerns about whether safety measures to contain the virus are being taken seriously. (Weixel, 5/26)

The New York Times: ‘It’s The Death Towers’: How The Bronx Became New York’s Virus Hot Spot
Working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic can be hazardous, but staying home isn’t safe either for the emergency responders, pharmacists, home health aides, grocery clerks and delivery men who fill River Park Towers in the Bronx. Even a ride down the elevator is risky. Residents often must wait up to an hour to squeeze into small, poorly ventilated cars that break down frequently, with people crowding the hallways like commuters trying to push into the subway at rush hour. There is talk that as many as 100 residents have been sickened by the coronavirus at the two massive towers rising above the Morris Heights neighborhood along the Harlem River. (de Freytas-Tamura, Hu and Cook, 5/26)

ABC News: How The Small Ski Town Of Sun Valley, Idaho Became A COVID-19 Hot Spot 
In early March, the ski town of Sun Valley, Idaho, was ending its peak season, welcoming visitors from across the United States and Europe. Then COVID-19 spread across the community like wildfire, and Sun Valley's visitors brought it home with them. Within weeks, the county of 22,000 had one of the highest infection rates in the nation. (Yang and Scott, 5/26)

PBS NewsHour: Meat-Processing Plants Remain Source Of Concern For New COVID-19 Outbreaks
The pace of new U.S. fatalities from COVID-19 has been slowing as the pandemic's toll nears a milestone of 100,000 deaths. Still, restrictions are being lifted, and more economic activity is resuming. On Tuesday, the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange was partially opened for the first time since March. But concerns remain, especially around meat-packing facilities. (Sy, 5/26)

The Washington Post: WHO Warns Of Second Peak, Cautions Against Scaling Back Restrictions Too Soon
The World Health Organization on Tuesday warned nations against scaling back coronavirus restrictions too quickly, saying a premature push to return to normalcy could fuel a rapid acceleration of new cases. “We cannot make assumptions that just because the disease is on the way down now that it’s going to keep going down,” Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’s health emergencies program, told reporters during a briefing. (Dennis, Flynn and Noack, 5/26)

CIDRAP: Stay-Home Orders Likely Slowed COVID-19 Spread, Study Finds
After 42 US states and Washington, DC, issued stay-at-home orders in response to the rising death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall community infection rate declined by about 58%, according to a new study in the American Journal of Infection Control. The researchers, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, used state government websites and case counts from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security to model the effects of mandatory social isolation on virus mitigation. (Van Beusekom, 5/26)

Stateline: COVID-19 Is Crushing Black Communities. Some States Are Paying Attention. 
To find out whether any states were taking concrete actions to stem COVID-19 cases and deaths in black communities, Stateline contacted the 16 states where black residents make up a larger percentage of the population than the national rate of 13%. Most responded that they are assembling task forces and conducting studies of health disparities. But among those states, all of which were contacted by email and phone, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, South Carolina and Virginia provided the greatest detail on what they are doing to concentrate special medical resources and social services in predominantly low-income and black neighborhoods. (Ollove and Vetal, 5/27)

NPR: COVID-19 Racial Disparities Could Be Worsened By Location Of Test Sites
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the country, state and local health officials rush to try to detect and contain outbreaks before they get out of control. A key to that is testing, and despite a slow start, testing has increased around the country. But it's still not always easy to get a test. While many things can affect access to testing, location is an important starting point. NPR investigated the location of public testing sites in Texas, one of the first states to reopen, to see how they were distributed between predominantly white and predominantly minority areas. (McMinn, Carlsen, Jaspers, Talbot and Adeline, 5/27)

The Washington Post: Two Black Men Died Of Covid-19 Five Days Apart. This Is What Was Lost.
George Valentine sat hunched on the bottom step of his Capitol Hill rowhouse, a bald man in black sweatpants staring through the open front door, too breathless to speak. It was about 1:30 p.m. on the last Wednesday in March, and he was waiting for the ambulance he had called to arrive. George’s son, Darrell, was upstairs in his bedroom, trying to get some space from his father’s demands — to walk the dog, to bring him medicine, to find the thermometer. (Trent, 5/26)

The Associated Press: Nevada To Reopen Casinos June 4, Welcoming Tourists Again
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Tuesday night that he would allow casinos to reopen June 4, welcoming tourists to return to the glitzy gambling mecca of Las Vegas. “We welcome the visitors from across the country to come here, to have a good time, no different than they did previously, but we’re gonna be cautious,” Sisolak told reporters. The governor said he would also allow in-person religious services of up to 50 people starting Friday. (Price, 5/27)

The New York Times: A Socially Distanced Las Vegas? What Are The Odds?
For decades, the El Cortez Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas has been known for single-deck blackjack. But when the casinos and resorts open up — tentatively early June — after weeks of being shut down, players will no longer be able to touch the cards. About 100 slot machines at the casino have been removed and the remaining 750 are now farther apart. Tape on the floor at the craps tables shows players where to stand to meet social-distancing requirements. (Creswell, 5/26)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Casino Regulator Talks Reopening 
The state Gaming Control Board is preparing to accommodate tourists who show up in Las Vegas, show signs of being infected and are turned away by resorts. (Velotta, 5/26)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Gyms, Fitness Centers, Bars That Do Not Serve Food Can Reopen Friday 
More of Nevada’s daily routines will return Friday, with limits, as Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Tuesday night the further easing of COVID-19 restrictions, including gatherings for church services and the reopening of more businesses, such as bars and health facilities. The governor, who canceled his live briefing late Tuesday afternoon due to a possible exposure to the coronavirus, delivered the news in a press release and a short conference call with reporters. (Dentzer and Lochhead, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: New York City Could Reopen By Mid-June, Mayor Says
New York City could begin a phased reopening in the first or second week of June, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday, as it continued to ramp up testing capacity for the novel coronavirus and started developing plans for commuters to safely use public transportation. Mr. de Blasio said at a press conference that the city will have about 180 testing sites open by the end of June, with the expectation to run 50,000 coronavirus tests daily by Aug. 1. A June 1 goal to hire 1,000 contact tracers—health workers who will follow-up on every positive coronavirus test by reaching out to patients and their close contacts—has already been met and exceeded, Mr. de Blasio said. (West and De Avila, 5/26)

The Washington Post: Frustrated And Struggling, New Yorkers Contemplate Abandoning The City They Love
It was laundry that broke Mary Shell. Or rather, the lack of an in-unit washer and dryer in her Brooklyn apartment where Shell, 37, a field producer for reality television, could barely afford her half of the rent before the novel coronavirus pandemic because work had been slow for months. Times are even tougher now that her roommate, also unemployed, has had to move back in with her parents. (Morgan and Yuan, 5/26)

The Associated Press: In An Early US Coronavirus Hot Spot, Business Slowly Reopens
The suburbs north of New York City eased outbreak restrictions, and the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange opened for the first time in two months, as the state focused more intently Tuesday on restarting its economy. (Matthews, 5/27)

The Washington Post: Northam Says Northern Virginia Can Begin Reopening On Friday
Communities in Northern Virginia can begin easing their pandemic-related shutdowns on Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam said, arguing that the region is seeing a decline in hospitalizations and the percentage of positive tests for the novel coronavirus even as the rate and overall number of infections remain far higher than in the rest of the state. Northam (D) made the announcement as Virginia reported a second straight day of spikes in new cases, driven by big numbers in the populous D.C. suburbs. (Schneider and Olivo, 5/26)

The Washington Post: Virginia Reopening: Masks To Be Required In Public Spaces, Northern Va. To Lift Shutdown Friday
Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has given Northern Virginia the green light to begin lifting shutdown restrictions on nonessential businesses on Friday, though Virginians everywhere will also be required to start wearing face masks in public spaces that day. The Northern Virginia decision will bring the state’s economic engine in line with most other parts of Virginia in Phase 1 of the governor’s plan to return to a normal routine. (Olivo, 5/26)

The Washington Post: D.C. Will Likely Reopen Friday After City Changes Key Thresholds For Reopening
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) is expected Wednesday to announce the gradual reopening of the capital, saying the city has been meeting key thresholds to contain new coronavirus infections. Hospitals have been running below their maximum capacity, testing is on the rise and the city is in the process of hiring enough contact tracers to identify and quarantine residents exposed to the virus. (Nirappil and Zauzmer, 5/26)

CNN: As Covid-19 Cases Rise In 17 States, Americans Still Divided On Whether Masks Should Be Mandated 
As more places across the US offer people a chance to shop or dine inside, the issue of whether to wear a mask has again become a flashpoint. There are 17 states where the number of coronavirus cases are trending up, and many governors have told citizens that now is an important time to wear a face covering. (Almasy, Yan and Maxouris, 5/26)

NPR: Mayor Of Montgomery, Ala.: 'We Have Not Won The Battle With COVID-19 Yet'
The number of new coronavirus cases has been going up in Alabama even as the state's governor relaxes restrictions. Last week's number of new cases was up from the week before. Of the more than 15,000 confirmed cases across the state, about one-third have been confirmed within the last 14 days. In Montgomery County, which includes the state capital of Montgomery, there are 1,332 cases. Almost half of those were reported in the last two weeks. (Doubek, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: ‘I Feel Like A Failure’: Dayton Reopens And Surveys Coronavirus Lockdown’s Toll
Each morning, Nan Whaley walks her dog, takes an online yoga class and then, in her role as mayor of this city of 140,000, girds herself for a steady stream of calls from constituents asking for help navigating life during the pandemic. There is the senior citizen who is afraid to leave her home because she is worried she will get sick and die. The restaurant owner, terrified he will go out of business. The pastor, racked with anxiety that the church he stewards won’t survive this crisis. (Belkin and Levitz, 5/27)

ABC News: New York Stock Exchange Reopens At 25% Capacity With Temperature Checks, Social Distancing 
After being closed for nearly two months, the New York Stock Exchange reopened its trading floor on Tuesday at about 25% capacity. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up more than 500 points on Tuesday, or just over 2%. The S&P 500 climbed 1.2% and the Nasdaq was relatively flat. Stacey Cunningham, the president of the NYSE, told ABC News' chief economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis that the decision to reopen was made with the health and safety of employees in mind. (Thorbecke, 5/26)

Politico: Santa Clara Health Officer Suggests California Is Reopening Too Soon
The local public health officer who led the nation’s first regional shelter-in-place order early in the Covid-19 pandemic sounded the alarm Tuesday on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s swift reopening plans, which now allow haircuts and church services. After keeping the state largely in lockdown since March 19, Newsom has quickly advanced counties that meet certain criteria — now up to 47 out of 58 counties — through his reopening phases. (Colliver, 5/26)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Opens Churches, Stores, Pools, Drive-In Theaters
Los Angeles County announced Tuesday that it will align with California’s latest guidelines and allow the resumption of faith-based services, in-store shopping at low-risk retail stores, drive-in movies and other recreational activities with restrictions. The new order from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, released Tuesday evening, sets the stage for the county to request a variance from the state to permit faster reopening in some areas. L.A. County has been the California epicenter of coronavirus, with more than 2,100 deaths. (Parvini, 5/26)

Kaiser Health News: Going The Distance By Bus Through A Pandemic
Mary Pierson boarded a nearly empty L.A. Metro bus at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Riggin Street in Monterey Park one recent afternoon. Pierson, 69, uses a wheelchair and relies on public transportation to get around. She takes the bus a few times a week from Long Beach to various parts of Los Angeles to run errands and shop for groceries. Today, she took the No. 68 to the bank. “I’m glad they’re still running,” said Pierson, who wears a mask, gloves and sunglasses on board and disinfects her wheelchair after every trip. “I live alone and need to get out of the house.” (De Marco, 5/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF Mayor Breed’s Texts With Police Chief Rile Up Some Homelessness Advocates 
San Francisco Mayor London Breed has made no secret of her habit of inundating department heads with barrages of calls and text messages while crisscrossing the city, ordering potholes filled, trash cans emptied or streets cleaned. But a small trove of text messages among Breed, Police Chief Bill Scott and other members of the city’s top brass showing her repeatedly directing city officials to “clean up” tent encampments, something her critics have previously said is a callous way of handling of the city’s homelessness crisis. (Fracassa, 5/26)

Houston Chronicle: Hundreds Of Complaints But Zero Citations For Houston Bars, Restaurants Violating Capacity Rules 
Despite reports of crowded establishments and Turner’s pledge to enforce penalties starting Sunday evening, however, the Houston Fire Department and Harris County Fire Marshal issued zero citations. (Scherer and Despart, 5/26)

Boston Globe: Raimondo Says R.I.’s Coronavirus Numbers May Be Good Enough To Move To Phase Two Monday 
As new cases of COVID-19 appear to be declining in Rhode Island, Governor Gina M. Raimondo said she hopes to move forward with the second phase of reopening the state’s economy on Monday. Hair salons and barber shops, indoor dining, gyms and fitness studios, and the rest of the state’s parks and beaches could reopen by Monday, and houses of worship will likely be able to hold services on Saturday. (Milkovits, 5/26)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia’s Latest Coronavirus News: New Cases Up But Causes Unclear
After gradual declines, week to week cases of COVID-19 in Georgia clicked up 26% for the seven days ending Sunday, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of public health data. Whether the increase from nearly 4,170 confirmed cases during the week of May 11 to 5,260 the week of May 18 represents a new wave in the spread of the novel coronavirus remains unclear. (Mariano, 5/26)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: School Police Officer Duties Change With Pandemic
The majority of school districts in Georgia have partnerships with county or municipal law enforcement to provide officers to patrol schools and help with school traffic. But the six largest school systems employ their own police forces — nearly 500 police officers. (Broady. 5/26)

Bangor Daily News: Mainers Are Getting Antibody Tests For The Coronavirus, But It’s Unclear What Results Mean 
In early May, health care providers in Maine started offering a second kind of coronavirus test that could detect past infections, though they are not being recommended by the state’s top health official for most people due to questions over what the results mean. (Pendharkar, 5/27)

State House News Service: Union Says Office Cleaners Getting One-Year Contract Extension 
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed patterns of life for people across Massachusetts and brought about situations that were previously hard to imagine. Add one more to the list: a labor union and management singing from the same hymn sheet. (Young, 5/26)

State House News Service: Boston Field Hospital To Stop Accepting COVID-19 Patients 
With public health data indicating "that we are trending in the right direction" in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday that the 1,000-bed field hospital set up last month at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center "is no longer necessary" and will stop accepting new patients. (Young, 5/26)

Boston Globe: Suspended Superintendent Of Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Defends Handling Of Deadly Outbreak 
The lawyer for Bennett Walsh, the suspended superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, where 76 residents have died in the state’s largest coronavirus cluster, released documents Tuesday that appear to show he provided state officials daily updates as the outbreak spread in late March, contradicting the account of Governor Charlie Baker’s administration. William Bennett spoke on Walsh’s behalf two months after the first coronavirus death at the state-run facility and released e-mails that bolstered Walsh’s previous claim that state and local officials were given frequent updates about the severity of the outbreak and the need for outside help. Those officials have said they were kept in the dark as infections raced through the facility and the death toll climbed. (Krueger, 5/26)

ABC News: Suspended Superintendent At Holyoke Soldiers' Home Did Not Keep Officials In The Dark, Attorney Says 
The superintendent of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, a state-run facility where more than 90 veteran residents have died in the coronavirus pandemic, did not keep anyone "in the dark" about the growing crisis inside, according to his attorney. Attorney William Bennett repeatedly insisted on Tuesday that suspended Superintendent Bennett Walsh took several steps to notify state and local officials about the growing rate of COVID-19 infections among veterans. But Bennett said Walsh's requests for medical assistance for the facility were denied. (Mitropoulos and Torres, 5/26)

New England Public Radio: Releasing Texts And Emails, Suspended Soldiers' Home Boss Denies Cover-Up
The attorney for suspended Holyoke Soldiers' Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh has released 19 documents that he claims proves his client did not try to cover up a deadly COVID-19 outbreak. Seventy-six veterans who were residents at the state-run facility have died while testing positive for the virus. The texts and emails indicate Walsh communicated with his superiors and others about the outbreak for the week prior to his being placed on leave. Some officials, including Gov. Charlie Baker, have said they were taken by surprise about the severity of the situation, and moved swiftly to bring in new leadership at the Soldiers' Home. (Frenier, 5/26)

Boston Globe: Prolonged Isolation Taking A Toll On Residents Of Nursing Homes 
More than two months after state and federal officials restricted visits at long-term care facilities to protect patients from the coronavirus, Thresher has avoided infection and survived one of the deadliest known COVID-19 outbreaks at a long-term care facility in the United States. But whether he survives months in lockdown, cut off from his loved ones, remains unclear. (Crimaldi and Krantz, 5/26)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nursing Home Residents Warned About Coronavirus Relief Funds 
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is warning families to be cautious amid reports of nursing homes attempting to take coronavirus relief payments from their residents. Nursing homes cannot legally require residents on Medicaid to sign over their relief payments, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the checks are designated as tax credits that cannot be taken for federal benefits programs, such as Medicaid. (Bradford, 5/26)

The New York Times: In Audacious Move, Georgia And Florida Governors Offer To Host G.O.P. Convention
The governors of Georgia and Florida, seizing on a tweet from President Trump, made an audacious move on Tuesday, offering their states’ hosting services for the Republican National Convention, which the party is contractually obligated to hold in Charlotte, N.C. That contract was signed nearly two years ago, and moving a 50,000-person, multimillion-dollar event less than three months before it happens would be extraordinary. But Mr. Trump — in contrast to the host committee that is coordinating the event — threatened on Monday to move the convention unless Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina provided a “guarantee” that there would be no coronavirus-related restrictions on the size of the event. (Astor, 5/26)

The Associated Press: GOP Govs Offer States As Alternative RNC Convention Host
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sent an open plea to Trump on Tuesday to consider his state as an alternate site for the quadrennial convention, which is set to gather more than 2,500 delegates and thousands more guests, press and security officials. Plans have been underway for more than a year to hold the convention in Charlotte, but Trump and national Republican officials have expressed concerns that local officials may not allow gatherings of that size during the pandemic. (Miller and Nadler, 5/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Florida Pushes To Host Republican Convention
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is close to the president, told reporters Tuesday that his office has been in touch with the White House and would welcome the gathering, extolling a “huge economic impact.” He named a number of cities, including Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville, that could handle a convention. “The door is open,” Mr. DeSantis said. “We want to have the conversation.” (Leary and McCormick, 5/26)

Reuters: Trump Issues North Carolina An Ultimatum On Republican Convention
Trump set the deadline for Governor Roy Cooper after Republicans in Florida, Georgia and Texas offered to host their party’s four-day nominating convention, which is scheduled to open in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Aug. 24. “We’re not going to sacrifice the health and safety of North Carolinians,” Cooper said, citing the coronavirus pandemic. He said state officials would work with Republican organizers to ensure everyone’s safety. (Martina, 5/26)

The Washington Post: Trump Wants To Know ‘Within A Week’ Whether North Carolina Can Hold August Convention Amid Pandemic
“We have a governor that doesn’t want to open up the state and we have a date of . . . the end of August,” Trump told reporters at the White House, a day after tweeting his threat to pull the convention. “And we have to know before we spend millions and millions of dollars on an arena to make it magnificent for the convention. . . . If the governor can’t tell us very soon, unfortunately, we’ll have no choice.” (Linskey, 5/26)

NPR: Trump's Threat To Move Convention Causes Overnight Scramble
Cooper has said North Carolina is guided by public health and nothing else and is waiting for the RNC to provide a plan laying out how it would safely hold its convention. "I'm not surprised by anything that I see on Twitter," Cooper said on Tuesday about the president's comments. "I will say that it's OK for political conventions to be political, but pandemic response cannot be." (Keith and Moore, 5/26)

Politico: North Carolina Throws Convention Threat Back At Trump And GOP
Nothing was decided, and one senior Republican called the situation “a mess.” Indeed, the twin developments in North Carolina and Washington signal a difficult stretch for the GOP as it tries to navigate Trump's insistence on a full-blown convention with public health concerns on the ground. Cohen, Kelly and Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper discussed the convention during a Friday conference call, according to the letter — a positive sign for proponents of keeping the convention in North Carolina. But the two sides aren't close to agreement on what modifications might be needed because of the coronavirus. (King, 5/26)

The Hill: NC Governor Faces GOP Convention Dilemma Amid Pandemic 
North Carolina has entered the safer-at-home phase of Cooper's plan, which allows previously shuttered businesses such as restaurants and barbershops to operate at 50 percent capacity. Gatherings are limited to 10 people indoors and 25 people are allowed for outdoor events. Cooper was again pressured on Tuesday, this time by RNC chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, who claimed “a lot of states” had offered to host the convention — scheduled for Aug. 24-27 at Charlotte's Spectrum Center — following the president's tweets. (Johnson, 5/26)

The Associated Press: Trump Committed To July 4 Celebration Despite Lawmaker Alarm
The White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump remains committed to holding a Fourth of July celebration in the nation’s capital even as Democratic lawmakers from the region -- one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus -- warn that the area will not be ready to hold a major event. White House spokesman Judd Deere reiterated that Trump wants to hold an Independence Day celebration after members of Congress wrote on Tuesday to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to raise their concerns about the safety of such an event. (Madhani and Khalil, 5/27)

Politico: D.C.-Area Lawmakers Warn White House Against July 4th Celebration Amid Pandemic
Democrats representing the Washington, D.C., area are warning the Trump administration against holding another July Fourth celebration on the National Mall as the region battles the spread of the coronavirus. Ten Democrats from the District, Maryland and Virginia wrote Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt Tuesday, urging the administration to "immediately suspend any plans" for a second July Fourth event, known as the "Salute to America." (O'Brien, 5/26)

The New York Times: Biden, Urging Face Masks, Calls Trump A ‘Fool’ For Not Wearing One
Joseph R. Biden Jr. laced into President Trump on Tuesday, calling him an “absolute fool” for refusing to wear a mask in public on Memorial Day and for appearing to scoff at the former vice president for wearing one. “He’s a fool, an absolute fool to talk that way,” Mr. Biden said in an interview with Dana Bash of CNN, his first in-person interview since the coronavirus crisis took him off the campaign trail. Castigating Mr. Trump for “this macho stuff,” Mr. Biden accused him of “stoking deaths” and aggravating cultural divisions over mask-wearing. (Ember, 5/26)

Politico: Biden: Trump's 'An Absolute Fool' For Stoking Face Mask Controversy
He accused Trump of caving to “macho stuff,” the argument advanced by some opposed to wearing masks that doing so is a sign of weakness. “That's not going to increase the likelihood that people are going to be better off,” he added later. Asked Tuesday how he viewed wearing a face covering, Biden said he believes doing so projects “leadership.”(Oprysko, 5/26)

The Washington Post: Trump Calls Mask Wearing ‘Politically Correct,’ Biden Calls Him A ‘Fool’
President Trump dismissed a mask-wearing reporter as being “politically correct” on Tuesday while the presumptive Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, called him a “fool” for mocking their use. The president’s refusal to wear a face mask in public, defying recommendations from public health experts, has become a symbol for his supporters resisting stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus crisis. To wear one then is seen by some as being anti-Trump. (Itkowtiz, 5/26)

The Hill: Biden Accuses Trump Of 'Stoking Deaths,' Being 'Falsely Masculine' 
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at a briefing on Tuesday that it was "peculiar" that Biden wore a mask outside but does not wear a mask inside next to his wife. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a mask in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. (Manchester, 5/26)

Politico: ‘Why Are You Not Burying Him?’: Trump Allies Fret Over Rising Biden Threat
Some of President Donald Trump‘s political allies and donors are starting to get antsy. With only five months until the November general election, several Trump advisers, campaign veterans and prominent Republicans see the Trump campaign’s efforts to define and damage former vice president Joe Biden falling short. (Cook, 5/27)

The New York Times: Twitter Labels Trump's Tweets For First Time
Twitter added information to refute the inaccuracies in President Trump’s tweets for the first time on Tuesday, after years of pressure over its inaction on his false and threatening posts. The social media company added links late Tuesday to two of Mr. Trump’s tweets in which he had posted about mail-in ballots and falsely claimed that they would cause the November presidential election to be “rigged.” The links — which were in blue lettering at the bottom of the posts and punctuated by an exclamation mark — urged people to “get the facts” about voting by mail. (Conger and Alba, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Twitter Adds Fact-Check Notices To Trump Tweets On Mail-In Ballots
The tweets “contain potentially misleading information about voting processes and have been labeled to provide additional context around mail-in ballots,” a Twitter spokesman said. Twitter’s move was based on a policy announced earlier this month to apply fact-checking labels about the coronavirus and other disputed issues subject to misinformation, including the election. This marked the first time Twitter has applied the fact-checking label to a message about non-Covid news. (Ballhaus and Wells, 5/26)

Reuters: Twitter Fact-Checks Trump Tweet For The First Time
The company has been tightening those policies in recent years amid criticism that its hands-off approach had allowed abuse, fake accounts and misinformation to thrive. Trump lashed out at the company in response, accusing it - in a tweet - of interfering in the 2020 presidential election. “Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen!” he said. (Paul and Culliford, 5/26)

The Associated Press: In A First, Twitter Adds Fact-Check Warnings To Trump Tweets
Until now, the president has simply blown past Twitter’s half-hearted attempts to enforce rules intended to promote civility and “healthy” conversation on its most prominent user. Trump frequently amplifies misinformation, spreads abuse and uses his pulpit to personally attack private citizens and public figures alike — all forbidden under Twitter’s official rules. (Ortutay and Hazell, 5/27)

The Washington Post: Twitter Labels Trump’s Tweets With A Fact Check For The First Time
For its 14-year existence, Twitter has allowed misinformation by world leaders and everyday citizens to spread virtually unchecked. Its leaders have long said users would engage in debate on the platform and correct false information on their own. But Trump has made many false claims on social media, particularly on his preferred medium of Twitter, and has also attacked people in ways that critics have argued could violate company policies on harassment and bullying. (Dwoskin, 5/26)

NPR: Social Media And Disinformation: What To Expect For 2020
America's new socially distant reality has warped the landscape of the 2020 election. Candidates aren't out knocking on doors, and U.S. election officials are bracing for a record surge in mail ballots. And another subtler shift is also occurring — inside people's brains. (Parks, 5/27)

ABC News: Who Is Spreading COVID-19 Misinformation And Why 
The crippling spread of COVID-19 across the globe has progressed in parallel with a flood of information online relating to the pandemic. The World Health Organization branded that spread as an "infodemic" earlier this year. The "infodemic" has highlighted the importance of readers identifying false information about the coronavirus and those who might be spreading it. Here's a look at potential sources of false information and a few quick embedded tips to deal with it. (Bell and Gallagher, 5/26)

The Washington Post: Top HHS Watchdog Being Replaced By Trump Says Inspectors General Must Work Free From Political Intrusion
The chief watchdog for the Department of Health and Human Services, being replaced as part of President Trump’s purge of inspectors general, told lawmakers on Tuesday that freedom from political intrusion is “a key safeguard for the programs we oversee.” Christi Grimm, HHS’s principal deputy inspector general, spoke out for the first time since she was excoriated by the president for a report from her office that found “severe shortages” earlier this spring of supplies to help hospitals cope with the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Goldstein, 5/26)

Politico: HHS Watchdog Vows Independence Amid Trump Actions
Grimm, who’s served as the acting Health and Human Services inspector general since January, detailed 14 different projects underway to track the Trump administration's response to the pandemic, including a newly announced audit into $50 billion that the Department of Health and Human Services is disbursing to health care providers. The office’s work already has been controversial: Grimm in April released a survey her staff conducted that found hospitals generally lacked supplies and equipment to prepare for the Covid-19 pandemic. Trump swiftly attacked the findings as Grimm’s “opinion” before wrongly claiming that Grimm — a career civil servant — was an appointee of former President Barack Obama. Trump nominated a full-time replacement for Grimm three weeks later. (Diamond, 5/26)

USA Today: HHS Watchdog Christi Grimm Defends Coronavirus Report On PPE Shortages Criticized By Trump
Asked by Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., whether hospitals had received sufficient support from the federal government, Grimm said, “We did find shortages of protective equipment – masks, gowns, and recorded expected shortages of ventilators,” but the government took steps to address the issues. Democrats criticized the Trump administration for its moves to oust several inspectors general, including State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, who had been investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's use of State Department staff to run personal errands for him and his wife. (Wu, 5/26)

The Associated Press: White House Letter Doesn't Explain Why Trump Fired Watchdogs
The White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump followed the law when he fired multiple inspectors general in the last two months, but the administration offered no new details about why they were let go. A White House letter issued in response to concerns from a prominent Republican senator does little to explain the decision-making behind Trump’s recent upheaval of the inspector general community. (Tucker and Daly, 5/27)

Modern Healthcare: HHS Watchdog Monitoring Billing For Potential COVID-19 Upcoding
A top official at HHS' Office of Inspector General on Tuesday said the watchdog is monitoring billing and claims data to ensure hospitals are not upcoding to take advantage of higher COVID-19 reimbursement rates. "We are monitoring through our data accompanying bills and claims with a COVID diagnosis as a way to potentially upcode," Principal Deputy Inspector General for HHS Christi Grimm told members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. (Cohrs, 5/26)

Kaiser Health News: COVID-Like Cough Sent Him To ER — Where He Got A $3,278 Bill
From late March into April, Timothy Regan had severe coughing fits several times a day that often left him out of breath. He had a periodic low-grade fever, too. Wondering if he had COVID-19, Regan called a nurse hotline run by Denver Health, a large public health system in his city. A nurse listened to him describe his symptoms and told him to immediately go to the hospital system’s urgent care facility. When he arrived at Denver Health — where the emergency room and urgent care facility sit side by side at its main location downtown — a nurse directed him to the ER after he noted chest pain as one of his symptoms. (Galewitz, 5/25)

Modern Healthcare: Providence Losses Total $1.1 Billion In First Quarter
Renton, Wash.-based Providence health system reported a net loss of $1.1 billion in the first quarter of 2020, driven by an operating loss of $276 million and a non-operating loss of $837 million, according to financial filings. Higher operating expenses were behind most of the operating loss, while investment losses of $763 million led to the high non-operating losses, according to Providence. A year earlier, Providence reported net income of $543 million, an operating loss of $4 million and a non-operating gain of $547 million. (Barr, 5/25)

Modern Healthcare: 'No Path Forward' For Chicago Four-Hospital Merger
The merger of four financially struggling Chicago South Side hospitals is off. The move comes after lawmakers approved revisions to the state's hospital assessment program, but left out a pool of about $500 million to help facilities across the state transform in an evolving industry. The South Side hospitals were banking on a significant piece of the pot. (Goldberg, 5/26)

NPR: Trump Team Killed Rule Designed To Protect Health Workers From Pandemic Like COVID-19
When President Trump took office in 2017, his team stopped work on new federal regulations that would have forced the health care industry to prepare for an airborne infectious disease pandemic such as COVID-19. That decision is documented in federal records reviewed by NPR. "If that rule had gone into effect, then every hospital, every nursing home would essentially have to have a plan where they made sure they had enough respirators and they were prepared for this sort of pandemic," said David Michaels, who was head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration until January 2017. (Mann, 5/26)

In other news on health workers —

The New York Times: They Evoke Darth Vader, But These Masks May Save Your Doctor’s Life
Even among the surreal sights of an intensive care unit crowded with Covid-19 patients, Dr. Elaine Fajardo’s mask stands out. Jet-black silicone with magenta-capped filters protruding from both sides, it is more commonly the protection of choice at construction sites and industrial plants. But for Dr. Fajardo, it has been a precious and potentially lifesaving medical resource. “I think these really saved us from a crisis,” said Dr. Fajardo, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut. (Hamby, 5/27)

NPR: Feds Arrest 'The Mask Man,' New York Pharmacist Accused Of Profiteering On N95 Masks
A licensed pharmacist in New York bought up thousands of rare N95 masks and sold them at much higher prices during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal authorities said Tuesday, announcing the arrest of Richard Schirripa, aka "the Mask Man," on charges that include violating the Defense Production Act. Schirripa is accused of charging up to $25 per mask – often selling them out of his car. (Chappell, 5/26)

Stat: Trump Claims Credit For Lowering Drug Prices Based On A Small Change
President Trump used a glitzy Rose Garden address, flanked by pharmaceutical company CEOs and patient advocates, to boast of his administration’s successes lowering drug prices and to detract from his political rivals’ efforts on the same issue. But the news he was touting was modest at best: Drug makers agreed to participate in a minor, voluntary Medicare program that will likely only provide a limited discount on insulin for a small subset of the 60 million seniors with Medicare coverage. (Florko, 5/26)

The Associated Press: Trump Announces Deal To Reduce Insulin Prices For Seniors
Many Medicare recipients could pay less for insulin next year under a deal President Donald Trump announced Tuesday in a pivot to pocketbook issues important in November’s election. “I hope the seniors are going to remember it,” Trump said at a Rose Garden ceremony, joined by executives from insurance and drug companies, along with seniors and advocates for people with diabetes. The deal comes as Trump tries to woo older voters critical to his reelection prospects. (5/26)

NPR: Trump Unveils Plan To Cap Insulin Costs For Seniors
The new options for reducing insulin costs are the result of an agreement reached by the Trump administration with insulin manufacturers and major insurance companies. "This is a big day for seniors," President Trump said in a Rose Garden speech where he took the opportunity to take several direct swings at Biden over health care issues. (Rascoe, 5/26)

Modern Healthcare: CMS: Over 1,750 Drug Plans Apply To Cap Seniors' Insulin Costs
The model has broad support from the insurance industry because pharmaceutical companies will pay larger discounts under the demonstration, which would lower costs for plans. When CMS announced the model, the agency estimated it would save the federal government more than $250 million over five years. "Companies already provide deep discounts and rebates on insulin — often in excess of the net revenues retained by the manufacturer — but Part D plans and PBMs are not sharing those savings directly with patients, whose out-of-pocket costs continue to soar," said Stephen J. Ubl, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade group representing drugmakers. (Brady, 5/26)

CNN: Donald Trump Appeals To Seniors With $35 Insulin Price Cap Plan
The message came amid a coronavirus pandemic that has most directly affected older Americans. Trump's support among older voters has softened during the outbreak, worrying some of his advisers and leading to renewed efforts at the White House to highlight support for senior citizens. The announcement on Tuesday fit within that. Trump said most senior Medicare recipients will be able to get prescription plans that cap copay costs for insulin, allowing them access to various types of insulins at no more than a copay of $35 for a month's supply. (Liptak, Kelly and Howard, 5/26)

USA Today: Trump Ponders Taking Insulin Despite Not Being Diabetic
President Donald Trump pondered on Tuesday whether he should be taking insulin, a hormone typically prescribed to diabetics, during an announcement for a plan which would aim to drastically reduce the price of insulin for people on Medicare. "I don't use insulin," Trump said. "Should I be? Huh? I never thought about it. But I know a lot of people are very badly affected, right? Unbelievable." (Behrmann, 5/26)

The Washington Post: The Government’s Hunt For Drug Remdesivir For Coronavirus Treatment
The drug that buoyed expectations for a coronavirus treatment and drew international attention for Gilead Sciences, remdesivir, started as a reject, an also-ran in the search for antiviral drugs. Its path to relevance didn’t begin until Robert Jordan plucked it from mothballs. A Gilead scientist at the time, Jordan convinced the company seven years ago to let him assemble a library of 1,000 castoff molecules in a search for medicines to treat emerging viruses. Many viral illnesses threaten human health but don’t attract commercial interest because they lack potential for huge drug sales. (Rowland, 5/26)

ABC News: VA Secretary Fires Back At Critics Of Controversial COVID-19 Treatment Touted By Trump 
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie fired back at critics of his agency's use of a controversial drug touted by President Donald Trump to treat COVID-19 patients in an interview with ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz on Tuesday. After the VA reported last week it had treated roughly 1,300 coronavirus patients with hydroxychloroquine -- a drug widely used in clinical trials that hasn't yet been shown to be effective -- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asked Friday whether veterans were being treated like "guinea pigs." (Seyler, 5/26)

Politico: Poll: Despite Trump's Endorsement, Few Voters Support Use Of Hydroxycholoroquine
President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement last week that he’d been taking the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a safeguard against contracting Covid-19 spurred alarm in the medical community, where scientists have cast doubt on the drug’s ability to treat coronavirus and raised warnings about its safety. But despite weeks in which Trump has fervently pushed hydroxychloroquine as a potential miracle drug, a new poll found that more voters came down on the side of scientists. (Oprysko, 5/26)

Reuters: WHO Expects Hydroxychloroquine Safety Findings By Mid-June
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday promised a swift review of data on hydroxychloroquine, probably by mid-June, after safety concerns prompted the group to suspend the malaria drug’s use in a large trial on COVID-19 patients. (Miller, 5/26)

Politico: France Bans Use Of Hydroxychloroquine To Cure Coronavirus 
The French health ministry is banning the use of the hydroxychloroquine as a cure to coronovirus, according to a decree published Wednesday morning. "Whether [in doctors offices] in the cities or in the hospital, this ... should not be prescribed for patients with COVID-19," the ministry said in a statement. (Braun, 5/27)

NPR: In The Battle Against COVID-19, A Risk Of 'Vaccine Nationalism'
The race to defeat the coronavirus can be viewed in two very distinct ways. One is based on international cooperation, with a vaccine treated as a "global public good." The other is competitive, a battle between nations that's being described as "vaccine nationalism." Many are hoping for the former, but are seeing signs of the latter. The main competition, on this and many other global issues, appears to be between the U.S. and China. (Myre, 5/27)

The Associated Press: AP-NORC Poll: Half Of Americans Would Get A COVID-19 Vaccine
Only about half of Americans say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine if the scientists working furiously to create one succeed, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s surprisingly low considering the effort going into the global race for a vaccine against the coronavirus that has sparked a pandemic since first emerging from China late last year. But more people might eventually roll up their sleeves: The poll, released Wednesday, found 31% simply weren’t sure if they’d get vaccinated. Another 1 in 5 said they’d refuse. (Neergaard and Fingerhut, 5/27)

Stat: Moderna Executives Have Cashed Out $89M In Shares This Year
The top five executives at the biotech company Moderna have sold more than $89 million of stock so far this year — initiating nearly three times as many stock transactions than in all of 2019 — as the company’s share price has soared on hopes for its Covid-19 vaccine. The trades, which led to about $80 million in profits, were prescheduled through a legal program that allows company insiders to buy and sell shares at a later date. But the volume and timing might prove alarming to Moderna’s shareholders, especially in light of the company’s May decision to raise more than $1 billion in a stock offering. If Moderna’s early-stage vaccine can one day prevent coronavirus infection and the company’s best days lay ahead, why are insiders selling? (Garde, 5/27)

The New York Times: Republicans Sue Pelosi To Block House Proxy Voting During Pandemic
Republican leaders sued Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top congressional officials on Tuesday to block the House of Representatives from using a proxy voting system set up by Democrats to allow for remote legislating during the coronavirus pandemic, calling it unconstitutional. In a lawsuit that also names the House clerk and sergeant-at-arms as defendants, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, and roughly 20 other Republicans argued that new rules allowing lawmakers to vote from afar during the coronavirus outbreak would be the end of Congress as it was envisioned by the nation’s founders. (Fandos and Schmidt, 5/26)

Reuters: House Republicans To Sue Pelosi Over Remote Proxy Voting In Pandemic
The lawsuit, to be filed in federal court in Washington, will seek to block the new system passed by the Democratic-majority House and intended to allow the chamber to function while observing social distancing guidelines. It will argue that the rule changes are unconstitutional, the Republican aides said. (5/26)

Politico: House Republicans Plan To Sue Pelosi Over Proxy Voting
Top Republicans have been crusading against the historic rules change, foreshadowing the legal move for days. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell questioned the constitutionality of the system late last week. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) had suggested Republicans would mount a legal challenge after the procedure, which is temporary and only to be used during the current Congress, is first used this week. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer — who helped develop the proxy voting system while working with Republicans — dismissed attacks from McConnell and others as politically motivated. (Zanona, Caygle and Ferris, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: House Republicans Move To Block Proxy Voting
Lawmakers are set to vote this week on a bill to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which has already passed the Senate, along with a bill to change elements of the Paycheck Protection Program that was created to help small businesses during the pandemic. But House Republicans filed a lawsuit late Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) to block the chamber’s new system. Republicans argue proxy voting, which was passed by Democrats with no GOP support, is unconstitutional. More broadly, they say that Congress has an obligation to meet in person, despite the risks. (Peterson and Andrews, 5/26)

Elsewhere on Capitol Hill —

The Associated Press: Congress Shifts Attention To Overhauling Small-Business Aid
Deadlocked over the next big coronavirus relief bill, Congress is shifting its attention to a more modest overhaul of small-business aid in hopes of helping employers reopen shops and survive the pandemic. Bipartisan legislation that would give small employers more time to take advantage of federal subsidies for payroll and other costs is expected to pass the House this week, as lawmakers return to Washington for an abbreviated two-day session. (Taylor and Mascaro, 5/27)

The Hill: McConnell: Talking About Fifth Coronavirus Bill 'In The Next Month Or So' 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that there would "likely" be a fifth coronavirus relief bill "in the next month or so." "Many of you are asking, what next? I think there's likely to be another bill. It will not be the $3 trillion bill the House passed the other day. But there's still a likelihood that more will be needed," McConnell said during an event at a hospital in Louisville, Ky. (Carney, 5/26)

The Associated Press: Rubio Warns Of Foreign Actors Amplifying Virus Conspiracies
Sen. Marco Rubio, the new Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is warning that foreign actors will seek to amplify conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and find new ways to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. The Florida Republican said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that one possibility could be an effort to convince people that a new vaccine against the virus, once created, would be more harmful than helpful. (Jalonick and Mascaro, 5/27)

Politico: Marco Rubio Zeroes In On Russia — Not Obama
“I’m not going to accuse any member who believes that they are exercising oversight to be colluding with a foreign power,” Rubio said in an interview last week. “I will say to you that I think it’s pretty clear that the Russians are constantly pursuing narratives that they believe will drive conflict in our politics and divide us against each other.” The Senate Intelligence Committee has historically been a bipartisan one, but Rubio is taking over at a time when partisan tensions in the Senate are perhaps higher than they have ever been, which may bring drawbacks to the influential perch. (Desiderio, 5/27)

The Hill: Progressives Raise Alarm Over Letting Lobbying Groups Access PPP Funds 
Anti-lobbying activists are sounding the alarm over efforts on Capitol Hill to let lobbying groups access emergency loans meant for small businesses struggling during the pandemic. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have introduced competing bills that would allow local chambers of commerce and trade associations like America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and PhRMA, which represents the pharmaceutical industry, to tap into the Paycheck Protection Program, federal funding that Congress set aside to help non-political businesses weather the coronavirus. (Bowden, 5/26)

The Associated Press: US Closes Probes Into 3 Senators Over Their Stock Trades
The Justice Department has closed investigations into stock trading by Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, according to people familiar with notifications sent to the senators. The senators came under scrutiny for transactions made in the weeks before the coronavirus sent markets downhill. The developments indicate that federal law enforcement officials are narrowing their focus in the stock investigation to Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C, the former Senate Intelligence Committee chairman. Agents showed up at his Washington-area home about two weeks ago with a warrant to search his cellphone. (Jalonick and Tucker, 5/27)

NPR: Insider-Trading Probes Of Feinstein, Loeffler, Inhofe Closed
Burr's trades, which were worth up to $1.7 million, have drawn the most scrutiny, and he remains under investigation. The FBI executed a search warrant for his cellphone earlier this month — a major step in the probe. It meant investigators were able to show a federal judge probable cause that a crime had been committed and that there was likely evidence of that crime on Burr's phone. The decision to seek a warrant was approved at the highest levels of the Justice Department given the sensitivities involved in an investigation into a sitting senator. (Lucas, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Justice Department Closing Insider-Trading Investigations Into Three U.S. Senators
The closure of the investigation into Ms. Loeffler could give her a boost as she struggles to keep her seat in Georgia. Ms. Loeffler, who was appointed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to replace retired Sen. Johnny Isakson, is trailing another Republican, Rep. Doug Collins, in recent polls. Mr. Collins has criticized Ms. Loeffler over the trades, but she said last week that she had no plans to drop out of the race. “Today’s clear exoneration by the Department of Justice affirms what Senator Loeffler has said all along—she did nothing wrong,” a spokesman for Ms. Loeffler said. (Viswanatha, 5/26)

Roll Call: Justice Department Closes Investigations Into Loeffler, Feinstein, Inhofe
The senators all sold significant amounts of stock before the coronavirus pandemic decimated the financial markets. The market plunge began in late February and after the Senate received briefings on the coming pandemic. Although the DOJ investigations have run their course for the trio of senators, that does not necessarily mean the Securities and Exchange Commission’s inquiries are halted, according to Jacob S. Frenkel, a former senior counsel in the SEC’s enforcement division. (Marquette, 5/26)

The New York Times: Hunger Program’s Slow Start Leaves Millions Of Children Waiting
As child hunger soars to levels without modern precedent, an emergency program Congress created two months ago has reached only a small fraction of the 30 million children it was intended to help. The program, Pandemic-EBT, aims to compensate for the declining reach of school meals by placing their value on electronic cards that families can use in grocery stores. But collecting lunch lists from thousands of school districts, transferring them to often-outdated state computers and issuing specialized cards has proved much harder than envisioned, leaving millions of needy families waiting to buy food. (DeParle, 5/26)

Time: Coronavirus Causing 'Unprecedented' Crisis, World Food Program Warns
The world faces an “unprecedented” food crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused both severe job losses and major disruptions in food supply chains, the U.N. World Food Programme’s Chief Economist warns. “When you have these severe job losses, or you have big lockdowns, that means that those people become vulnerable,” Arif Husain tells TIME. An estimated 265 million people could go hungry in 2020, nearly double the 2019 figures, according to WFP’s projection in April. (Chen, 5/26)

And in other news —

Scientific American Blog Network: Forced Social Isolation Causes Neural Craving Similar To Hunger
The need for connection-- to form and maintain at least a minimal number of positive, stable, intimate relationships-- is a fundamental need that affects our whole being, permeating our entire suite of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. While voluntary solitude can be great fodder for creativity, and being alone doesn't necessarily indicate loneliness, what happens when people are forced into isolation and are severely deprived of this fundamental human need? Surprisingly, while the physical and mental health effects of loneliness are well documented, there is a lack of research on the consequences of severe forced isolation. (Kaufman, 5/19)

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Won’t Stop Ohio Order For Prisoners To Be Moved Or Released Because Of Coronavirus
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to shelve a judge’s order that hundreds of at-risk inmates at a federal prison in Ohio be expeditiously moved because of an outbreak of coronavirus. The court left open the door for the Trump administration to try again “if circumstances warrant.” It said a new filing could be appropriate later, after the case proceeded through lower courts. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch would have granted the administration’s request now. (Barnes, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Won’t Block Court Order To Slow Spread Of Coronavirus In Federal Prison Where Nine Have Died
Attorney General William Barr had noted the severe conditions at the Federal Correctional Institution at Elkton, and in April directed the Bureau of Prisons to prioritize the early release of inmates from the facility. But with officials moving slowly, the American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit last month on behalf of medically vulnerable inmates at Elkton, alleging that in light of the coronavirus pandemic, cramped conditions and the prison’s failure to implement hygienic measures violated the constitutional protection from cruel and unusual punishments. (Bravin and Gurman, 5/26)

USA Today: Supreme Court: Federal Prison In Ohio Must Address Coronavirus Threat
The high court refused to put the evaluation of those inmates on hold at the request of the Trump administration, "without prejudice to the government seeking a new stay if circumstances warrant." Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch would have granted the administration's request. Across the country, state and federal prisons have become a hotbed of coronavirus infections. Hundreds of prisoners and several dozen prison staff have died, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents four Elkton inmates in the Ohio case. (Wolf, 5/26)

CNBC: Supreme Court Rejects Bid To Halt Order Over Ohio Prison Coronavirus
In a statement, ACLU national legal director David Cole said he commended the top court “for choosing to reaffirm the rights of the people incarcerated at Elkton prison, for whom a prison sentence must not become a death sentence.” Justin Long, a spokesperson for the BOP, declined to comment, citing a policy against commenting on pending litigation. Prisons have served as fertile ground for coronavirus, which spreads quickly in indoor settings in which people are gathered in close quarters. Older people and those with chronic conditions are particularly vulnerable, health authorities say.  (Higgins, 5/26)

The New York Times: An ‘Avalanche Of Evictions’ Could Be Bearing Down On America’s Renters
The United States, already wrestling with an economic collapse not seen in a generation, is facing a wave of evictions as government relief payments and legal protections run out for millions of out-of-work Americans who have little financial cushion and few choices when looking for new housing. The hardest hit are tenants who had low incomes and little savings even before the pandemic, and whose housing costs ate up more of their paychecks. They were also more likely to work in industries where job losses have been particularly severe. (Mervosh, 5/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Borrower, Beware: Credit-Card Fraud Attempts Rise During The Coronavirus Crisis
Fraudsters are increasingly using pilfered credit-card numbers and phishing attacks to prey on overwhelmed consumers and banks during the coronavirus pandemic. There has been a big jump in attempted credit- and debit-card fraud since coronavirus shut down the U.S. economy earlier this year, according to Fidelity National Information Services Inc., known as FIS, which assists about 3,200 U.S. banks with fraud monitoring. The dollar volume of attempted fraudulent transactions rose 35% in April from a year earlier, FIS said, a trend that appears to be continuing in May. (Andriotis and McCaffrey, 5/27)

WBUR: For Many, $600 Jobless Benefit Makes It Hard To Return To Work 
In addition to risking infection with COVID-19, going back to work would also mean a cut in pay for [Lainy] Morse. Thanks to the extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits the federal government has been offering during the pandemic, Morse and her fellow teachers are making more now than they did on the job. (Horsley, 5/26)

CNN: Path Ahead For Pandemic Could Be Shaped By Masks While The US Death Toll Inches Closer To 100,000 
Americans are at odds over whether it is necessary to continue taking coronavirus protective measures, but a leading researcher says the data is clear: the path ahead in the Covid-19 pandemic is being shaped by masks. "We now have really clear evidence that wearing masks works -- it's probably a 50% protection against transmission," Dr. Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And so, what happens in the next month or two is very much in the hands of how people respond." (Holcombe, 5/27)

CNN: When Can You Be Around Others? CDC Offers Coronavirus Guidance 
People who have been sick with coronavirus infections should stay away from other people until they've gone at least three days with no fever, have seen symptoms improve, and until it's been 10 days since they first noticed symptoms, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated guidance. The CDC updated guidance on when it's safe to leave quarantine, as well as some consumer-friendly guidance on using public transit and ride shares as states loosen restrictions on opening schools, businesses and leaving home. People who have been infected need to be sure they won't spread the virus, even if they feel better, the CDC advised. (Fox, 5/27)

CNN: What We Know -- And Still Don't Know -- About The Coronavirus 
Dr. Megan Ranney spent last week testifying about the coronavirus before Congress. After Ranney took to Twitter on Sunday with a series of posts on the topic that many found extremely helpful and informative, CNN interviewed the emergency physician and Brown University associate professor of emergency medicine. Here's what she says we know, and what we still don't know, about Covid-19. (Murphy, 5/26)

CIDRAP: Study: Low Oxygen, Inflammation Predict Critical COVID-19 Illness, Death
Low oxygen levels at hospital admission and signs of inflammation were the strongest predictors of serious COVID-19 illness and death in a prospective cohort study published late last week in BMJ. Researchers found that 2,741 (51.9%) of 5,279 people testing positive for COVID-19 from Mar 1 to Apr 8 were hospitalized in NYU Langone Health in New York City and Long Island. Of the 2,741 hospitalized patients, 1,739 (69.5%) were released from the hospital, 990 (36.1%) were critically ill, and 665 (24.3%) were released to hospice or died. (5/26)

Stat: Hospital Records Hold Valuable Covid-19 Data. Making It Usable Takes Time
As tens of thousands of people worldwide test positive for Covid-19 every day, researchers are beginning to accumulate a trove of data from patients’ medical records that will be critical to getting a better handle on the biology of the disease. But even in the most advanced electronic health record systems, it’s a painstaking process to turn the information in a Covid-19 patient’s chart into a format that researchers can actually use. (Robbins, 5/27)

PBS NewsHour: The Potential Of Convalescent Plasma Therapy For COVID-19 Patients 
With researchers around the world racing to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, attention is increasingly turning to a potential stop-gap measure – convalescent plasma. The yellowish gold part of our blood that contains antibodies to help fight viruses is the focus of research in labs and hospitals and shows early signs of promise. (John Yang, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: China Rules Out Animal Market And Lab As Coronavirus Origin
Chinese scientists in recent days said they had ruled out both a laboratory and an animal market in the city of Wuhan as possible origins of the coronavirus pandemic, in their most detailed pushback to date against allegations from U.S. officials and others over what might have sparked it. The director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, at the center of allegations around a potential laboratory accident, Wang Yanyi, over the weekend told China Central Television that the coronavirus was significantly different from any live pathogen that has been studied at the institute and that there therefore was no chance it could have leaked from there. (Areddy, 5/26)

The Washington Post: A Third Of Americans Now Show Signs Of Clinical Anxiety Or Depression
A third of Americans are showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression, Census Bureau data shows, the most definitive and alarming sign yet of the psychological toll exacted by the coronavirus pandemic. When asked questions normally used to screen patients for mental health problems, 24 percent showed clinically significant symptoms of major depressive disorder and 30 percent showed symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. (Fowers and Wan, 5/26)

Stat: Covid-19 Isolates Patients From Loved Ones At Time Of Greatest Need 
Amy and Landen [Sapien], two generations fighting cancer... are going through the most frightening and painful moments of their lives without the family warmth and support that was standard practice at the nation’s medical centers — until Covid-19. The pandemic’s broad impact on cancer care in the U.S. is well-known: non-essential surgeries, biopsies, and scans delayed, and clinical trials disrupted. But it’s in stories like the Sapien family’s that one sees the depth of the harm it’s causing. (Glaser, 5/27)

ABC News: The Dalai Lama's Simple Advice To Navigating COVID-19 Isolation
As millions of people around the world continue to live with quarantine lockdowns, stay-at-home orders and other similar restrictions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Dalai Lama is no exception. His Holiness, who spoke with ABC News' Dan Harris for his podcast, "Ten Percent Happier," said he has spent the past few months insolation "in order to protect" himself... For those who are struggling with being in isolation or having a hard time managing the anxiety that goes along with adjusting to life around a global pandemic and restrictions, the Dalai Lama suggested doing meditation in the early mornings. (Effron, 5/27)

The New York Times: Could All Those ‘Quarantinis’ Lead To Drinking Problems? 
Quarantinis. Zoom happy hours. Easy front-door liquor delivery. The boredom of staying home and the intense anxiety produced by the pandemic have given rise to Twitter jokes about drinking before noon as alcohol sales have spiked. But addiction experts say they are worried it could also trigger more serious drinking problems and even create new ones for people who have never struggled with alcohol dependency before. (Cramer, 5/26)

The New York Times: Thinking About Flying? Here’s What You Need To Know Now
On Friday, the Transportation Security Administration screened 348,673 people at American airports, the most since travel went into a free-fall in mid-March, likely driven by people traveling ahead of Memorial Day weekend. Still, a year ago, more than 2.7 million people were screened, showing just how far the industry has to come back. For people who are thinking of flying this summer, or in the months after, air travel will be a far different experience than it was before the coronavirus. (Mzezewa, 5/27)

NPR: As Lockdown Orders Lift, Can Cities Prevent A Traffic Catastrophe?
Over the last few months, cities have had to deal with tremendous challenges — fighting a pandemic, preserving essential services, protecting their own workers, coping with devastating budget cuts. One thing local officials didn't have to worry about was traffic, as the pandemic emptied city streets. But that's about to change. (Domonoske, 5/27)

The New York Times: When Couples Fight About Virus Risks
Lian Chikako Chang and her husband, Drew Harry, agree on the big picture when it comes to minimizing their 3-year-old’s risk of exposure to the coronavirus. They both work in the tech industry and neither is an essential worker, so they have been following California’s shelter-in-place rules and going outside only for curb-side pick up for groceries once a week or brief bouts of exercise. They take their son to local parks on weekdays, because it is less crowded than on weekends. “We mostly are aligned,” said Chikako Chang, 39, who has been quarantined in San Francisco. But she and her husband still fight about the little things. The couple had a disagreement recently about whether their preschooler should use a public restroom at the park. (Grose, 5/26)

The New York Times: 'Aggressive' Rats May Increase During Pandemic, C.D.C. Says
Humans are not the only ones who miss dining out. As restaurants and other businesses have closed during the coronavirus pandemic, rats may become more aggressive as they hunt for new sources of food, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned. Environmental health and rodent control programs may see an increase in service requests related to “unusual or aggressive” rodent behavior, the agency said on its website on Thursday. (Padilla, 5/24)

Boston Globe: As Companies Reopen, Technology Will Stand Guard Against COVID-19
As the COVID-19 lockdown wanes, and companies throughout the United States reopen for business, workers can expect to be watched more closely than ever before — and not by their human bosses. From smartphone apps that administer health checks before workers even leave the house to cameras and Bluetooth radio beacons that track people’s movements throughout the workday, companies are deploying monitoring technologies that could slow the further spread of the coronavirus. (Bray, 5/26)

KQED: 'It Was Hell': When Both Parents Get COVID-19
In early April, as coronavirus outbreaks spread rapidly across the San Francisco Bay Area, Lorena found herself trapped in her apartment obsessively disinfecting surfaces, wearing gloves to cook meals and abstaining from holding her own two children. Both Lorena and her husband, Jorge, had tested positive for COVID-19. (Jhabvala Romero, 5/26)

Reuters: Exclusive: Research Finds Concerning Drop In U.S. Colorectal Cancer Screenings And Surgeries
New diagnoses of one of the deadliest cancers fell by one-third in March and April as U.S. physicians and patients halted appointments and screenings during the COVID-19 outbreak. Research by the health data firm Komodo Health and exclusively shared with Reuters found new colorectal cancer diagnoses declined more than 32%, while the number of performed colonoscopies and biopsies fell by nearly 90% from mid-March to mid-April, compared with the same period last year. Colorectal cancer surgeries were down by 53%. (Respaut and Nelson, 5/27)

CNN: Nearly Half Of Americans Stressing And Skipping Medical Appointments, Survey Finds 
Almost half (46%) of adults in a household experiencing income or job loss due to the coronavirus outbreak — and one-third of all Americans have — said their mental health has suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll released Wednesday... Nearly half (48%) of those polled said someone in their family has skipped or delayed getting medical care during the coronavirus pandemic. (LaMotte, 5/27)

Kaiser Health News: Nearly Half Of Americans Delayed Medical Care Due To Pandemic
As the coronavirus threat ramped up in March, hospitals, health systems and private practices dramatically reduced inpatient, nonemergency services to prepare for an influx of COVID-19 patients. A poll released Wednesday reveals that the emptiness of medical care centers may also reflect the choices patients made to delay care. The Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 48% of Americans said they or a family member has skipped or delayed medical care because of the pandemic, and 11% of them said the person’s condition worsened as a result of the delayed care. (Lawrence, 5/27)

The Associated Press: World Watches As South Korea Cautiously Returns To Life
The baseball league is on. Students have begun returning to school. And people are increasingly dining out and enjoying nighttime strolls in public parks. As South Korea significantly relaxes its rigid social distancing rules as a result of waning coronavirus cases, the world is paying close attention to whether it can return to something that resembles normal — or face a virus resurgence. (Kim, 5/27)

Reuters: South Korea Examines First Suspected Cases Of Syndrome In Kids Linked To COVID-19
Two children who are the first suspected cases in South Korea of a rare, life-threatening syndrome linked with the new coronavirus, are recovering following treatment, health authorities said on Wednesday. The symptoms of “Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children” (MIS-C) are similar to toxic shock and Kawasaki disease, and include fever, rashes, swollen glands and, in severe cases, heart inflammation. (Shin, 5/27)

The Associated Press: Global Pandemic: Through The Eyes Of The World's Children
These are children of the global pandemic. In the far-north Canadian town of Iqaluit, one boy has been glued to the news to learn everything he can about the coronavirus. A girl in Australia sees a vibrant future, tinged with sadness for the lives lost. A Rwandan boy is afraid the military will violently crack down on its citizens when his country lifts the lockdown. There is melancholy and boredom, and a lot of worrying, especially about parents working amid the disease, grandparents suddenly cut off from weekend visits, friends seen only on a video screen. (Irvine, 5/27)

The Associated Press: With Test Results Lost, An Afghan Family Fell To Virus
As in many Afghan households, dinner at Dr. Yousuf Aryubi’s home meant the whole family — his mother, his siblings, their children — sitting on the floor together around a mat laid with food on the carpet. During one recent dinner, Aryubi confided to his youngest brother that he was worried. A patient he’d seen that morning had a cough and high fever. (Akhgar, Faiez and Keath, 5/27)

The Associated Press: Doctors Use GPS, Dinghies To Screen Greek Islands For Virus
Using dinghies, GPS and a portable refrigerator, doctors deployed by Greece’s national public health agency have launched a coronavirus testing drive on the country’s Aegean Sea islands ahead of the summer vacation season. Ferry service for visitors to the islands resumed Monday, and Greece plans to start welcoming international travelers again on June 15. The government hopes the comparatively low number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in Greece — just under 2,900 cases with 173 deaths — will attract foreign tourists and and ease the effects of an expected recession. (Stavrakis, 5/27)

The Associated Press: Hypocrisy Gone Viral? Officials Set Bad COVID-19 Examples
“Do as I say, but not as I do” was the message many British saw in the behavior of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s key aide, who traveled hundreds of miles with coronavirus symptoms during the country’s lockdown. While Dominic Cummings has faced calls for his firing but support from his boss over his journey from London to the northern city of Durham in March, few countries seem immune to the perception that politicians and top officials are bending the rules that their own governments wrote during the pandemic. (Adamson and Corbet, 5/27)

The Associated Press: Spread Of Coronavirus Fuels Corruption In Latin America
Even in a pandemic, there’s no slowdown for swindlers in Latin America. From Argentina to Panama, a number of officials have been forced to resign as reports of fraudulent purchases of ventilators, masks and other medical supplies pile up. The thefts are driven by price-gouging from manufacturers and profiteering by politically connected middlemen who see the crisis as an opportunity for graft. (Goodman, 5/27)

The New York Times: China Forgets The Coronavirus. A Writer Explores Its Amnesia.
How quickly can a whole nation forget about a catastrophe? In Chan Koonchung’s 2009 dystopian novel “The Fat Years,” China endures a huge, fictional crisis. Two years later, nobody seems to remember it. In reality, Mr. Chan realized, it took less than two months for many people in China to leave behind their anger and despair over the coronavirus crisis and the government’s bungled response. Today, they believe China triumphed over the outbreak. (Yuan, 5/27)

CIDRAP: Tough Summer Ahead For South America's COVID-19 Hot Spots
As the global COVID-19 total passed 5 million last week, cases in Latin America—the current epicenter—passed the United States and Europe in number of cases, and though Brazil's total is highest in the region, health officials are worried about an even higher incidence in Chile and Peru, where outbreaks are accelerating. The global total today climbed to 5,550,399 cases, and 348,447 deaths have been reported, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard. (Schnirring, 5/26)

Stat: Pharma Panics As Washington Tries To Bring Drug Manufacturing To The U.S.
As the coronavirus pandemic disrupts global supply chains, lawmakers are increasingly calling on drug makers to exclusively manufacture medicines in the United States. But for a large swath of the pharmaceutical industry, that’s an existential threat. (Florko, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Revives Debate Over Drug Pricing
Not long ago, drug companies had a bull’s-eye on their ticker symbols. Sky-high prices for lifesaving drugs and the opioid crisis had made them the country’s least-liked industry. Democratic presidential candidates were one-upping each other with promises to rein in prices, while President Trump mulled similar plans. Covid-19 has given drug companies a shot at redemption. They are pouring resources into therapies and vaccines, with the entire economy’s fate resting on their success. (Ip, 5/21)

The Wall Street Journal: Beware Buyer’s Remorse As Biotech Firms Rush To Sell Shares
Investor enthusiasm for biotechnology stocks is running hot. That could be a sign that the sector’s spring rally will soon wind down. A broad index of small and medium biotech stocks is just off record highs and has surged about 60% from the lows in March. The new reality of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has meant renewed interest in the sector, as some investors bet that the successful developer of a treatment or vaccine could eventually make huge profits. The outbreak has also meant fresh government funding for research and more latitude from regulators on requirements to get drugs to patients. (Grant, 5/21)

Reuters: Merck Leaps Into COVID-19 Development Fray With Vaccine, Drug Deals
Merck & Co Inc, which has largely kept to the sidelines of the race for COVID-19 treatments, said it was buying Austrian vaccine maker Themis Bioscience and would collaborate with research nonprofit IAVI to develop two separate vaccines. It also announced a partnership with privately held Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to develop an experimental oral antiviral drug against COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. It did not disclose the terms of the acquisition of Themis, a privately held company. (Steenhuysen and Erman, 5/26)

Stat: Argenx Drug Efgartigimod Improves Myasthenia Gravis Symptoms 
Argenx, a Belgian drug maker, said Tuesday that its experimental medicine improved the symptoms of patients with a rare neuromuscular disease, achieving the primary goal of a late-stage clinical trial. The positive study results will enable Argenx to seek U.S. approval before the end of the year as a potentially new treatment for patients with generalized myasthenia gravis, a chronic and debilitating condition in which the body’s own antibodies disrupt the communication between nerve endings and muscles. (Feuerstein, 5/26)

Stat: New Cancer Research Leader Brings Urgency To Sanofi
Peter Adamson joined Sanofi in late March, as the coronavirus pandemic surged around the world and changed lives and livelihoods. Someday, he says, he’ll take up his new role in Cambridge, Mass., as global development therapeutic area head for oncology in general and pediatric innovation in particular, but for now he is leading and learning from his home in South Jersey. (Cooney, 5/26)

Stat: Kadmon Sees Positive Results In Study On Pill For Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Kadmon Holdings, the New York-based biotech, said Thursday that its experimental pill for chronic graft-versus-host disease achieved all the efficacy goals of a late-stage clinical trial. Nearly 75% of the patients responded to treatment with the Kadmon drug, called KD025 — an improved result at the final analysis compared to interim findings disclosed last February. (Feuerstein, 5/21)

Stat: Startup Spotlight: Aiming To Speed Precision Cancer Therapies To Children
For some children with a certain type of brain tumor, treatment can mean surgery followed by multiple rounds of chemotherapy infusions to beat back the growth of their low-grade gliomas. A San Francisco startup hopes to change that trajectory with an oral therapy targeting specific proteins mutated in these cancers, part of a larger game plan to make precision treatments as available for kids with cancer as they are for adults. (Cooney, 5/21)

Bloomberg: Sanofi Adds Firepower In Exiting $13 Billion Regeneron Stake
Sanofi is selling a stake in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. valued at about $13 billion, giving the French drugmaker more firepower to potentially snap up promising assets in the cancer, gene therapy and rare-disease fields. The Regeneron exit, part of Sanofi Chief Executive Officer Paul Hudson’s revamped strategy to focus on fast-growing areas, is sparking speculation he’ll hunt for more targets following a deal in December to buy biotech company Synthorx Inc. for $2.5 billion. The transaction will boost Sanofi’s war chest to $50 billion, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. (Paton and Grffin, 5/25)

Stat: Experts Push For A 'Seal Of Approval' To Improve The Quality Of Medicines
Should there be a Good Housekeeping ‘seal of approval’ for prescription medicines? In a new paper, a group of academics and pharmacists argue that assigning scores based on a mix of regulatory actions and chemical analysis would motivate drug makers to produce more “quality” medicines and reduce shortages, while improving public health. (Silverman, 5/26)

Stat: Biosimilars Got The Cold Shoulder From Health Plans On Preferred Coverage
As debate rages over adoption of biosimilars in the U.S., a new analysis finds that 17 of the largest commercial health plans last year rarely preferred these versions of brand-name biologics when crafting coverage decisions. Specifically, the insurers made 535 coverage decisions last year for nine biosimilars that were available in the U.S. But the health plans required patients first try a biosimilar before gaining access to a brand-name biologic just 14% of the time. (Silverman, 5/20)

Stat: In A Tale Of Two Mercks, German Company Wins Court Fight Against U.S. Rival
In a setback for Merck (MRK), a court in London ruled that the big drug maker breached a decades-old agreement with Merck KGgA — an entirely different pharmaceutical company — and infringed on a trademark by using the name “Merck” in the United Kingdom. The ruling by the High Court of Justice, which follows an appeal of a similar decision four years ago, is the latest twist in a convoluted but heated battle between the two drug makers over their corporate nomenclature. (Silverman, 5/21)

Bloomberg: Biotech Tourists Drive Short-Lived Rallies In Covid-19 Stocks
The search for a Covid-19 cure and an end to global shutdowns has created a new type of investor in health-care stocks: the biotech tourist. They’re generalists who are “throwing money at headlines” about any Covid-19-tied companies that are generating “pockets of froth,” according to Brad Loncar, chief executive officer of Loncar Investments. Goldman Sachs analyst Asad Haider also pointed out concerns arising from mom and pop investors jumping into and then quickly exiting vaccine and drug developers on any sign of progress. (Flanagan, 5/26)

The New York Times: A Hidden Origin Story Of The CBD Craze
Long before CBD had become a trendy wellness elixir found in juice and moisturizer and ice cream and dog treats; before corporate chains like Walgreens and Sephora had decided to sell it; and way before Kim Kardashian West had thrown a CBD-themed baby shower, a ragtag crew of activists, doctors, writers and marijuana farmers met up on an early winter evening in 2011. They sat in a circle at a house in the hills a few hours north of San Francisco — where wine country becomes weed country — to discuss the therapeutic potential of CBD, and how to get people to take it seriously. (Lewis, 5/23)

Stat: Akorn Files For Bankruptcy Protection After Years Of Manufacturing Problems
After mounting financial and manufacturing woes, Akorn (AKRX) has filed for bankruptcy protection, a humbling move by a company that was on the verge of being purchased for $4.3 billion just two years ago. The filing follows a protracted period in which the drug maker haggled with lenders and fended off shareholder lawsuits, which were prompted after Fresenius Kabi walked away from a deal to buy the company. The acquisition fell apart after Fresenius found what it described as “material breaches” in manufacturing standards at Akorn facilities. (Silverman, 5/21)

Orlando Sentinel/Tampa Bay Tribune: Government Must Act To Control COVID-19 Vaccine Cost
When I was only 13 years old, my parents bore the crushing financial burden of my sickle cell anemia and end-stage renal disease care. This medical and financial hardship has followed me into my 30s, and now impacts my own family that I’m raising in Jacksonville as the pharmaceutical companies demand exorbitant prices for the drugs that make it possible for me to care for my daughter. (Clayton "DJ" Martin, 5/26)

Health Affairs: It’s Time To Talk About COVID-19 Prices
The relentless march of COVID-19 across the globe has laid bare an agonizing truth: with no vaccine and only nascent treatment options beyond supportive care, the virus can be kept at bay only with the most draconian of non-medical measures. “Self-quarantine” and “social distancing” are now a part of the common vernacular. Fortunately, there is widespread awareness of the gap to be filled between the tools we have now and the tools we must develop to put the worst of the pandemic behind us. The biopharmaceutical industry has moved with unheard-of speed; more than 250 clinical trials around COVID-19 are underway in the United States alone, and dozens of vaccine candidates are being explored. (Robert W. Dubois, 5/20)

Stat: Biopharma Companies Are Taking Advantage Of Their Misinformation
As Covid-19 upends the world, people are putting their faith in the biopharma industry to save us from this crisis. Retail investors are pouring into biopharma stocks, and when any data are released on Covid-19-related vaccines or therapies, entire markets move — even if the news from the company isn’t entirely straightforward.Many biopharma companies (especially American ones) are benefiting from the Covid-19 pandemic. (Travis Whitfill, 5/26)

Bloomberg: Moderna Vaccine Whiplash Demands Better Data Disclosure
Interpreting drug trial data releases is difficult in the best of circumstances. And usually, it's just a problem for the subset of investors who focus on the sector. In the middle of a pandemic, a whole world is throwing money around on press releases, and it's making a mess of expectations and the market. U.S. stocks soared Monday on the publication of early human vaccine data from Moderna Inc., only to reverse course Tuesday after an article from the excellent health news publication Stat highlighted its limits and the long and highly uncertain path ahead. It’s similar to what happened in late April, when markets reacted and retrenched after a limited rollout of results from a trial of Gilead Science's Inc.'s virus treatment remdesivir. It was enough to get the drug approved on a limited basis, but doctors and investors alike are still waiting for something more than a basic analysis weeks later. (Max Nisen, 5/20)

Bloomberg: Gilead Gets An Upgrade With Street Mulling Remdesivir Profit
The latest look at Gilead Sciences Inc.’s treatment for Covid-19 has Wall Street analysts contemplating profit, some for the first time. After initial donations run out, Gilead could be making commercial revenue from remdesivir as soon as the third quarter, SunTrust analyst Robyn Karnauskas said after speaking to management including the biotech’s chief financial officer. (Cristin Flanagan, 5/26)

Morning Journal: Prescription Drug Costs Would Have Been A Major Campaign Issue, So What Will Happen Now That Coronavirus Is Center Stage?
It’s no secret that Americans pay more for prescription drugs than any other developed nation in the world. Per capita spending exceeds $1,000 a year; the Germans and French pay about half that. For many drugs, prices are dramatically higher than the international average: Dulera, an asthma drug, costs 50 times more, while Januvia, a drug for diabetes, and Combigan, a glaucoma drug, cost about 10 times more. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have recognized this problem. President Donald Trump has called the situation “wrong” and “unfair”; presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has called to end the “abuse of power” by drug companies while his former competitor Sen. Bernie Sanders has complained about “unfettered capitalism” and “greed.” (Simon F. Haeder, 5/25)

MedPage Today: COVID-19 Drug Pricing: A Pivotal Point For Pharma
As the nation struggles to get ahead of the curve in a life-or-death fight against the newest in a series of deadly viruses, other important healthcare issues have taken a back seat. We can't afford to lose sight of these issues -- particularly when the pandemic creates opportunities to address them in a different context. Case in point: the pharmaceutical industry's much disputed influence over drug prices in the U.S. and around the world. (David Nash, 4/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Johnson & Johnson Takes A Powder
If you want Johnson & Johnson baby powder, stock up now or prepare to travel overseas. On Tuesday the company announced it will discontinue sales in the U.S. and Canada of talcum-based baby powder, which it has sold since 1894. America’s litigation-friendly legal system has subjected the company to a flood of baby-powder lawsuits, making it too expensive to sell in the U.S. The first wave of lawsuits alleged that the product caused ovarian cancer—a claim the best medical science doesn’t support. (James R. Copland, 5/22)

The Wall Street Journal: What If America Had Followed Sweden?
As the U.S. haltingly reopens its economy and nears its 100,000th death from Covid-19, many are wondering whether the country could have followed a better path. Some have pointed to Sweden as the model of a less intrusive government response that relied on individual compliance and common sense rather than edicts and laws. Sweden avoided lockdowns. It allowed shops, restaurants, bars and nightclubs to remain open, with social-distancing guidelines. It permitted gatherings of 50 people or fewer. Most of the country’s K-12 students continued to attend classes. (William A. Galston, 5/26)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Should The U.S. Favor Public Health Or The Economy? History Shows They’re Inseparable. 
Is it better to dig a strong foundation or build a solid house? Say that again. You can’t build a solid house without a strong foundation. They’re inseparable. The question is ridiculous. It’s not as ridiculous as you might think. The United States is currently embroiled in a vitriolic political debate over a question that is just as nonsensical – should we favor public health or the economy? It plays out as a contest between relaxing COVID-19 lockdowns cautiously based on public health advice and repealing them quickly to encourage economic growth. (Robert I. Field, 5/26)

Stat: With Covid-19, Evidence-Based Medicine Is Out The Window 
“What would you do, doc?” It’s a question I get all the time as a family doctor practicing full-scope primary care after describing an intervention like taking a daily aspirin to prevent a heart attack or deciding about a repeat C-section versus trying for a vaginal delivery. I often have a clear recommendation rooted in what evidence-based medicine has taught me. (Alison Block, 5/27)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: President's Hydroxychloroquine Use Turns Even Fox News Into A Critic
President Donald Trump last week lashed out like a jilted lover at his favorite cable information outlet, Fox News, because it had the audacity to stray from its usual pro-Trump agenda. “Looking for a new outlet!” Trump tweeted. The president clearly relishes the emotional boost he gets from watching a cable channel that makes him feel loved, but it’s more important to remember that almost 100,000 Americans have died and 39 million have filed for unemployment benefits. Maybe it’s time for him to hit the TV “off” button and start doing his job. (5/26)

CNN: Mask And All, Biden Crushes Trump
"He's a fool, an absolute fool," former Vice President Joe Biden said of President Donald Trump's refusal to wear a face mask. "Every doc in the world is saying you should wear a mask when you're in a crowd." Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, didn't raise his voice and smiled often. But he pulled no punches. "Presidents," he said, "are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine." (Frida Ghitis, 5/26)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus: Asians Don't Have Privilege Of Going Maskless
“You are the most selfish [expletive] people on the planet.” I jerked my head to the left, where I saw a neighbor glaring at us from his driveway while unloading groceries from his trunk.“Where’s your [expletive] mask?” he said. “Unbelievable.”My jaw dropped. I had just walked three blocks home with my toddler and my dad in our mostly empty Los Angeles neighborhood because my kid had thrown a tantrum in the car.  (Anna Almendrala, 5/27)

CNN: Trump Takes His War On Face Masks To New Heights
The simple act of wearing a mask to protect others during a pandemic is now a political and cultural flashpoint, underscoring the polarization afflicting every corner of American life. President Donald Trump's use of the bully pulpit to defy his own government's advice on face coverings has turned into the era's latest ideologically motivated assault on science and civility. His noncompliance is a symbol of his refusal to adopt the customary codes of the presidency during a crisis and his habit of turning even a dire national moment to political advantage. (Stephen Collinson, 5/27)

The New York Times: The Coronavirus Has Made It Obvious. Teenagers Should Start School Later.
The pandemic has provided us with a unique opportunity to run an experiment in letting teenagers sleep in. It’s happening in my own house. My kids are 18, 16 and almost 14. Their school is being taught mostly asynchronously, through reading or videos. They do have some in-person meetings and tests, but none begin before 10 a.m., and many are in the afternoon. My wife and I have removed all restrictions and let them regulate their sleep themselves. The kids seem to be going to bed between midnight and 3 a.m. If they’re not required to be in a morning session, I might see them by lunch. (Aaron E. Carroll, 5/27)

The News&Observer: 5 Deaths Later, COVID-19 Haunts One North Carolina Family
Some dismiss the scale and danger of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. They say, ”I don’t even know anyone who has it.” That is not the case for Mark Colebrook. Five of his wife’s relatives have died from COVID-19 – her father, an aunt in Delaware and two cousins and a brother-in-law in New York City. He also has a brother and a niece who struggled with COVID-19 and have recovered. Colebrook, a 54-year-old teacher from Dunn, knows his experience is the exception, but as much of the state reopens, he fears that by the fall it will be less so. He thinks too many people are taking the pandemic lightly and are dismissing it as overblown. (Ned Barnett, 5/26)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: History Has Lessons For Missourians Who Thumb Noses At Social Distancing
Missouri has suddenly become America’s poster child for irresponsible behavior regarding the pandemic, with national media coverage of videos showing huge crowds packed into swimming pools and other venues at Lake of the Ozarks over the holiday weekend. Gov. Mike Parson’s decision to prioritize freedom over responsibility goes to the heart of this embarrassing spectacle. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page felt compelled to issue a travel advisory urging revelers from this area to self-quarantine for two weeks. That’s an illustration of how limited official enforcement options are when portions of the public mistake a relaxation of restrictions for a declaration of, “It’s party time!” (5/26)

The Washington Post: The Federal Government Fiddles As Covid-19 Ravages Native Americans
For generations, the federal government has failed to honor its promises to Native American people. Now, covid-19 is ravaging Native communities, killing young people and elders alike, and devastating tribal economies. We are fighting in Congress to ensure that sovereign Native nations have the resources needed to protect the health and well-being of their citizens during this pandemic. The novel coronavirus’s terrible impact in Indian Country underscores that the federal government must live up to its unique legal and moral obligations to Native nations and act as a partner to help build security and resiliency for the future. (Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Deb Haaland, 5/26)

The Hill: A COVID-19 Recovery For All: Ensuring Equity As Communities Reopen 
As U.S. cities and counties take steps to reopen, the COVID-19 economic crisis continues to impact some in our society far more than others. By July, 1 in 4 U.S. small businesses may close permanently. Americans of color, already suffering higher infection rates, often make up most of the workforce in hard-hit sectors like hospitality and personal care. While local governments across the country are leading the charge to counter these uneven impacts, more help is necessary. We as a nation must support local government COVID-19 recovery efforts with robust, flexible aid to counties and cities so that everyone can get back on their feet. (Marc Ott, 5/26)

The Detroit News: Pandemic Tells Painful Story Of Inequality
This global pandemic is a worldwide tragedy on so many levels for so many people, and the full impact is still an unknown. But what is not unknown is one undeniable, shameful story of inequality, of lost opportunity, of wasted minds and hearts, and of unnecessary pain and suffering. We need only to look at the statistics: COVID-19, while devastating families across the nation with illness and deaths, is hitting communities of color especially hard. The reasons for this have been in front of us for years. Coronavirus has emphasized a lack of equal access to work, health care and a safe environment. (Rory Gamble, 5/26)

Arizona Republic: Why We Can't Return To Pre-COVID-19 America
When and how can we ‘return to normal?’ I say we shouldn’t. Because “normal” isn’t working for most Americans and COVID-19 has made that dramatically more evident.Before coronavirus, the income gap had already hit a historic high and American upward mobility a historic low. And systemic maldistribution of social goods such as nutrition, health care, education have exacerbated the inequality. COVID-19 preys upon the vulnerabilities and pre-existing conditions of both the human bodies - and the societies – that it infects and has written the tale of two quarantines. (Fred DuVal, 5/24)

The New York Times: Why Aren’t Republicans Trying To Please Voters?
Does the Republican Party have a death wish? Its most prominent leaders — particularly President Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader — have dug themselves into positions that defy all conventional rules of electoral survival. In an election year, even ideologically extreme politicians should try to do popular things and avoid doing unpopular things — if for no other reason than so that they can resume pursuing their extreme goals after Election Day. (Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson, 5/27)

The Hill: Incentives For COVID Recovery: A Single-Edged Sword? 
Apparently, for Mitch McConnell, “incentives” are for employees, not employers. When the Senate majority leader assesses policies for getting the economy up and running, he seems to have very different movies playing in his head depending on whom the policy targets. When he thinks about extending the CARES Act’s enhanced unemployment benefits beyond July, he evidently sees in his mind’s eye the chuckling furtive loafer, feet up on the coffee table, joint a-roll, who’s figured out that he can make more staying home than clocking in. When he thinks about shielding employers from COVID-related liability – and what this will do to the incentive to safeguard the workplace – the screen goes black-and-white, the fuzzy electric guitars become violins and the camera closes in on the principled homespun business owner willing to sacrifice profits to go the extra mile to insure his workers are safe. (Chris William Sanchirico, 5/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Most Of Our Present Sacrifices Pale Against Those We Honor Today 
This Memorial Day, the iconic graveside flags honoring those who gave their lives for the country stand alongside a fun-house-mirror image of such patriotic commemorations: the Stars-and-Stripes-swaddled protesters loudly refusing to sacrifice so much as another mani-pedi, church picnic or mattress sale for their fellow Americans. (5/25)