Archives: Morning Breakouts

Anxiety on Capitol Hill mounted even as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made it clear there was no plans as of yet to shut down the Capitol. Meanwhile, an increasing number of congressman--including those who were in contact with President Donald Trump--are self-quarantining themselves. Officials say Trump hasn't been tested for the virus, but the situation is a stark reminder how quickly and easily anyone can become infected.

It’s unclear how much prisoners are being paid to make NYS Clean, but working inmates in New York are typically paid between $0.10 to $0.33 an hour. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the initiative in attempts to soothe fears as the number of cases in New York climbed to 142. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump lobbed accusations at Cuomo, saying he was trying to politically "weaponize" the outbreak.

The outbreak may give congressmen the political capital to get a sick leave bill through. Under the bill, employers would be responsible for paying for the sick time; there would be no tax increase. Meanwhile, the SEC has become the first federal agency to direct employees to work from home.

One of initiative’s first goals will be to test antiviral drugs that have already gone through preclinical development or have already been tested in humans.

“Everyone is mad and scared,” said perfume vendor Setareh Eb in Texas, one of the states accepting passengers from the cruise ship that's been held off the coast of California. Residents of Oakland, California, voiced similar concerns even as the passengers themselves celebrated.

Experts say it's too early to get an accurate sense of what's happening with coronavirus fatalities, but a study of 116 deaths found that 114 patients had some kind of underlying medical condition. Meanwhile, another study looks at how infectious people are once they've contracted the virus. And in other news: "patient zero," misinformation, the most vulnerable populations, and more.

As of Tuesday morning, at least 729 people in 36 states and Washington, D.C. have tested positive for coronavirus.

China has a unique kind of control over its residents, taking authoritarian actions that seem to be having success against the outbreak. But in countries where the government has less power, will the measures work?

In an effort to fight the coronavirus, Medicare is expanding its telemedicine options for seniors. But the outbreak could pave the way for broader acceptance of technology within the program.