Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
US braces for big coronavirus rise, while China reports no new domestic cases
Donald Trump has approved legislation introduced by House Democrats to deploy $100bn of coronavirus aid in the form of free testing, expanded Medicaid and unemployment benefits, paid sick leave and childcare leave for certain employees. Businesses and workers across the US are wondering what’s next as custom dries up and layoffs rise precipitously.
The president also announced on Wednesday that the US-Canadian border would be closed to “all non-essential traffic”. Australia and New Zealand are both closing their borders to non-residents. And in London, dozens of tube stations are being closed as the city – at the centre of the UK’s outbreak – prepares for the likelihood of a full lockdown.
Economies are facing a collapse unlike anything in modern times, including the Great Depression, and the response must be big, bold and coordinated, writes Larry Elliott. “Sadly, the world has rarely looked less prepared to act in concert and that matters, because this time it is not the banks that need bailing out, it is the people.”
Funeral services are struggling to keep up with the surge of deaths in Italy’s hardest-hit province, while the country’s authorities say they have charged more than 40,000 people for violating the lockdown imposed to contain the virus. A glimmer of good news, though, from Vò, the small town where Italy’s first Covid-19 death occurred – and where mass testing has halted its spread.
China, where the outbreak began, reported no new domestic transmissions of the virus for the first time on Wednesday. There were 34 new cases in the country, but all were recent arrivals from overseas. As other nations struggle to respond to the pandemic, writes Lily Kuo, Beijing is positioning itself as a global benefactor, sending them testing kits, ventilators, masks and medics.
Immigration courts. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has said it will scale back its aggressive operations amid the coronavirus outbreak, but the administration has so far kept most of its immigration courts open, despite the risks.
Google testing. Trump has hyped a Google-affiliated program allowing people to schedule coronavirus tests online, but two pilot testing sites in California saw little activity on Tuesday.
Tech execs. Many tech workers are perfectly capable of working from home. But some of their “disruptive” leaders are choosing to buck conventional wisdom, even in a crisis.
Brand Ivanka. Ivanka Trump is facing widespread criticism after tweeting uplifting ideas for family quarantine. Not even a pandemic can stop her building her personal brand, writes Arwa Mahdawi.
And in other news…
With three weeks to the next Democratic primary and after another thumping from Joe Biden in Tuesday’s contests, Bernie Sanders is once again reassessing the future of a presidential campaign that many consider increasingly untenable.
The five biggest airlines in the US, which are currently arguing collectively for a $50m government bailout, have handed out more than $45bn to shareholders and executives in share buybacks and other giveaways over the last five years.
Last year’s unprecedentedly hot Arctic summer led to the loss of 600m tons of Greenland ice – enough to raise global sea levels by 2.2mm in just two months, according to research.
Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and close associate Ghislaine Maxwell is suing the late, disgraced financier’s estate to recoup legal fees for her defence against accusations that she helped recruit young women for his alleged sex-trafficking scheme.
The Spanish government has admitted it is still paying bonuses to 115 police officers who were awarded medals under the Franco regime, more than four decades after the dictator’s death.
English-born, Norwegian-raised dog musher Thomas Waerner has won the Iditarod Trail sled dog race across Alaska, one of the few US sporting events to have gone ahead despite the coronavirus. Waerner and his 10 dogs completed the 1,000-mile route in nine days, 10 hours, 37 minutes and 47 seconds.
Must-reads
Coronavirus crisis fuels an army of volunteers
Denise Alexander, a 36-year-old from Seattle, has launched a Facebook group to help deliver essentials to quarantined families. She is one of an army of volunteers that has sprung up in recent days, writes Hallie Golden – who also explains how you can help your own community during the coronavirus.
Netflix and chill in the Covid-19 era
Netflix Party is a new Google Chrome extension that allows users to chat while they watch the same film at the same time. It could keep friendship groups together during self-isolation, says Stuart Heritage. Meanwhile, Danielle Renwick asks: can we have sex during coronavirus?
Can computers ever replace the classroom?
With 850 million children out of school around the world, tech evangelists say now is the time to embrace online education delivered by AI. Is teaching too complex to be taken over by robots, asks Alex Beard, or are the machines coming for our children?
How the far right is capitalising on coronavirus
A situation in which people are panic-buying supplies is ideal for a movement powered by fear and lies, writes Jason Wilson. Enter the American far right, which has responded to the coronavirus crisis with disinformation, conspiracies and scapegoating.
Opinion
The emergency paid sick leave passed by Congress on Wednesday is a much-needed start, writes Ady Barkan, but much more must now be done to safeguard America’s collective security as a nation.
Forcing workers to choose between their health and their financial wellbeing would not only be cruel to them, it would be disastrous to the public health of our country.
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