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UNDATED (AP) — China has reported one new case of coronavirus and no deaths, marking three weeks since it recorded a COVID-19 fatality. The National Health Commission said 395 people remained under treatment in the hospital, while 949 were under isolation and observation for suspected cases or after testing positive despite showing no symptoms. The latest figures come as China strikes back against accusations from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others that the pandemic may have originated in a lab in the central Chinese city of Wuhan where it was first detected late last year. The World Health Organization has backed up China’s refutations.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House memo to congressional committees says no member of the administration’s coronavirus task force may agree to testify on Capitol Hill unless the appearance is expressly approved by the president’s chief of staff. Democrats are bristling at the restriction on gathering information about the nation’s response to the pandemic. The memo follows a White House move to block Dr. Anthony Fauci from testifying before a House panel while allowing him to appear the following week at a Senate hearing. The Senate is held by Trump’s Republican allies while the House is controlled by Democrats.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has reopened in a Capitol largely shuttered by the coronavirus, but prospects for quick action on a new aid package are uncertain. Lawmakers face a deepening national debate over how best to confront the deadly pandemic and its economic devastation. Senate Republicans are reluctant to spend more money on virus relief. They hope the gradual reopening of the economy will reduce the need for more aid. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to soon unveil a new relief package. The 100 senators are convening for the first time since March. The House is staying away on doctor’s orders due to health risks.
DUBLIN, Calif. (AP) — A man facing a second trial after a fire killed 36 partygoers at a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse has been released from jail over coronavirus concerns. Derick Almena is accused of illegally converting the industrial building into a cluttered artists enclave with no fire alarms and few exits. He's charged with involuntary manslaughter after a fire swept through a party in December 2016. A jury deadlocked on charges last year, and he faces a new trial in July. Almena was released Monday and will be under electronic monitoring. The jail where he was held has at least 35 confirmed cases of the virus.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida sheriff appointed by the governor after the 2018 Parkland high school massacre is defending himself over allegations that he should have disclosed that he fatally shot another teenager when he was 14 in Philadelphia. Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony told reporters over the weekend that he didn’t see the need to disclose the 1993 killing to Gov. Ron DeSantis or on other applications during his law enforcement career because he was a juvenile and he was cleared because the shooting was in self-defense. The shooting came to light Saturday in an article published by the Florida Bulldog website.
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