Adherence to social distancing spurs dip in projected U.S. coronavirus deaths

Better-than-expected social distancing practices have led an influential research model to lower its projected U.S. coronavirus death toll by 12%, while predicting some states may be able to safely begin easing restrictions as early as May 4. The University of Washington's predictive model, regularly updated and often cited by state public health authorities and White House officials, projected on Friday that the virus will take 60,308 U.S. lives by Aug. 4, down from 68,841 deaths forecast earlier in the week. "We are seeing the numbers decline because some state and local governments, and, equally important, individuals around the country, have stepped up to protect their families, their neighbors, and friends and co-workers by reducing physical contact," said Christopher Murray, director of the university's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).

Laboratory in Wuhan breaks silence to deny claims that the coronavirus originated there

"There is no way this virus came from us,' said Yuan Zhiming, a vice director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

'They're killing us,' Texas residents say of Trump protections rollbacks

Residents of the mostly black and Latino communities closest to the oil refineries and chemical plants in Texas say it puts them on the front line of the Trump administration’s rollbacks of decades of public health and environmental protections.

New York passes virus 'high point' as Trump, governors feud

New York, the epicenter of America's coronavirus infections, appeared to have passed the peak of the outbreak on Sunday, as President Donald Trump clashed with state governors over ending lockdowns. New York has borne the brunt of the virus, which has killed more than 18,000 people in the state, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. "We are past the high point, and all indications at this point is that we are on the descent," state governor Andrew Cuomo told a press conference.

Europe reaches grim milestone, surpasses 100,000 coronavirus deaths

The continent has become the epicenter of the contagion.

Michigan residents sue governor over coronavirus pandemic orders

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faces at least two federal lawsuits challenging her April 9 executive order to fight the coronavirus outbreak, including requirements that residents stay at home and that most businesses close.

Trump says Nancy Pelosi will be 'overthrown' in latest insult-laden tweet

Some good vibes were floating around Sunday, with House Speaker (D-Calif.) Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressing optimism that the White House and Congress were closing in on an agreement on the next phase of funding amid the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. There's no reason President Trump's latest tweet squashed any of that momentum, but it did kill the mood.Trump, who often clashes with Pelosi, angrily tweeted about the speaker Sunday afternoon after she appeared on Fox News Sunday to speak with host Chris Wallace. The president, making sure to express his displeasure with Wallace as well, called Pelosi an "inherently 'dumb' person" and suggested she will soon be "overthrown."> Nervous Nancy is an inherently "dumb" person. She wasted all of her time on the Impeachment Hoax. She will be overthrown, either by inside or out, just like her last time as "Speaker". Wallace & @FoxNews are on a bad path, watch! https://t.co/nkEj5YeRjb> > -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 19, 2020Earlier in the day, before Trump's latest insult, Pelosi told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week that she doesn't pay much attention to Trump's tweets, anyway. > Speaker Nancy Pelosi responds as President Trump ramps up attacks against her: "Frankly, I don't pay that much attention to the president's tweets against me. As I've said, he's a poor leader. He's always trying to avoid responsibility." https://t.co/8MWudGIONC pic.twitter.com/haaGWAyDVw> > -- This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 19, 2020More stories from theweek.com A parade that killed thousands? 5 brutally funny cartoons about Dr. Fauci's Trump troubles America's fake federalism