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New York City suffers worst 24 hours of pandemic, death toll soars past 4,000 Bodies are moved to a refrigeration truck serving as a temporary morgue at Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 6, 2020. Bryan R. Smith / AFP - Getty Images New York City suffered its deadliest 24 hours of the coronavirus pandemic as more than 4,000 people have now died in America's largest metropolis, officials said Tuesday night. The city health department's tally of coronavirus-related deaths reached 3,544 by 5 p.m. ET, a spike of 806 fatalities from the previous report of 2,738 on Monday night. Before the city's Tuesday night count, the biggest jump came Friday to Saturday when the death toll increased by 387 from 1,867 to 2,254. But separate from New York City, in a running state tally of COVID-19 deaths, the five boroughs crossed 4,000 fatalities mark by 7:30 p.m. ET - with 1,153 lost in Brooklyn, 1,093 in Queens, 816 in the Bronx, 750 in Manhattan and 197 in Staten Island. Share this -







How to help struggling Asian American communities amid coronavirus pandemic Jade Garden Restaurant in Seattle's Chinatown-International District on March 17, 2020. Lindsey Wasson / Reuters As stay-home orders have arisen quickly across the country in an attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus, local restaurants and businesses have seen drastically reduced customer traffic and plummeting profits. But perhaps few have been as greatly affected as Asian American businesses, which saw drops in customers as high as 80 percent long before the U.S. began its push for isolation, as stigma surrounding the virus kept customers out of Chinatowns and Chinese restaurants. Read the full story here. Share this -







Photo: He said "yes" Jorge Guerrero / AFP - Getty Images Neighbors celebrate Elena Gonzalez' marriage proposal to her boyfriend, Juan Manuel Zamorano, in Ronda, Spain, during the coronavirus lockdown on April 7, 2020. Share this -







Coronavirus may stop hundreds of thousands from becoming citizens in time to vote in November A new U.S. citizen holds a flag to his chest during the Pledge of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony at the New York Public Library on July 3, 2018. Drew Angerer / Getty Images file Cancellation of citizenship oath ceremonies and in-person interviews because of coronavirus means hundreds of thousands of people may not naturalize in time for November’s elections. If ceremonies and interviews remain shut down until October without remote alternatives created by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, about 441,000 people who would have been citizens would be deprived of the chance to vote, according to Boundless Immigration, a technology company that helps immigrants apply for green cards and citizenship. Read the full story here. Share this -







Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey donating $1 billion to coronavirus relief Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter and Square, said Tuesday that he is devoting $1 billion of his stake in the mobile payments company, or 28 percent of his net worth, to help fund coronavirus relief efforts. "I'm moving $1B of my Square equity (~28% of my wealth) to #startsmall LLC to fund global COVID-19 relief," Dorsey tweeted. I’m moving $1B of my Square equity (~28% of my wealth) to #startsmall LLC to fund global COVID-19 relief. After we disarm this pandemic, the focus will shift to girl’s health and education, and UBI. It will operate transparently, all flows tracked here: https://t.co/hVkUczDQmz — jack (@jack) April 7, 2020 Read the full story here. Share this -







Appeals Court restores Texas ban on abortion during pandemic A federal appeals court Tuesday threw out a judge's order blocking the state from banning abortions during the virus pandemic. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 that Texas acted properly in including abortion in the list of non-medically necessary procedures that would be delayed. Gov. Greg Abbott issued the order in late March, and Attorney General Ken Paxton said it would include "any type of abortion." Planned Parenthood sought a court order to block the restriction, and a federal district court judge issued a temporary order to block the ban. The 5th Circuit last week put the judge's order on hold to give the state a chance to appeal and on Tuesday granted the state's request to keep the ban on abortion in place. In public health emergencies, the court said, a state can restrict constitutional rights including, "one's right to peaceably assemble, to publicly worship, to travel, and even to leave one's home. The right to abortion is no exception." Texas is now the only state where the pandemic has brought abortions to a halt. Share this -







Buckling to pressure, many states deem gun stores 'essential' amid outbreak Andrea Schry, right, fills out legal forms to buy a handgun after Dukes Sport Shop reopened, on March 25, 2020, in New Castle, Pa. Keith Srakocic / AP What's considered "essential?" Food, prescription drugs, sometimes liquor — and, in most states, firearms. To slow the spread of the coronavirus, 42 states have issued some form of a state-at-home order, mandating that nearly all nonessential businesses close. Gun retailers in at least 30 of those states, however, have been allowed to stay open amid pushback from gun groups and the federal government. Read the full story here. Share this -







MLB considering playing baseball season only in Arizona as early as April Major League Baseball is considering a plan that would start the baseball season as early as next month using facilities and fields in and around Phoenix, Arizona. The scenario is one of several being discussed. Under the proposal, players and team personnel would be isolated and practice social distancing during off-time. There would be no crowds in the stadiums. "MLB has been actively considering numerous contingency plans that would allow play to commence once the public health situation has improved to the point that it is safe to do so," the League said in a statement Tuesday morning. "While we have discussed the idea of staging games at one location as one potential option, we have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan." Phoenix does have advantages, given its climate and many baseball facilities, where it annually hosts much of Spring Training. Much will depend on how effectively the state deals with the virus and if baseball will be considered an essential job not subject to Arizona's stay at home order, should it be extended past March 31. Share this -





