Coronavirus Update

Global cases rose to more than 935,000 yesterday with more than 47,000 deaths. The number of U.S. cases rose above 215,000 with 5,109 confirmed deaths.

• According to a WSJ analysis, Italy’s death count due to coronavirus is much higher than the 13,155 deaths the country has reported thus far.
• Along with Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, a total of 36 states have issued some variant of stay-at-home orders to their residents.
• London’s All England Club announced the cancellation of the Wimbledon Championships for the first time since World War II.
• The Coast Guard has told foreign-flagged cruise ships carrying passengers diagnosed with coronavirus to turn away from all U.S. ports.
• Per Bloomberg, the U.S. intelligence community has told the White House that China is deliberately underreporting the total number of virus cases and deaths.
• A Russian plane bearing masks and other supplies landed at JFK International Airport on Wednesday.

Massive Drug Bust In San Diego

Federal agents discovered more than two tons of drugs hidden in a 2,000-foot-long underground tunnel stretching from Tijuana, Mexico to San Diego, California. The total street value of the drugs, which were seized in a March 19 raid, is estimated to be just under $30 million.

More: This tunnel is separate from the 4,309 foot illicit cross-border tunnel previously discovered by Border Patrol agents in January.

Idaho Hit With 6.5-Magnitude Earthquake

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck central Idaho late Tuesday afternoon, approximately 72 miles northeast of Boise. No injuries or damage was reported in the aftermath of the earthquake, which registered as the state’s most powerful since 1983.

The Coronavirus Effect

• CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday that Tesla would donate more than 1,000 FDA approved surplus ventilators to U.S. hospitals free of charge.
• U.S. stock indexes closed down nearly 4.5%, while after-hours futures were up nearly 1%.
• Mortgage applications have fallen 24% when compared to the same period last year, while refinance applications have increased 168%.
• The Treasury Department plans to hire three Wall Street banks to advise the stimulus package’s >$50 billion bailout of the airline industry.
• Automakers across the board reported a year-over-year decline in first-quarter sales, headlined by Nissan (29.6%), Fiat Chrysler (10.4%), and GM (7.1%).

Sprint To The Finish Line

T-Mobile and Sprint officially merged on Wednesday after a months-long regulatory process, creating a combined parent company simply called T-Mobile. The telecom giant also announced that its CEO change will take place effective immediately - one month earlier than previously planned - as John Legere will be replaced by former COO Mike Sievert.

More: In other regulatory news, the FTC is suing to unwind tobacco giant Altria’s $12.8 billion investment in Juul Labs, alleging the two companies worked together to eliminate competition.

The Executive Shuffle

WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey will be replaced by Hulu co-founder and former CEO Jason Kilar, parent company AT&T announced Wednesday. Kilar will assume the position effective May 1, where he will be reporting to Stankey in his new role as president and COO of AT&T.

Science Rules!

Many people might wish to get involved in the scientific community’s efforts against COVID-19, but don’t know where to start. A new initiative from scientists at UC San Francisco allows anyone over 18 to become a participant in the fight against the virus.

The program, dubbed COVID-19 Citizen Science (CCS) is based around a smartphone app that prompts users to provide data that researchers can then analyze to gain insight into the disease.

Baby Talk

A recent spike in COVID-19 patients has threatened to overwhelm the American health care network, leaving medical workers forced to improvise creative solutions to increasing shortages of equipment.

One such ingenious solution has been adopted in hospitals from coast-to-coast - using two-way baby monitors to interact with isolated COVID-19 patients, thereby eliminating care workers’ exposure to the virus.

Feature Teacher

With schools across the state forced to close, first-graders in Greece, New York are being treated to a special version of homeschooling thanks to their teacher, Deborah Crowley.

Deborah has mailed letters to all 20 of her students, made surprise visits to them all across town, and regularly dropped learning materials off for one of her students who lacks internet access.

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