COVID-19: US presidential campaigning moves to digital arena

The pandemic has forced the US to re-examine its 2020 election cycle.

The pandemic has forced the United States to re-examine its 2020 election cycle.

Dozens of states have postponed primaries and campaigns have moved online.

Now, concern is rising over what the situation will look like for the presidential election in November.

Alan Fisher has more on the changing presidential race.

Okanagan bans open burns, campfires to curb smoke during COVID-19 pandemic

With wildfire season on the horizon for British Columbia, there are concerns that smoke pollution will only make the COVID-19 pandemic worse.

Although the region is months away from the height of fire season, efforts are already underway to keep the air clear.

Nuggets vs. Rockets? Here are the NBA matchups if league resumes season with postseason play. – The Denver Post

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

US Coronavirus Deaths Nearing 10000

As COVID-19 continues to rage across the United States at an alarming pace, the number of confirmed cases in the country due to coronavirus reached a new peak of 337,925.

This is more than a quarter of the global confirmed cases.

The U.S. also recorded more than 1200 new deaths in the last 24 hours, raising the total to 9679.

Although this is less than the number of coronavirus deaths recorded in Italy, United States is now fast approaching that figure as more than 3,000 Americans are predicted to die in a single day.

New York is the worst-hit state with 4,159 deaths and 123,018 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

New Jersey is the second badly hit state with 917 deaths and 37505 infections.

Michigan (617 deaths, 15718 infections), Louisiana (477 deaths, 13010 infections), California (350 deaths, 15201 infections) Washington (338 deaths, 7984 infections), and Illinois (274 death, 11256 infections) are the other worst-affected states.

Wyoming still remains to be the only U.S. state not to have reported a death from the coronavirus, but there are 200 infected cases of COVID-19.

UK lockdown: When will we know if lockdown is working?

Three-Year Note Auction Attracts Below Average Demand

Kicking off this week’s announcements of the results of its long-term securities auctions, the Treasury Department revealed Tuesday that its auction of $40 billion worth of three-year notes attracted below average demand.

The three-year note auction drew a high yield of 0.348 percent and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.27.

Last month, the Treasury sold $38 billion worth of three-year notes last month, drawing a high yield of 0.563 percent and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.20.

The bid-to-cover ratio is a measure of demand that indicates the amount of bids for each dollar worth of securities being sold.

The ten previous three-year note auctions had an average bid-to-cover ratio of 2.46.

Looking ahead, the Treasury is due to announce the results of its auction of $25 billion worth of ten-year notes on Tuesday and the results of its auction of $17 billion worth of thirty-year bonds on Wednesday.

Facebook Announces $100 Mln Funding To Help News Organizations

Facebook (FB) Monday announced plans to invest $100 million in the news industry to help the news companies during the time of coronavirus pandemic.

The tech giant said it will offer $25 million in emergency grant funding for local news outlets through its Facebook Journalism Project. The remaining $75 million will go to publishers globally through Facebook ad spending.

The move comes as advertisers cut back on spending during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Advertising is a critical revenue stream for news media in the U.S.

“The news industry is working under extraordinary conditions to keep people informed during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Facebook said in a statement. “At a time when journalism is needed more than ever, ad revenues are declining due to the economic impact of the virus.”

Accurate reporting about the disease is also critical during this period as many myths and misinformation about the virus are being spread online.

“If people needed more proof that local journalism is a vital public service, they’re getting it now,” Facebook said in a statement.

Facebook will focus its grants on the publishers that need them the most in the hardest hit countries in the world. The company would be giving $5,000 to 50 local newsrooms across the US and Canada to cover “unexpected costs” associated with covering the viral outbreak.

Business groups say Mexican plans to boost economy are insufficient

MEXICO CITY, April 6 (Reuters) – Mexico’s most powerful business lobbies on Monday said President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s plans to lift the Mexican economy out of a coronavirus-induced crisis are insufficient, and that more is needed to protect jobs and companies.

Lopez Obrador unveiled his plans on Sunday, vowing to help the poor and create jobs, but his promise to uphold fiscal discipline at the same time sparked criticism that the measures fell far short of what was needed. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito Editing by Dave Graham)

COVID-19: US conducts trials of plasma transfusions

There are no proven drug therapies for the virus yet, but US FDA is embracing one treatment that has worked during previous outbreaks.

There are no proven drug therapies or effective vaccines for the virus, yet.

But the United States Food and Drug Administration is embracing one treatment that has worked during previous outbreaks – a transfusion of plasma from recovered patients to the severely ill.

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Chappelle has more.