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Christians mark a somber and solitude Easter Sunday |
| His voice echoing through the nearly empty St. Peter's Basilica, a somber Pope Francis celebrated one of the strangest Easter celebrations in Vatican history Sunday amid the coronavirus pandemic. "This is an Easter of solitude lived amid the sorrow and hardship the pandemic is causing, whether from physical suffering or economic difficulties," Francis said in Italian. Francis cast a solitary figure as he addressed the outbreak that has so far claimed more than 113,000 lives worldwide, nearly 20,000 of them in Italy, which surrounds Vatican City. More than 21,000 people have died in the United States. "Our world is already faced with epochal challenges," the pontiff said. "Now it is oppressed by a pandemic that is severely testing our whole human family." |
| And while most churches closed for in-person Easter services, some religious leaders still planned large gatherings. In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday that anyone who goes to a mass gathering – including religious services – may have their license plates recorded. |
| • | How are Donald Trump and Mike Pence observing Easter Sunday? Virtually. | |
The US now has more coronavirus deaths than any other country |
| The United States passed Italy to become the country with the most coronavirus deaths. However, as a proportion of the total population in the U.S., virus deaths remain at about one-sixth of those in hard-hit Italy or Spain . Estimates on how many people will end up dying in the U.S. have fluctuated in recent weeks as new data continues to pour in. A leading projection model from the University of Washington has forecast about 60,000 deaths in the country, far less than the 100,000 to 240,000 deaths that were projected in a White House release less than two weeks ago. |
| More than 546,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the United States, with the death toll surpassing 21,000. Globally, there are more than 1.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 113,000 deaths. |
Fauci: Reopening the country 'not going to be a light switch' |
| In an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Dr. Anthony Fauci said reopening the country was "not going to be a light switch" and would depend on the severity of the outbreak in different areas. "You want to make sure you don't do something prematurely and precipitously, but at the same time, you pay attention to the need to try to get back to normal," he said. |
Boris Johnson discharged from hospital after bout with coronavirus |
| British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was discharged from the hospital where he was being treated for the coronavirus, his office said in a statement Sunday . Johnson, 55, will continue his recovery at Chequers, a 16th-century manor house in the English countryside that is the prime minister's official vacation retreat. He was admitted to the hospital a week ago and spent three days in intensive care. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is standing in for Johnson while he is sick. |
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'SNL' wasn't live from New York, but it was back |
| "Saturday Night Live" returned looking very different from the late-night comedy show that has imprinted itself on American culture over 45 seasons. This weekend's new episode featured a unique opening: 17 cast members in boxes on a Zoom screen. Kate McKinnon then offered a bizarre-o version of the trademark "SNL" opening: "And live from Zoom, it's somewhere between March and August." While it was different, USA TODAY's Bill Keveney writes, "it provided the perfect host for viewers seeking comfort in these troubling times: Tom Hanks." |
 | | VPC SNL THUMB | | FROM SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE / NBC | |
Stimulus money starts hitting bank accounts |
| The first stimulus payments of up to $1,200 have been deposited into eligible taxpayer's bank accounts, the IRS announced Saturday . Eligible taxpayers who filed tax returns for either 2019 or 2018 and chose direct deposit for their refund will automatically receive a stimulus payment of up to $1,200 for individuals or $2,400 for married couples and $500 for each qualifying child, the IRS said. The government is prioritizing the first few waves of payments in the coming weeks toward low-income Americans and Social Security beneficiaries, according to Lisa Greene-Lewis, a certified public accountant at TurboTax. |
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4.5M at risk as Southeast may see severe storms and tornadoes |
| As many Americans celebrated Easter Sunday amid the challenges of a pandemic, the South faced a new menace that could upend lives: severe weather . The National Weather Service reported tornadoes over the northwest and north central parts of Louisiana. Although there were no immediate reports of injuries, utility companies reported thousands of power outages. A string of fierce storms was likely from Louisiana through the Tennessee Valley, the weather service said, and more than 4.5 million people could be at risk. |
 | | Severe weather, including likeiihood of tornadoes, is forecast for much of the Southeast for Easter, according to AccuWeather | | Accuweather | |
Protesters call for ICE to release detainees |
| Advocates calling on federal immigration authorities to release detainees amid the coronavirus pandemic staged a protest outside two detention centers in Eloy, Arizona, on Friday. A caravan of more than 100 cars drove to the two facilities, where advocates said detainees are in grave danger of contracting the virus. The protest, staged in cars, came as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases among detainees in Arizona continues to rise. "We are demanding that ICE release detainees, beginning with the most vulnerable," said Maxima Guerrero, a coordinator with Puente Human Rights Movement, which organized the rally along with Trans Queer Pueblo. |
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| This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Associated Press. |
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