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The new normal |
| Face mask? On. Hand sanitizer? Equipped. Standing? At least 6 feet apart. The world is slowly beginning to reopen, and new normals are emerging as nations navigate life amid a global pandemic. |
| In Thailand, which opened its popular shopping malls on Sunday, shoppers must use their smartphones to register electronically when entering and leaving a mall and when entering and leaving individual stores. If someone later falls ill, the data will be used to determine who may have been in contact with them. |
| In Italy, which entertained Europe's longest and strictest coronavirus lockdown, the government announced Saturday that regional and international borders will open in June. |
| And in the United States, which has the largest coronavirus outbreak in the world by far, the rise of confirmed cases and daily deaths are slowing. Yet, if coronavirus swells in a second wave later this year, will the nation be ready? The leading answer from epidemiologists, economists and futurists: probably not. Many scientists believe the pandemic likely will dissipate over the summer only to return later this year in a second wave that could be worse than the first. |
Vaccine for millions by January? It's possible |
| A vaccine for the novel coronavirus is possible by the end of the year "if everything goes in the right direction, " the director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said Sunday. Dr. Tom Inglesby, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," said the timeline is far from normal, but that these are not normal times. President Donald Trump said last week he hopes to have a vaccine widely available by January. "There are many ways that it might not work," Inglesby said. "So, I don't think we should bank on it." |
These counties are still untouched by COVID-19 |
| In just four months, the deadly COVID-19 virus has infiltrated every state and major U.S. city. But a scattering of remote counties — 231 of 3,143 — continue without a single reported case, according to a USA TODAY analysis. But the list is getting shorter by the day. The long stretch without coronavirus cases in some counties likely reflects an undercount from limited testing. In others, it may also reflect the benefits of being relatively cut off. People in case-free counties said they don't consider their communities immune, just less exposed. |
Dems open inquiry into firing of government watchdog |
| Top congressional Democrats opened an inquiry Saturday into Mike Pompeo's removal of a government watchdog and accused the Secretary of State of trying to shield himself from an internal probe . In a joint letter, Rep. Eliot Engel and Sen. Bob Menendez called on the White House and the State Department to "preserve all records related to the firing" of Inspector General Steve Linick. A senior State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said Linick was investigating Pompeo's use of State Department staff to run personal errands for himself and his wife. "If Secretary Pompeo is involved in firing his IG – who is heading up that investigation – then that is definitely retaliatory," the person said. |
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Real quick |
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Obama addresses Class of 2020 through virtual ceremonies |
| In two addresses Saturday to college and high school graduates, former President Barack Obama touched on current events and commiserated over the difficult world they face . During a two-hour streaming event for historically black colleges and universities, the 44th president noted the February shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, who was killed while jogging on a residential street in Georgia. "Let's be honest: A disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country," he said. |
| Later, in a televised prime-time commencement for the high school Class of 2020, Obama told the young graduates that they can no longer be counted out as too young to understand what's going on in the United States. "With so much uncertainty, with everything suddenly up for grabs, this is your generation's world to shape," he said. |
 | | VPC OBAMA | | AP | |
Explosion in downtown Los Angeles injures at least 11 firefighters |
| A "significant explosion" at a hash oil manufacturer rocked downtown Los Angeles late Saturday, injuring at least 11 firefighters . While it was not immediately known what triggered the explosion, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said the fire might have originated at Smoke Tokes Warehouse Distributor, which he described as a maker of "butane honey oil." All 11 firefighters suffered burns ranging from minor to serious. Three were listed as critical condition, and two of them were on ventilators. All were expected to survive. "The good news is everybody's going to make it," Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said. |
 | | Firefighters respond to an explosion in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday that injured multiple firefighters and caused a fire that spread to several buildings, authorities say. | | Stefanie Dazio, AP Images | |
House passes $3 trillion coronavirus relief package, pushback likely in Republican-led Senate |
| House Democrats narrowly passed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief package Friday, which Republicans — and fourteen Democrats — overwhelming voted against . The bill, which would steer billions to state and local governments as well as provide a second round of direct payments to millions of Americans, was panned by Senate Republicans and declared "dead on arrival" by President Donald Trump. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans say they want to see the results of the trillions of stimulus dollars already approved before they take up another package. |
| P.S. Like this round up of stories? We send it to inboxes every afternoon. Sign up for "The Short List" newsletter here. |
| This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Associated Press. |
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