WASHINGTON (AP) — Celebrities, politicians and professional athletes faced a backlash this week as many revealed that they had been tested for the coronavirus, even when they didn’t have a fever or other tell-tale symptoms. That’s fueling a perception that the wealthy and famous have been able to jump to the head of the line […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed direct payments of $1,200 per person and $2,400 for couples as part of an initial Republican response Thursday to the coronavirus outbreak. The GOP leader unveiled his plan as Congress raced to craft a $1 trillion rescue package to shore up households, healthcare and the U.S. […]

JERUSALEM (JTA) — In late February, I flew to Long Island to help my 77-year-old mom following her knee replacement surgery. I arrived in the United States with the remnants of a mild winter cold, a slight cough and runny nose — nothing I was concerned about. I spent most of my time at my […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Before President Donald Trump stepped into the White House briefing room on Thursday to provide an update on the coronavirus, an opening act was broadcast across cable news of another chief executive calmly reciting statistics and safety tips. For the second straight day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s matter-of-fact and slightly […]

NEW YORK (AP) — News organizations across the United States are lifting paywalls to share coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, a public service many hope will convince more readers to eventually become paying customers. At the same time, the societal shutdown caused by the virus is exacerbating a decline in advertising revenue that has slowly […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has upgraded its already dire warning to Americans against all international travel as the coronavirus outbreak spreads. The State Department on Thursday issued a new alert urging Americans not to travel abroad under any circumstances and to return home if they are already abroad unless they plan to remain […]

FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) — A fourth member of a New Jersey family died Thursday from COVID-19. Vincent Fusco died Thursday morning at a hospital in Freehold, NJ.com reported. His death was confirmed by Roseann Paradiso Fodera, an attorney and relative. Fusco’s mother, Grace Fusco, died Wednesday night, hours after another son, Carmine Fusco, died in […]

NEW YORK (THE CONVERSATION-AP) On March 18, President Donald Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law. The legislation is an emergency intervention to provide paid leave and other support to millions of workers sidelined by school closures, quarantines and caregiving. An obvious question you’re probably wondering is, “How will it affect me?” […]

JERUSALEM (JTA) — When it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic would reach Israel, Elli Rosenberg was one of a small number of medical professionals at the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva to answer a call for volunteers to treat the sick. Rosenberg, a clinical immunologist who works as an internist at Soroka, now runs […]

JERUSALEM (Israel Hayom) — Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency was able to deliver 100,000 new coronavirus test kits collected overseas to local labs overnight Wednesday, Channel 12 News reported Thursday. In the next few days, the Mossad will facilitate the delivery of 4 million additional kits. Mossad director Yossi Cohen is said to be personally overseeing […]