National

Chief Of National Guard Says It Is Ready For Coronavirus Crisis

5:04pm March 23, 2020

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard, about the force being mobilized around the country to help fight the coronavirus outbreak.

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There was already a severe shortage of doctors and nurses in rural America before the COVID-19 crisis — and the growing sector of traveling nurses and doctors might be part of the solution.

Traveling Nurses, Doctors Fill Gaps In Rural Coverage Ahead Of COVID-19

4:24pm March 23, 2020

by Kirk Siegler

There was already a shortage of medical personnel in rural America before the coronavirus. Medical staffing firms are now trying to send health workers to underserved small towns.

Wisconsin Primary Election Still Scheduled To Go Forward As Other States Postpone

4:13pm March 23, 2020

by Maayan Silver

Wisconsin's April 7 primary is still scheduled to go forward even though more than half a dozen other states have postponed their primary elections.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, (front) announced schools in the state will remained closed for at least the rest of the academic school year.

National

Virginia Ends School Year, States Order Businesses To Close As Virus Spreads

4:00pm March 23, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

Virginia closes schools the rest of the year. Maryland orders nonessential businesses closed at 5 p.m. Monday. Massachusetts order goes into effect at noon Tuesday and will last at least two weeks.

The YMCA is among several national groups asking Congress for $60 billion in emergency funding to nonprofit organizations nationwide. Above, a sign hangs on the door of the Schlessmann YMCA in Denver, Colo., on March 16, 2020.

National

As Economy Struggles, Nonprofits Ask Congress For Help

3:26pm March 23, 2020

by Sarah McCammon

Nonprofit groups say the nation's charitable sector has been especially hard-hit amid the coronavirus pandemic. Several national groups are calling on Congress for $60 billion in emergency funding.

National

Supreme Court Allows States To Virtually Eliminate The Insanity Defense

3:24pm March 23, 2020

by Nina Totenberg

By a 6-to-3 vote, the court essentially allows consideration of mental status only at sentencing. Dissenters accuse the majority of abandoning centuries of Anglo-American law.

President Trump says he's not using his authority to control production and distribution of medical supplies.

White House Not Using Defense Powers To Boost Medical Supplies

2:37pm March 23, 2020

by Camila Domonoske

President Trump has issued contradictory statements about whether he's ordering private companies to ramp up production of medical goods. At the center of all this is the Defense Production Act.

"We really need to come together as a nation" to fight the COVID-19 respiratory disease, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on Monday. America's top doctor warned that "this week it's going to get bad."

Surgeon General Tells U.S.: 'This Week It's Going To Get Bad'

2:15pm March 23, 2020

by Bill Chappell

"We don't want Dallas or New Orleans or Chicago to turn into the next New York," U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Monday morning.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says that in his state — the U.S. epicenter for the coronavirus — the wave of new cases is still going up. Here, commuters wearing masks pass through New York City's Penn Station on Monday.

Cuomo Orders All Hospitals To Add Beds As New York Confirms 20,000 Coronavirus Cases

2:04pm March 23, 2020

by Bill Chappell

"You must increase your capacity by 50%," Gov. Andrew Cuomo tells hospitals in his state. "You must. Mandatory directive from the state. Find more beds, use more rooms."

Is There A Long-Term Strategy For Overcoming The COVID-19 Pandemic?

12:12pm March 23, 2020

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to NPR's Nurith Aizenman, Juliette Kayyem, a former Homeland Security official, and NPR's Franco Ordoñez about how the coronavirus will reshape our lives for months to come.

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