COVID-19

The progressive advocacy group FWD.US recommends Arizona release at least 10,000 inmates, or one-quarter of the prison population, to make a significant impact in stopping the spread of the virus.

National

'A Ticking Time Bomb': Advocates Warn COVID-19 Is Spreading Rapidly Behind Bars

11:27am April 28, 2020

The spread of coronavirus behind bars is likely much more rampant than what's known right now. In prisons, jails and immigration detention centers, limited testing already shows widespread infection.

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A man reads a sports newspaper on the street amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo on Tuesday. The move for dentists to administer tests is aimed at relieving the burden on doctors and boosting capacity.

Japan To Allow Dentists To Conduct Coronavirus Tests

10:22am April 28, 2020

by Scott Neuman

Japan currently conducts about 9,000 tests per day, and the move for dentists to administer them is aimed at relieving the burden on doctors and boosting capacity.

Christian Piatt, co-owner of the Brew Drinkery in Granbury, Texas, was forced to close his brewery's doors due to the coronavirus less than two months after he opened.

Economy

Small Businesses Say Rescue Loans Come With Too Many Strings Attached

10:14am April 28, 2020

by Danielle Kurtzleben

Business owners lucky enough to get the federal rescue funds are wrestling with paying their employees, even when their doors are closed.

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Lab scientists work to validate rapid IgM/IgG antibody tests of samples from recovered COVID-19 patients on April 10 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

National

Public Health Labs Suffered Budget Cuts Prior To The Coronavirus Pandemic

10:09am April 28, 2020

An APM Reports analysis finds that public labs — the first line of defense in an outbreak — in at least 10 states endured budget troubles or staffing shortages in the past decade.

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People collect emergency rations of food and essential supplies from the Red Cross Society of Nigeria in Lagos State earlier this week.

World News

Nigeria's President Eases COVID-19 Restrictions, Citing Economic Hardship

9:31am April 28, 2020

by Scott Neuman

Muhammadu Buhari said stay-at-home orders imposed last month have come at a "very heavy economic cost," with many Nigerians left without enough money to eat.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic at Parliament on Monday in Wellington, New Zealand.

New Zealand Says It Has Won 'Battle' Against COVID-19

10:05pm April 27, 2020

by Scott Neuman

"There is no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand. We have won that battle," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday as the country eased COVID-19 restrictions.

Nevada resident Derek Reich lost his income as a freelance cameraman. He says his lender told him he'd have to make up any missed payments in a giant balloon payment he can't afford. Then he was told that if he didn't qualify for a better option, "you're

3.4 Million Homeowners Skip Payments. But Many Are Scared, Say Congress Needs To Act

9:59pm April 27, 2020

by Chris Arnold

Homeowners say that to catch up on payments, lenders demand big balloon payments they can't afford. Advocates want Congress to mandate that missed payments simply be added to the end of the loan term.

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Workers at Amazon's Staten Island, N.Y., warehouse staged a protest demanding that the facility be closed following several confirmed cases of the coronavirus among staff.

National

Amazon Warehouse Safety 'Inadequate,' N.Y. Attorney General's Office Says

7:17pm April 27, 2020

by Alina Selyukh

Amazon may have violated federal health and safety standards as well as New York's whistleblower law, the New York attorney general's office wrote to Amazon in a letter obtained by NPR.

A woman walks past a vending machine that offers washable face masks in a Berlin subway station on Monday. German officials have said they will endorse a decentralized approach to coronavirus contact tracing.

Germany Backs Away From Compiling Coronavirus Contacts In A Central Database

7:11pm April 27, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Privacy advocates had warned against Germany's plan to store cellphone-tracking information in a central database rather than on users' phones.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee visits a drive-through COVID-19 testing location on April 18 in Franklin, Tenn.

Tennessee Restaurants Reopen As State Sees Biggest 1-Day Jump In COVID-19 Cases

7:08pm April 27, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

The state reported 478 new confirmed cases on Sunday, an increase of 5.2%. Restaurants can begin serving dine-in customers on Monday, with retail stores opening later this week.