COVID-19

President Trump and Congress Friday authorized a package of emergency funding to help and treat and slow the spread of COVID-19. About $950 million is designated for state and local response.

Vice President Pence said 46 people have been tested so far, and that 19 crew members and 2 passengers tested positive for the COVID-19 illness.

Almost 200 people have died from COVID-19 in Italy and over 4,000 have tested positive. Though the capital is far from the epicenter in the north, its famed tourist sites are nearly empty.

U.S. businesses are shutting down plants and watching their sales plummet around the world. Many economists now say odds are increasing that the economy will slow, if not contract altogether.