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US stocks declined on Tuesday as traders weighed a longer-than-expected recovery from the escalating coronavirus outbreak. The losses came as numerous economists across Wall Street further revised their quarterly gross-domestic-product estimates lower amid the pandemic. The market close saw the Dow Jones industrial complete its worst first quarter in history, having tumbled 23%. In addition, both the Dow (-14%) and S&P 500 (-12%) turned in their worst monthly returns since the depths of the financial crisis in October 2008. On a GDP basis, Goldman Sachs sees the economy shrinking by 34% next quarter, eclipsing its previous projection of 24%. The...

President Trump on Tuesday encouraged Congress to pass a $2 trillion infrastructure bill as the next piece of legislation to boost the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. "With interest rates for the United States being at ZERO, this is the time to do our decades long awaited Infrastructure Bill," Trump tweeted. "It should be VERY BIG & BOLD, Two Trillion Dollars, and be focused solely on jobs and rebuilding the once great infrastructure of our Country!" Trump last week signed into law a $2 trillion economic relief package targeting small businesses and workers impacted by the fallout of the virus....

White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx on Monday warned that up to 200,000 people in the U.S. could die from the coronavirus outbreak if "we do things almost perfectly." In an appearance on NBC's "Today," Birx stressed that the Trump administration remains "very worried" about every city in the United States and the possibility that the virus could get "out of control." She also noted that some metropolitan areas "were late in getting people to follow" social distancing requirements and that it had an effect on the virus's spread. "If we do things together well, almost perfectly, we...

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced late Wednesday night that he expects the chamber will pass an economic relief bill in response to the coronavirus later in the week in a way that won’t require all members to travel back to Washington. Hoyer wrote in a letter to colleagues that he expects the House will pass the legislation on Friday morning by voice vote. Many lawmakers are fearful of having to travel back and forth between Washington and their communities, as well as congregate with each other in the Capitol. But they are also under pressure to quickly act...

President Trump on Sunday said the National Guard had been activated in New York, California and Washington and that the federal government would provide additional resources to help those states combat the coronavirus. “We’re dealing also with other states. These states have been hit the hardest,” Trump said at a news briefing at the White House. Trump said the federal government would fund “100 percent” of the National Guard units carrying out approved missions in those states. The order will provide additional manpower and resources to the three states grappling with some of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the U.S....

United States Rep. Ben McAdams, R-Utah, said he tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday after developing “mild cold-like symptoms” over the weekend. In a written statement, the 4th District representative said he returned to Utah from Washington, D.C. on Saturday evening and consulted with a doctor on Sunday. McAdams said he “immediately isolated” himself in his home and conducted all meetings by telephone. “My symptoms got worse and I developed a fever, a dry cough and labored breathing and I remained self-quarantined,” McAdams said in the statement. On Tuesday, McAdams’ doctor instructed him to get tested for COVID-19. “Today I...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday the upper chamber will pass the House's second coronavirus funding package without changes. The decision comes despite some vocal GOP opposition to the measure over concerns about its impact on small businesses. "With regard to the bill that came over from the House, there was some discussion about whether to amendment that with a bigger proposal, because we all know a bigger proposal is necessary. But I've decided we're going to go on and vote as soon as the Senate can get permission to vote on the bill that came over from...

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the outbreak will get worse and warned the U.S. must take serious mitigation efforts. The federal government’s top infectious disease expert told lawmakers Wednesday that the novel coronavirus spreading across the globe is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu. “I mean people always say, 'Well, the flu does this, the flu does that,'” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said Wednesday during a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee. “The flu has a mortality...

Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) on Monday announced that he would self-quarantine at his home after coming into contact with a person who later tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The announcement makes Collins the third GOP lawmaker to say they're taking the precautionary measure. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) separately said on Sunday that they would self-quarantine until 14 days had passed since interacting with the individual at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland. “This afternoon, I was notified by CPAC that they discovered a photo of myself and the patient who has tested...

The House passed a roughly $8.3 billion emergency spending package for combating the coronavirus outbreak, sending the legislation to the Senate as lawmakers raced to respond to the quickly spreading outbreak. The legislation, crafted by top Republicans and Democrats, caps less than two weeks of negotiations that began when the White House said it planned to spend roughly $2.5 billion on fighting the virus, an amount lawmakers said was too low. It passed the House overwhelmingly, with just two Republicans voting against it (Andy Biggs of Arizona and Ken Buck of Colorado) and 415 members supporting it. President Trump has...

President Trump on Friday signed two spending packages totaling $1.4 trillion, averting a government shutdown at midnight. The bills included all 12 annual appropriations bills for the 2020 fiscal year that started Oct. 1. They also included a slew of tax cuts, extending expiring and expired tax breaks and eliminating other taxes that amount to an additional $426 billion in lost revenue, bringing the total cost of the bill to more than $1.8 trillion. The government spent the first quarter of the fiscal year operating on stopgap funding that was set to expire on Friday. Trump reportedly signed the bill...

Center-left candidate Benny Gantz declares victory over Benjamin Netanyahu in the Israeli elections, and is rejecting the prime minister’s call for negotiations over leading the government. Gantz issued a statement Thursday saying, “I am interested in and intend to form a broad and liberal unity government under my leadership.” He also said, “the process of building a government has begun, and we will not be dictated to.” This comes after Netanyahu offered to build a broad coalition government with Gantz amid a tight election. Netanyahu proposed a rotating premiership among the two leaders. “The people chose unity, the people want...

Obama White House counsel Greg Craig was found not guilty Wednesday of misleading Justice Department investigators. The verdict came after less than a day of jury deliberations in the trial spun off from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. The 74-year-old, who worked in President Barack Obama’s administration during his first term and also helped President Bill Clinton during his impeachment proceedings, was the highest-profile Democrat to face charges stemming from Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and any connections with the Trump campaign. The trial lasted more than two weeks and included a day and a...

The largest U.S. Lutheran denomination announced this week that it would become a "sanctuary church." The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) said in a statement Wednesday that it is "committed to work toward just and humane policies affecting migrants in and outside the U.S." The ELCA is the first North American denomination to become a sanctuary church body, according to the statement. According to CNN, besides sheltering undocumented immigrants, the church will also respond to raids, fight deportation cases and give "radical hospitality" to immigrants. The ELCA will also work on resources for the denomination's more than 9,000 congregations...

After President Donald Trump announced his proposed immigration deal that would offer DACA protections to Democrats in exchange for wall funding, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter ripped the deal and said it would make a wall useless. There are a million things to trade for a wall: A higher federal minimum wage, an infrastructure bill, a solar panel bill,” Coulter tweeted. “Trade a wall for AMNESTY, and there’s no purpose to having a wall.” "We voted for Trump and got Jeb!” she wrote on Twitter.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr confirmed Friday his panel has made referrals to special counsel Robert Mueller. The confirmation, made at a University of Texas forum, comes a day after Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress as part of Mueller’s investigation. “I don’t want you to get us mixed up with Bob Mueller’s special prosecutor investigation. We have no criminal responsibilities. If we identify a crime in our investigation that has been committed, we refer it to the special prosecutor,” Burr said. “I won’t tell you the number of times, but we have made referrals to the...

The plea agreement between Paul Manafort and special counsel Robert Mueller requires him to hand over four properties acquired or furnished with ill-gotten money, including a lavish estate in the tony Hamptons, on Long Island, New York. The four homes are worth about $16 million, combined, according to estimates from real-estate firm Zillow. Manafort will also hand over $30 million or so in cash and other assets, including a life-insurance policy. 174 Jobs Lane, Water Mill, N.Y. 5,574 square feet / 10 bedrooms / 6 bathrooms. Estimated value: $7 million. 377 Union Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 4,284 square feet / 7...

<p>U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) announced Saturday that he has offered a security post to former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was canned by Attorney General Jeff Sessions late Friday, just two days before his retirement benefits were to kick in.</p>

Outgoing Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said Wednesday that former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney would have his support if he runs to take his place in the Senate. Hatch's remarks come a day after the 83-year-old senator announced his retirement. President Trump had urged Hatch to stay in the seat, reportedly as an attempt to block Romney from taking the Senate spot. "There's no question that he loves Utah and wants to support Utah any way he can. And I'm hopeful he'll run, because he would be just fine," Hatch said in a radio interview on Utah's Morning News program....

Turkey intends to open an embassy in East Jerusalem, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, days after leading calls at a summit of Muslim leaders for the world to recognize it as the capital of Palestine. It was not clear how he would carry out the move, as Israel controls all of Jerusalem and calls the city its indivisible capital. Palestinians want the capital of a future state they seek to be in East Jerusalem, which Israel took in a 1967 war and later annexed in a move not recognized internationally. The Muslim nation summit was a response to U.S....