Tuesday, April 28, 2020

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Tension brews as some states start lifting coronavirus measures while others keep them in place
 
Some states across the country are beginning to lift stringent stay-at-home orders in an effort to reopen their economies after several weeks of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The biggest leap to resume normalcy out of any other state is Gov. Greg Abbott's plan to reopen businesses in Texas, even allowing retail stores, restaurants and movie theaters to open up to customers -- albeit at a limited capacity -- starting on Friday, May 1.

Texas has the country's second-largest economy behind California but like much of the country has seen the crippling effects of prolonged lockdowns due the spread of COVID-19. Texas has had the 10th highest number of coronavirus infections in the country and continues to grapple with 25,292 cases.

Despite this, Abbott said businesses will be allowed to accommodate customers at 25 percent capacity, but everyone is advised to abide by social distancing rules. Bars, barbershops, hair salons and gyms, however, will remain closed.

In Tennessee, Georgia and Alaska, restaurants began reopening to dine-in customers, with new rules such as temperature checks at the door and logging of customer information for possible contact tracing.
In other states, the return to normalcy seems further away and, in some cases, exceedingly more complicated. In Illinois, a judge issued a temporary injunction against Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday after he extended his state's lockdown to May 30. Pritzker has ordered that everyone wear a face mask when in public and sustained that all nonessential businesses remain closed to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Governors in several states, such as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and others, that were hardest hit by the virus, are looking to beef up contact tracing and amplify testing before confidently easing their state's restrictions. Click here for more on our top story. 

Other related developments: 
 
- To get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox, sign up here.
- Click here for Fox News' full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic
- Barr directs federal prosecutors to report restrictive state, local coronavirus edicts
- Pennsylvania businesses take fight against governor's coronavirus executive order to Supreme Court
- Coronavirus likely to come back each year, Chinese scientists say

Top New York City ER doctor, shaken by coronavirus onslaught, commits suicide, shaken by coronavirus onslaught
 
The head of the emergency department at a Manhattan hospital committed suicide after spending days on the front lines of the coronavirus battle, her family said Monday.

“She tried to do her job, and it killed her,’’ Dr. Philip Breen told the New York Times of his physician daughter, Dr. Lorna Breen, who had been medical director of the NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital amid the pandemic.

The battle-weary ER doctor, 49, was only the latest city health care worker to take her own life.

Two days earlier, a Bronx EMT witnessing the virus’s ruthless toll fatally shot himself with a gun belonging to his retired NYPD cop dad. Click here for more.
 
Other coronavirus developments:
 
- California urgent care doctor questions stay-at-home orders
- Head of nurses union explains lawsuit against New York hospitals over lack of protective equipment
- Coronavirus in the US: State-by-state breakdown
- Coronavirus: What you need to know
Washington Post blasted for claiming 'Trump allies' are 'amplifying' Biden accuser Tara Reade
 
The Washington Post was slammed late Monday night for questionable framing of the latest developments that emerged surrounding the allegations made by Biden accuser Tara Reade.

Reade, who came forward last month accusing former Vice President Joe Biden of sexual assault as a Senate staffer in 1993, has had more corroborating evidence surface in recent days.

A clip from "Larry King Live" back in 1993 purportedly showing Reade's mother calling into the show anonymously and alluded to her daughter's "problems" she had with a "prominent senator" was brought to light on Friday. And on Monday, two more people, a former neighbor and a former colleague of Reade's, came forward to back her claims after conversations they've had back in the 90s.
However, a piece published by The Post raised eyebrows with its original headline that read, "Developments in allegations against Biden amplify efforts to question his behavior." Not long after it was published, a new headline appeared in the report, "Trump allies highlight new claims regarding allegations against Biden." Click here for more.

Other related developments:
- Reporter says 'lifelong Democrat' who backs Biden accuser's claims came forward
- Reade trashes Alyssa Milano for defending Biden
 
TODAY'S MUST-READS
 
America Together: Send us your photos and we'll tell your story as the nation battles coronavirus.
Trump suggests schools should open for a 'short period of time' before academic year ends.
Coronavirus crisis: Behind the effort to push the World Health Assembly to open formal probe into the WHO.
Manhattan Project-type group vowing to fight coronavirus launched by eclectic group of scientists, billionaires: report
Protection order given to 'Duck Dynasty' star Willie Robertson after drive-by shooting: reports

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SOME PARTING WORDS
Greg Gutfeld sounds off on the Joe Biden story CNN hates to cover -- and how CNN is now hiding from CNN.
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