A 39-year-old otherwise healthy New Orleans woman who showed signs of the novel coronavirus died alone in her kitchen awaiting test results

"I don't want to be sick anymore," Natasha Ott, a 39-year-old social worker, texted days before her death. Her COVID-19 results are still unknown.

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Man sentenced to 25 years for trying to bomb Oklahoma bank

An Oklahoma man was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison after being convicted of trying to blow up an Oklahoma City bank with a massive vehicle bomb, according to federal prosecutors. Jerry Drake Varnell, 26, of Sayre, was sentenced in federal court in Oklahoma City. Varnell was arrested in August 2017 after he tried to detonate what authorities said he believed was a half-ton (450-kilogram) bomb outside BancFirst in downtown Oklahoma City.

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Italy coronavirus deaths rise by 602 in a day, lifting total death toll to 6,077

The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has grown by 602 to 6,077, the head of the Civil Protection Agency said on Monday, the smallest rise in numerical terms since Thursday, suggesting a clear downward trend. The Civil Protection Agency initially said 601 people died on Monday, but the agency head told reporters the real number was 602. The total number of confirmed cases in Italy rose to 63,927 on Monday from a previous 59,138, an increase of 8%, the Civil Protection Agency said -- the lowest rise in percentage terms since the contagion came to light on Feb. 21.

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Coronavirus stimulus bill fails to move forward, McConnell cites 'obstruction'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that "from my standpoint, we are apart." Talks are continuing.

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Ecuador Default Odds Surge as Virus Prompts Calls for Moratorium

(Bloomberg) -- Ecuador’s Congress called on the government to suspend debt payments to free up cash to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, prompting JPMorgan Chase & Co. to warn of a potential default as soon as Tuesday.The South American nation’s $3 billion of bonds due in 2028 fell 3.5 cents to a record low 31 cents on the dollar, pushing yields to 33%. Ecuador has about $320 million of debt due tomorrow and coupon payments later this week.Lawmakers from all major parties want President Lenin Moreno’s administration to prioritize the coronavirus crisis, rather than pay multilateral lenders and foreign creditors, according to a statement late Sunday. Ecuador had 981 cases of Covid-19 and 18 deaths at last count, only behind Brazil with the most cases in Latin America.“We think the government will feel intense political pressure to comply, putting tomorrow’s payments in doubt,” JPMorgan analysts Katherine Marney, Trang Nguyen and Ben Ramsey wrote in a report. “Our interpretation is that this announcement is timed to persuade the government to cease that payment.”The finance ministry didn’t immediately comment on the congressional request.Still, halting payments could prove costly, preventing Ecuador from receiving $5.5 billion in financing from multilateral lenders including the International Monetary Fund, according to Alberto Acosta Burneo, an economist at Grupo Spurrier in Guayaquil.Buying OpportunityThe call from Congress is probably intended to get concessions from Moreno’s government on stimulus measures, and may be a way to nudge the IMF into sending a relief package more quickly, said Oren Barack, the managing director of fixed income at New York-based AGP Alliance Global Partners.The government has a $4.2 billion financing agreement with the IMF whose latest disbursal has been delayed over failure to meet targets.“I’d be very shocked if Ecuador suspended payments,” Barack said. “At these prices, it’s definitely an opportunistic buying opportunity.”Ecuador is the most distressed sovereign credit not currently in default. Investors demand 59 percentage points more than U.S. Treasuries to hold the notes, according to JPMorgan’s EMBIG Diversified Index. Moreno’s government has vowed to stay current on its foreign bonds and tried to push reforms as part of an IMF lending agreement before the virus hit.Political PressureIf Ecuador makes Tuesday’s payment, it would be only the second time it has repaid a bond in its history dating back to 1830.“A disruptive default would not be in their best interest,” said Shamaila Khan, the New York-based head of emerging-market debt at AllianceBernstein, which holds Ecuador bonds.But other investors say Moreno has little incentive to pay.“What’s the point?” said Patrick Esteruelas, the head of research at Emso Asset Management in New York. “You have $600 million in principal and interest payments this week, Treasury deposits at just over $800 million, Covid-19 spreading like wildfire and all the political parties basically boxing you into a corner by removing support for payment.”The crisis has undermined the nation’s exports, with oil revenue curtailed by the plunge in crude prices and other industries hit by a strong dollar. At the same time, its central bank can’t print money to provide liquidity as Ecuador uses the dollar as its official currency.“There is clear urgency for seeking external capital and broader debate is necessary about whether a default would backfire,” Siobhan Morden, head of Latin America fixed income strategy at Amherst Pierpont Securities, wrote in a note.(Updates with comments and prices.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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North Carolina wins court piracy case over Blackbeard's ship

The Supreme Court sided unanimously Monday with North Carolina in a copyright fight with a company that has documented the salvage of the pirate Blackbeard's ship off the state's coast. Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court that the company's copyright infringement lawsuit, which she called “a modern form of piracy," could not go forward because the Constitution generally protects states from lawsuits in federal courts. The 21st century dispute arose over the Queen Anne's Revenge, which ran aground more than 300 years ago.

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Editorial: Climate change is just as real as COVID-19. Now's the last, best chance for our government to treat it that way

President Trump and Congress should keep climate change in mind as they prepare economic aid packages for businesses and industries.

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'Absolutely irresponsible': Rand Paul's colleagues are calling him out after he reportedly went to the gym after testing for coronavirus

Two of Paul's colleagues in the Senate criticized him after he reportedly refused to isolate himself after testing for the coronavirus.

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COVID-19 damages retirement plans

Everyday investors could have lost 30% or more during the coronavirus crash depending on how they've invested. It's hard to look at the numbers.

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Germany Lines Up $370 Billion Borrowing Binge in Virus Fight

(Bloomberg) -- Germany may borrow as much as 350 billion euros ($370 billion) in an unprecedented financing push to cushion the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government will borrow 150 billion euros this year to finance measures to limit the impact of the outbreak. A rescue fund set up to buy stakes in companies and fund corporate loans could issue up to 200 billion euros in additional debt if needed, Deputy Finance Minister Joerg Kukies said in an interview with Bloomberg. The ultimate size of the rescue fund’s borrowings depends on how many companies ask for government help.“The extent of the federal government’s actual borrowing under the rescue fund is currently not foreseeable, since this depends on the extent to which companies will make use of rescue funds,” said Kukies. “It could also be significantly lower.”The 150 billion euros in new debt is part of a supplementary budget that is expected to be approved Monday by Merkel’s cabinet. It will be presented to the lower house on Wednesday in an emergency session and could move on to Germany’s upper house on Friday.As the devastating implications of the pandemic become clear, Merkel’s ruling coalition is abandoning a long-standing commitment to balanced budgets and using emergency powers to suspend rules restricting borrowing that are enshrined in the constitution. The economy could shrink by at least 5%, according to an estimate by the finance ministry.The effort to shore up Europe’s largest economy includes measures such as direct assistance to companies and low-income earners as well as a rescue fund to bailout virus-hit businesses. A lockdown could further restrict activity.Merkel is speaking with state leaders on Sunday to hammer out a more coordinated approach to slow the spread of the virus, which as infected nearly 22,000 in the country, according to Bloomberg calculations.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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'He just needs more of everything': Biden campaign faces retool after primary surge

Newly filed campaign finance reports show how Biden's campaign lagged behind rivals until he caught fire after the South Carolina primary.

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Act now, Italian doctor at center of outbreak warns the world

"Quite a few" patients ages 20 to 30 were in a "severe" condition like older patients, said Dr. Antonio Pensenti.

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Syria's Assad discusses Idlib truce with Russian minister

Syria's president hosted Russia's defense minister on Monday to discuss a recent cease-fire in rebel-held northwestern Syria, which ended rare direct fighting between Syrian and Turkish troops. The cease-fire deal was brokered between Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the Syrian conflict. The deal halted a three-month Syrian government offensive into the country's last rebel stronghold.

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Yemen Huthis uphold death sentence for Baha'i, community says

A court run by Yemen's Huthi rebels has upheld the death sentence of a Baha'i over his religion in defiance of international appeals, the community said Monday. Hamed bin Haydara, who has been detained since 2013, was not allowed into Sunday's hearing in the capital Sanaa that rejected his appeal against the sentence imposed more than a year ago, the community said. The Baha'i International Community in a statement said it was "utterly dismayed at this outrageous verdict" and urged the court to overturn it.

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Coronavirus: Trump bows to pressure from worst-hit states and allows extra supplies

The US National Guard has been activated in New York, California and Washington to aid in their response to the coronavirus pandemic.After New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and officials across the US pressured the federal government for days to ramp up its response to a growing crisis in their respective states, Donald Trump has announced that he signed off on a major disaster declaration for New York, per the governor's request.

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It is the story of a lifetime, and it’s crippling some publications.

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Call It ‘Coronavirus’

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Webinar Wednesdays: Opportunities for Teachers and Parents on Remote Learning With The Times

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At Least 13,500 Americans Abroad Need Help Getting Home, State Dept. Says

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The View From Your Window

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Coronavirus Briefing: What Happened Today

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This Is New York City’s Big ‘Enemy’ in the Coronavirus Fight

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Battle-Hardened by Disasters, California Braces for Coronavirus Onslaught

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