April 5, 2020

Your Weekend Briefing

By Elijah Walker

Here are the week’s top stories, and a look ahead.

Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times

1. This may be “the toughest week” yet of the coronavirus pandemic.

President Trump on Saturday warned that the nation would face “a lot of death,” while also saying he would like to consider relaxing social distancing rules for Easter services.

He and other officials at the White House depicted some parts of the U.S. as climbing toward the peaks of their crises, while warning that new hot spots were emerging in Pennsylvania, Colorado and Washington, D.C.

More than 8,000 people have died from the virus so far in the U.S., but White House projections show that number could eventually be at least 100,000. The U.S. accounts for more than 310,000 of the world’s 1.1 million reported cases of infection.

The next two weeks of social distancing will be critical to stem the outbreak, said Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus coordinator, and hot spots in New York, Detroit and Louisiana will likely reach a peak within six to seven days.

Our graphics team is tracking all the coronavirus cases state by state, county by county. You can access that data here.

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Have you been keeping up with the headlines? Test your knowledge with our news quiz. And here’s the front page of our Sunday paper, the Sunday Review from Opinion and our crossword puzzles.

Just so you know, much of our coronavirus coverage is freely accessible to all readers, as is our Coronavirus Briefing newsletter. Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription.

Steve Schaefer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, via Associated Press

2. The U.S. is experiencing its first days under a federal recommendation that people wear cloth masks in public.

Above, a mixed response in Atlanta on Saturday.

Even as President Trump announced the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, he disavowed it. “Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens — I don’t know,” he said, though he stopped receiving foreign dignitaries weeks ago. “Somehow, I just don’t see it for myself.” [Watch the video.]

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But then Mr. Trump has often been at odds with the medical experts seeking to guide his handling of the outbreak.

Mr. Trump also proceeded with a post-impeachment purge, with the firing of an intelligence community watchdog he considered disloyal.

Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

3. The coronavirus is pummeling New York hospitals — and the apex of the crisis is just days away.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is counting on 85,000 health care volunteers — about 22,000 from out of state. And a major redeployment of doctors is already underway: Many specialists like neurosurgeons and dermatologists are being pulled into intensive care wards.

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Such is the case at a Brooklyn hospital, above. Sheri Fink, a medical doctor and Times correspondent, and our photographer Victor Blue carefully risked a firsthand look at the growing misery there, where virus-linked deaths more than quintupled in a week.

“What really stood out to me was the toll on the medical providers — and the fact that so many of the staff members are sick,” Sheri told us.

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

4. America is looking very different.

Once-crowded cities feel abandoned. Stadiums are shuttered. There is no rush hour on the nation’s highways. Above, I-90 in Washington State on Saturday.

But there are new connections, too. The Rev. Rob Lee, a pastor in Newton, N.C., is responding to prayer requests with handwritten letters. “It’s a sense of, we’re going to show up,” he said. “The coronavirus is terrible, but it’s not the fullness of who we are as a people. It’s not the end of our story.”

Over 24 hours across the country, this is what our reporters saw.

In New York City, like many others, “Closed” signs hang from the front doors of business after business. The notes express empathy, resolve, concern, even humor — a reflection of spirit.

Laetitia Vancon for The New York Times

5. Are countries flattening the curve?

The number of new coronavirus cases in Italy appears to be leveling, though the death toll is still climbing. In a sci-fi twist, the country is weighing letting those with the right antibodies in their blood return to work.

Germany remains an anomaly: With more than 92,000 people infected, the death rate is remarkably low. Above, Munich on Saturday.

China, where the pandemic began, appears to have had a drastic reduction in cases and deaths — but the C.I.A. has warned that China’s numbers are not to be trusted. In the U.S., the number of new confirmed cases is multiplying rapidly, and a few states are resisting the most stringent measures.

These charts show the pandemic’s trajectory in each nation.

Chad Batka for The New York Times

6. A leading AIDS researcher. An actress turned writer. A former prime minister.

As the pandemic continues to devastate communities around the world, we are writing about the lives of people lost to the pandemic.

Among them: the jazz patriarch Ellis Marsalis, above; Adam Schlesinger, an acclaimed singer-songwriter; and Hilda Churchill, who survived the Great War, the 1918 flu pandemic and World War II.

We’re also remembering Bill Withers, who died of heart problems this week. The creator of the indelible song “Lean on Me,” he radiated the rare quality of selflessness, our chief pop critic writes. Ten of his overlooked songs make for excellent company.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

7. Kobe Bryant leads one of the most highly anticipated player classes ever for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

The former Los Angeles Lakers star, who died in January, will be inducted with two other N.B.A. greats who faced off against him as his career blossomed: Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Joining them is Tamika Catchings, one of the best players over 15 seasons in the W.N.B.A.

Taken together, the four define basketball this century, our basketball reporter writes.

Jake Michaels for The New York Times

8. “I will say that the lack of invitations, OK, that’s been fantastic.”

Who better than Larry David, the father of “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” to guide us through the thicket of being together, alone? Maureen Dowd interviewed the comedian over FaceTime (something Mr. David has grown to like in quarantine).

Here are some other recommendations for passing time:

Diversions from Times Magazine writers (hello, candle hour).
“His Girl Friday,” the 1940 film starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. It’s our chief film critics’ latest Weekend Watch.
And don’t forget to date night: Here are four adaptable ideas.

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Laurie Pellicano. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart.

9. Do you feel like everyone is making bread? Join them.

Whether you’ve been baking a classic loaf for years and want to hone your skills, or you’re just trying to find your footing, we have recipes at every skill level.

Perhaps you’re thinking about Passover, which begins Wednesday. Our food columnist Alison Roman has a Seder game plan that’s adaptable depending on your pantry.

Our Food editor, Sam Sifton, has more ideas on what to cook this week.

Annie Flanagan for The New York Times

10. And finally, dig into one of our Best Weekend Reads.

Among them: the exploration of a 60,000-year-old submerged forest, above; Egypt’s female lion tamers and our first reader-generated 36 Hours in … Wherever You Are.

For more ideas on what to read, watch and listen to, may we suggest these 10 new books, our latest small-screen recommendations; and our music critics’ playlist.

Have a low-stress week. If you need a little help, our guided meditation can lead the way.

Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6 a.m. Eastern.

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