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Coronavirus Live Updates: Grim G.D.P. Data Does Not Fully Capture Pandemic’s Effects Coronavirus Live Updates: Grim G.D.P. Data Does Not Fully Capture Pandemic’s Effects
(32 minutes later)
The coronavirus pandemic has officially snapped the United States’ economic growth streak.The coronavirus pandemic has officially snapped the United States’ economic growth streak.
The questions now are how extensive the damage will be — and how long the country will take to recover.The questions now are how extensive the damage will be — and how long the country will take to recover.
U.S. gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced in the economy, fell at a 4.8 percent annual rate in the first quarter of the year, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That is the first decline since 2014, and the worst quarterly contraction since 2008, when the country was in a deep recession.U.S. gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced in the economy, fell at a 4.8 percent annual rate in the first quarter of the year, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That is the first decline since 2014, and the worst quarterly contraction since 2008, when the country was in a deep recession.
Things will get much worse. Widespread layoffs and business closings didn’t happen until late March, or the very end of the last quarter, in most of the country. Economists expect figures from the current quarter, which will capture the shutdown’s impact more fully, to show that G.D.P. contracted at an annual rate of 30 percent or more.Things will get much worse. Widespread layoffs and business closings didn’t happen until late March, or the very end of the last quarter, in most of the country. Economists expect figures from the current quarter, which will capture the shutdown’s impact more fully, to show that G.D.P. contracted at an annual rate of 30 percent or more.
“They’re going to be the worst in our lifetime,” Dan North, chief economist for the credit insurance company Euler Hermes North America, said of the second-quarter figures. “They’re going to be the worst in the post-World War II era.”“They’re going to be the worst in our lifetime,” Dan North, chief economist for the credit insurance company Euler Hermes North America, said of the second-quarter figures. “They’re going to be the worst in the post-World War II era.”
The larger question is what happens after that. Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, said this week that he expected the economy to “really bounce back” this summer as states lift stay-home orders and trillions of dollars in federal emergency spending reaches businesses and households.The larger question is what happens after that. Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, said this week that he expected the economy to “really bounce back” this summer as states lift stay-home orders and trillions of dollars in federal emergency spending reaches businesses and households.
Most independent economists are much less optimistic. The Congressional Budget Office last week released projections indicating that the economy will begin growing again in the second half of the year but that the G.D.P. won’t return to its pre-pandemic level until 2022 at the earliest.Most independent economists are much less optimistic. The Congressional Budget Office last week released projections indicating that the economy will begin growing again in the second half of the year but that the G.D.P. won’t return to its pre-pandemic level until 2022 at the earliest.
Despite Wednesday’s grim report, stocks on Wall Street were set for a gain, following a rally in global stocks. Futures for the S&P 500 got a boost after signs that a drug being tested as a possible treatment for Covid-19 could be showing progress.Despite Wednesday’s grim report, stocks on Wall Street were set for a gain, following a rally in global stocks. Futures for the S&P 500 got a boost after signs that a drug being tested as a possible treatment for Covid-19 could be showing progress.
More big news on Wednesday is set for 2 p.m., when Federal Reserve officials will give an update on their outlook for the economy and their nonstop plans over the past two months to avert financial calamity. The central bank’s chair, Jerome H. Powell, will hold a news conference that will be closely watched by investors and business leaders.More big news on Wednesday is set for 2 p.m., when Federal Reserve officials will give an update on their outlook for the economy and their nonstop plans over the past two months to avert financial calamity. The central bank’s chair, Jerome H. Powell, will hold a news conference that will be closely watched by investors and business leaders.
Gilead Sciences on Wednesday announced that the company was “aware of positive data” from a federal study of its experimental coronavirus drug, remdesivir.
Neither Gilead nor officials at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, sponsor of the federal research, provided further details. A spokeswoman at N.I.A.I.D. did confirm plans to make an announcement later today.
The brief announcement by Gilead read: “We understand that the trial has met its primary endpoint and that N.I.A.I.D. will provide detailed information at an upcoming briefing.”
Trading in the company’s stock was halted before the market opened.
The federal study includes 400 patients who were hospitalized with Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, and randomly assigned to take remdesivir or a placebo. Outcomes were scored on a scale ranging from recovery to death.
Stocks on Wall Street rose on Wednesday, following a rally in global stocks, with investors encouraged by new signs that a drug being tested as a possible treatment for Covid-19 could be showing progress.Stocks on Wall Street rose on Wednesday, following a rally in global stocks, with investors encouraged by new signs that a drug being tested as a possible treatment for Covid-19 could be showing progress.
The S&P 500 rose about 2 percent in early trading, and shares in Europe also rallied. The gains came despite data that showed the U.S. economy shrank by the most since 2008 in the first quarter of the year. Earnings reports from Volkswagen, Samsung, Airbus, Boeing and other giant businesses were also grim.The S&P 500 rose about 2 percent in early trading, and shares in Europe also rallied. The gains came despite data that showed the U.S. economy shrank by the most since 2008 in the first quarter of the year. Earnings reports from Volkswagen, Samsung, Airbus, Boeing and other giant businesses were also grim.
But investors have already anticipated bad news on the economy and from companies, and stocks have been climbing over the past five weeks as traders focus on progress in the efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic and reopen the world’s economies. The S&P 500 is up nearly 30 percent since its March 23 low.But investors have already anticipated bad news on the economy and from companies, and stocks have been climbing over the past five weeks as traders focus on progress in the efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic and reopen the world’s economies. The S&P 500 is up nearly 30 percent since its March 23 low.
Stocks have also been moved — both higher and lower — this month by reports on various trials of an antiviral drug, called remdesivir, that is being tested as a treatment for Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. On Wednesday, the drugmaker Gilead released two statements about the drug that gave investors a boost.Stocks have also been moved — both higher and lower — this month by reports on various trials of an antiviral drug, called remdesivir, that is being tested as a treatment for Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. On Wednesday, the drugmaker Gilead released two statements about the drug that gave investors a boost.
The drugmaker said it was “aware of positive data” emerging from a trial of the antiviral being conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Though Gilead didn’t elaborate, it said the institute would provide an update at a briefing. Gilead separately said that data showed the drug achieved similar outcomes in five days of treatment as it did in 10 days of treatment, “which could significantly expand the number of patients who could be treated with our current supply of remdesivir.”
Oil prices climbed amid continued volatility in the market. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, was up about 16 percent to more than $14 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trading at a little over $21 a barrel, up about 5 percent.Oil prices climbed amid continued volatility in the market. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, was up about 16 percent to more than $14 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trading at a little over $21 a barrel, up about 5 percent.
It has been 100 days since a 35-year-old man presented to an urgent care clinic in Snohomish County, Wash., with a four-day history of cough and fever and tested positive for the virus.It has been 100 days since a 35-year-old man presented to an urgent care clinic in Snohomish County, Wash., with a four-day history of cough and fever and tested positive for the virus.
His was the first case to be detected. His was the first case to be detected. Since then, more than one million people had tested positive in the United States.
Since then, more than one million people had tested positive in the United States. Residents in most states in the country — along with more than half of all humanity — have been ordered to shelter in their homes in the hopes of slowing the spread of the highly contagious virus and to try to keep hospital systems from being overwhelmed.
In that time, residents in most states in the country — along with more than half of all humanity — have been ordered to shelter in their homes in the hopes of slowing the spread of the highly contagious virus and to try to keep hospital systems from being overwhelmed.
Still, more than 53,000 people across the United States have died — roughly one in four of the 210,000 deaths around the world.Still, more than 53,000 people across the United States have died — roughly one in four of the 210,000 deaths around the world.
Epidemiologists have estimated that the true number of infections may be about 10 times the known number, and preliminary testing of how many people have antibodies to the virus seems to support that view. Similarly, the official death toll is likely to vastly underestimate the true number by at least several thousand, according to analysis of mortality data by The New York Times. Epidemiologists have estimated that the true number of infections may be about 10 times the known number, and preliminary testing of how many people have antibodies to the virus seems to support that view. Similarly, the official death toll is likely to vastly underestimate the true number by at least several thousand, according to an analysis of mortality data by The New York Times.
While the timeline for the spread of the virus across the country has shifted as public health authorities find evidence that the pathogen was spreading in communities earlier than believed, the speed at which the world has been transformed is shocking.While the timeline for the spread of the virus across the country has shifted as public health authorities find evidence that the pathogen was spreading in communities earlier than believed, the speed at which the world has been transformed is shocking.
It has been weeks since anyone celebrated a normal birthday party with friends, enjoyed a wedding or mourned at a large funeral. Masks are becoming an accepted part of public life, which is why there was such a backlash on Tuesday after Vice President Mike Pence flouted the Mayo Clinic’s protocols on wearing a protective face covering on a visit there. The global economy has suffered such a swift and sudden decline that economists have had to reach back to the Great Depression for analogies. More than 26 million people in the United States have lost their jobs.
In the last 100 days, the global economy has suffered such a swift and sudden decline that economists have had to reach back to the Great Depression for analogies. Masks are becoming an accepted part of public life, which is why there was such a backlash on Tuesday after Vice President Mike Pence flouted the Mayo Clinic’s protocols on wearing a protective face covering on a visit there.
More than 26 million people in the United States have lost their jobs, and more devastating financial news came Wednesday when the Commerce Department releases data on the country’s gross domestic product for the first quarter of the year.
With the United States leading the world in both deaths and infections, the image of the country has taken a beating around the world, and Americans have been forced to re-examine their own self-image.With the United States leading the world in both deaths and infections, the image of the country has taken a beating around the world, and Americans have been forced to re-examine their own self-image.
The country has watched the president speak about the pandemic almost every day in ways that were alternately misleading, resentful, insulting, dangerous and, often, sown with self-praise.The country has watched the president speak about the pandemic almost every day in ways that were alternately misleading, resentful, insulting, dangerous and, often, sown with self-praise.
But as the country tries to slowly move out of a lockdown and find a way to restore some form of public life, with no vaccine or therapy yet available, 100 days after its presence was first discovered in the United States, the virus is still setting the course. But as the country tries to slowly move out of a lockdown and find a way to restore some form of public life, with no vaccine or therapy yet available, the virus is still setting the course.
The number of total deaths in seven states hit hard by the coronavirus was nearly 50 percent higher than normal over a five-week span during the pandemic, according to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. There were 9,000 more deaths in those states than the official counts of coronavirus deaths suggest.The number of total deaths in seven states hit hard by the coronavirus was nearly 50 percent higher than normal over a five-week span during the pandemic, according to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. There were 9,000 more deaths in those states than the official counts of coronavirus deaths suggest.
The newly released data is partial and most likely undercounts the recent death toll, but it still illustrates how the virus is causing a surge in deaths.The newly released data is partial and most likely undercounts the recent death toll, but it still illustrates how the virus is causing a surge in deaths.
From March 8 through April 11, provisional deaths from all causes soared far above their normal levels in Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and New York.From March 8 through April 11, provisional deaths from all causes soared far above their normal levels in Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and New York.
The gap between total mortality and the official count of coronavirus deaths probably reflects both an undercount of coronavirus deaths and a surge in deaths from other causes. There is increasing evidence that stresses on the health care system and fears about catching the disease have caused some Americans to die from ailments that are typically treatable.The gap between total mortality and the official count of coronavirus deaths probably reflects both an undercount of coronavirus deaths and a surge in deaths from other causes. There is increasing evidence that stresses on the health care system and fears about catching the disease have caused some Americans to die from ailments that are typically treatable.
While no mortality statistics are perfect, the C.D.C. uses detailed death certificates to code the causes of death for everyone who dies in the United States. But that process typically takes more than a year to complete. For now, measures of total deaths are the most useful tool, several epidemiologists said, for measuring the impact of the coronavirus in the United States.While no mortality statistics are perfect, the C.D.C. uses detailed death certificates to code the causes of death for everyone who dies in the United States. But that process typically takes more than a year to complete. For now, measures of total deaths are the most useful tool, several epidemiologists said, for measuring the impact of the coronavirus in the United States.
Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York lashed out at residents of the Williamsburg section in Brooklyn late Tuesday night after personally overseeing the dispersal of a crowd of hundreds of mourners who had gathered for the funeral of a rabbi who died of the coronavirus.Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York lashed out at residents of the Williamsburg section in Brooklyn late Tuesday night after personally overseeing the dispersal of a crowd of hundreds of mourners who had gathered for the funeral of a rabbi who died of the coronavirus.
In a series of Twitter posts, Mr. de Blasio denounced the gathering, which the police broke up, and warned “the Jewish community, and all communities” that any violation of the social-distancing guidelines in place to stop the spread of the virus could lead to a summons or an arrest.In a series of Twitter posts, Mr. de Blasio denounced the gathering, which the police broke up, and warned “the Jewish community, and all communities” that any violation of the social-distancing guidelines in place to stop the spread of the virus could lead to a summons or an arrest.
“Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic,” the mayor said in one post. “When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus.”“Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic,” the mayor said in one post. “When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus.”
The authorities have dispersed several well-attended religious gatherings since restrictions on such events were enacted in the face of the outbreak.The authorities have dispersed several well-attended religious gatherings since restrictions on such events were enacted in the face of the outbreak.
But the episode on Tuesday, which, according to Yeshiva World, involved the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Mertz, appeared to be the first time that the mayor had directly participated in a dispersal.But the episode on Tuesday, which, according to Yeshiva World, involved the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Mertz, appeared to be the first time that the mayor had directly participated in a dispersal.
“My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed,” Mr. de Blasio said in another post. “I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”“My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed,” Mr. de Blasio said in another post. “I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”
On April 6, Louisiana became one of the first states to release Covid-19 data by race: While making up 33 percent of the population, African-Americans accounted for 70 percent of the dead.
In The New York Times Magazine, Linda Villarosa examines that racial disparity by describing the experience of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, a brotherhood of some 800 men, nearly all of them black, that was represented in the annual New Orleans Mardi Gras parade.
She writes that Jay H. Banks, a city councilman who is chairman of the Zulu club’s board, remembers the rush of panic he felt on March 16, when he saw a Facebook post about the first of his Zulu brothers to get sick, Dickey Charles, who was 51.
Written by the chaplain of the Zulu club, Jefferson Reese Sr., it read, “Zulu Brother Cornell ‘Dickey’ Charles is very ill and in need of prayer. Amen” followed by three praying-hands emojis.
“When I saw the post, I thought, Oh, man,” Banks said. “I knew we were going to have a problem.”
Eight weeks after Mardi Gras, at least 30 members of the club had been found to have Covid-19. Eight would be dead.
President Trump on Tuesday declared meat processing plants “critical infrastructure,” in an effort to ensure that facilities around the country remained open as the government tried to prevent looming shortages of pork, chicken and other products.President Trump on Tuesday declared meat processing plants “critical infrastructure,” in an effort to ensure that facilities around the country remained open as the government tried to prevent looming shortages of pork, chicken and other products.
The action comes after meat plants around the country turned into coronavirus hot spots, sickening thousands of workers, and after the head of Tyson Foods, one of the largest processors in the United States, warned that millions of pounds of meat would simply disappear from the supply chain.The action comes after meat plants around the country turned into coronavirus hot spots, sickening thousands of workers, and after the head of Tyson Foods, one of the largest processors in the United States, warned that millions of pounds of meat would simply disappear from the supply chain.
In an executive order issued late Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that recent closures of meat processing facilities “threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency.”In an executive order issued late Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that recent closures of meat processing facilities “threaten the continued functioning of the national meat and poultry supply chain, undermining critical infrastructure during the national emergency.”
The president said his administration would “take all appropriate action” to ensure that meat and poultry processors “continue operations” consistent with federal health and workplace safety guidance.The president said his administration would “take all appropriate action” to ensure that meat and poultry processors “continue operations” consistent with federal health and workplace safety guidance.
While Mr. Trump said the step would ensure an ample supply of “protein for Americans,” the announcement provoked swift backlash from unions and labor advocates, who said the administration needed to do more to protect workers who often stand shoulder to shoulder in refrigerated assembly lines. At least 20 workers have already died of the coronavirus, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union said.While Mr. Trump said the step would ensure an ample supply of “protein for Americans,” the announcement provoked swift backlash from unions and labor advocates, who said the administration needed to do more to protect workers who often stand shoulder to shoulder in refrigerated assembly lines. At least 20 workers have already died of the coronavirus, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union said.
Without a vaccine or proven treatment for the coronavirus, survivors of Covid-19 and the antibodies they carry are considered potential saviors for patients with a disease that has killed more than 53,000 people in the United States. Demand for “convalescent plasma” has outstripped supply by roughly two to one as hospitals, blood banks and relatives of sick patients scramble to find donors.Without a vaccine or proven treatment for the coronavirus, survivors of Covid-19 and the antibodies they carry are considered potential saviors for patients with a disease that has killed more than 53,000 people in the United States. Demand for “convalescent plasma” has outstripped supply by roughly two to one as hospitals, blood banks and relatives of sick patients scramble to find donors.
Under a national program overseen by the Mayo Clinic and authorized in early April by the Food and Drug Administration, about 2,500 patients at U.S. hospitals have been given the experimental treatment. The F.D.A. has also granted “numerous” applications from individual doctors to use convalescent plasma for Covid-19 patients, the agency said in a recent statement.Under a national program overseen by the Mayo Clinic and authorized in early April by the Food and Drug Administration, about 2,500 patients at U.S. hospitals have been given the experimental treatment. The F.D.A. has also granted “numerous” applications from individual doctors to use convalescent plasma for Covid-19 patients, the agency said in a recent statement.
In St. Louis County, Mo., an Army veteran with Covid-19 received plasma from a lawyer who had recently recovered. In Westchester County, N.Y., a college student who previously had a mild Covid-19 case donated to a man in his 70s on a ventilator. Convalescent plasma shipped from a blood bank in San Diego was given to a hospitalized Covid-19 patient in a Philadelphia suburb.In St. Louis County, Mo., an Army veteran with Covid-19 received plasma from a lawyer who had recently recovered. In Westchester County, N.Y., a college student who previously had a mild Covid-19 case donated to a man in his 70s on a ventilator. Convalescent plasma shipped from a blood bank in San Diego was given to a hospitalized Covid-19 patient in a Philadelphia suburb.
Whether convalescent plasma is an effective treatment is still unknown. One clinical trial is starting this week to weight that question. Even so, blood banks have had trouble keeping up with demand.Whether convalescent plasma is an effective treatment is still unknown. One clinical trial is starting this week to weight that question. Even so, blood banks have had trouble keeping up with demand.
“The ideal situation would be for all the places who are going to be doing this at any scale to have some in the freezer, some inventory,” Dr. Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic said.“The ideal situation would be for all the places who are going to be doing this at any scale to have some in the freezer, some inventory,” Dr. Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic said.
A pug in North Carolina named Winston has tested positive for the coronavirus in what is apparently the first known case in which the virus was detected in a dog in the United States, researchers at Duke University said.
The dog belongs to a Chapel Hill family participating in a research study at the university, in which researchers were trying to understand how humans respond to different types of infection. Three of the family members were also infected by the virus.
The dog’s symptoms lasted only a few days and were mild, according to members of the family — he was sluggish, sneezing and breathing heavily. Most telling of all, they said, he didn’t finish breakfast one morning.
A spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department said that the agency was aware of the report and was following up, but that it had not yet confirmed the test results. If confirmed, Winston would be the first official case of a dog testing positive for the coronavirus in the United States.
Winston’s preliminary test results, if confirmed by the U.S. Agriculture Department, will raise broader questions about how susceptible animals are to the coronavirus. Experts have said that there is no evidence that pets can transmit the virus to people, and that people should not worry about giving the virus to their pets.
A pulse oximeter is a small device that looks sort of like a chip clip or a big clothes pin. You place your finger snugly inside, and within seconds it lights up with numbers indicating your blood oxygen level and heart rate.A pulse oximeter is a small device that looks sort of like a chip clip or a big clothes pin. You place your finger snugly inside, and within seconds it lights up with numbers indicating your blood oxygen level and heart rate.
Health officials are divided on whether home monitoring with a pulse oximeter should be recommended. Studies of reliability show mixed results, but many doctors are advising patients to get one, making it the go-to gadget of the pandemic.Health officials are divided on whether home monitoring with a pulse oximeter should be recommended. Studies of reliability show mixed results, but many doctors are advising patients to get one, making it the go-to gadget of the pandemic.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday waded into a struggle between New York City and the state agency that runs the city’s transit system over the issue of homeless people sleeping on subway trains.
At his daily briefing, Mr. Cuomo held up a front-page photograph in The Daily News of homeless people camping on subway trains.
“That is disgusting, what is happening on those subway cars,” he said, adding that what was shown in the image was “disrespectful to the essential workers” who rely on the subway.
“It’s not even safe for the homeless people to be on trains,” he added. “No face masks, you have this whole outbreak, we’re concerned about homeless people, so we let them stay on the trains without protection in this epidemic of the Covid virus? No. We have to do better than that, and we will.”
Mr. Cuomo’s remarks came as he announced that the number of coronavirus patients newly admitted to hospitals in New York State had fallen more than 70 percent since the outbreak’s peak this month. The number reported on Tuesday was below 1,000 for the first time in over a month.
On April 6, Louisiana became one of the first states to release Covid-19 data by race: While making up 33 percent of the population, African-Americans accounted for 70 percent of the dead.
In The New York Times Magazine, Linda Villarosa examines that racial disparity by describing the experience of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, a brotherhood of some 800 men, nearly all of them black, that was represented in the annual New Orleans Mardi Gras parade.
She writes that Jay H. Banks, a city councilman who is chairman of the Zulu club’s board, remembers the rush of panic he felt on March 16, when he saw a Facebook post about the first of his Zulu brothers to get sick, Dickey Charles, who was 51. Written by the chaplain of the Zulu club, Jefferson Reese Sr., it read, “Zulu Brother Cornell ‘Dickey’ Charles is very ill and in need of prayer. Amen” followed by three praying-hands emojis. “When I saw the post, I thought, Oh, man,” Banks says. “I knew we were going to have a problem.”
Eight weeks after Mardi Gras, at least 30 members of the club had been found to have Covid-19. Eight would be dead.
Sweden forged its own path while countries around it shut down, and Russia extended its lockdown despite having relatively few confirmed cases.Sweden forged its own path while countries around it shut down, and Russia extended its lockdown despite having relatively few confirmed cases.
Reporting was contributed by Marc Santora, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Audra D. S. Burch, Michael Gold, Amy Harmon, Josh Katz, Denise Lu, Margot Sanger-Katz, Linda Villarosa and Ben Casselman. Reporting was contributed by Marc Santora, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Audra D. S. Burch, Michael Gold, Amy Harmon, Josh Katz, Denise Lu, Margot Sanger-Katz, Linda Villarosa, Ben Casselman, Christine Hauser, Jenny Gross and Gina Kolata.