Apr 2, 2020 - Health

Grand Canyon closes after resident tests positive for coronavirus

A squirrel at the South Keibab Trail at the Grand Canyon South Rim. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Grand Canyon National Park has closed following a request from health officials, the National Park Service said in a statement Wednesday.

The big picture: A resident in the park's South Rim complex tested positive for the novel coronavirus Tuesday, per azcentral.com. The NPS told the Washington Post seven of its workers have tested positive for COVID-19. More than 100 of its sites have shut but 300 others remain open, WashPost notes. Some employees will get environmental hazard pay, the outlet reports. The Statue of Liberty, Yellowstone and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area are among the sites to have closed, per the NPS.

Go deeper: National Park Service suspends entrance fees at parks

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U.S. coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios. This graphic includes "probable deaths" that New York City began reporting on April 14.

About 40.7 million Americans have filed for unemployment since the coronavirus pandemic began, including 2.1 million more claims filed from last week.

Why it matters: Even as states reopen their economies, Americans are still seeking relief. Revised data out Thursday also showed U.S. economy shrunk by an annualized 5% in the first quarter — worse than the initially estimate of 4.8%.

Go deeper (1 min. read)ArrowUpdated 8 mins ago - Health

Mark Zuckerberg: Social networks should not be "the arbiter of truth"

Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg argued on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Thursday that social media platforms should not police political speech, and that "people should be able to see what politicians say.”

Why it matters: Zuckerberg was responding to Twitter's decision this week to fact-check a pair of President Trump's tweets that claimed that mail-in ballots are "substantially fraudulent." Twitter's label, which directs users to "get the facts" about mail-in voting, does not censor Trump's tweets.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow52 mins ago - Politics & Policy

House Democrats pull FISA reauthorization bill

Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

House Democrats pulled legislation Thursday that would have renewed expired domestic surveillance laws and strengthened transparency and privacy protections amid broad opposition from President Trump, House GOP leadership and progressive Democrats.

Why it matters: The failure to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) comes as Trump continues to attack the intelligence community, which he claims abused the law to surveil his 2016 campaign and Trump administration officials.

Go deeper (2 min. read)ArrowUpdated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy