Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" Sunday that the World Health Organization should commit to an "after-action report" on what China "did and didn't tell the world" about the coronavirus outbreak.
Why it matters: Gottlieb, who has become a leading voice in the coronavirus response outside the Trump administration, said China may have been able to contain the virus entirely if officials were truthful about the extent of the initial outbreak in Wuhan.
Chinese authorities are now offering a 9% rebate on the export of animal products, such as edible snakes and turtles, primate meat, beaver and civet musk, and rhino horns, despite banning their domestic trade, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: Encouraging wild animal sales abroad "could spread the risk to global markets," according to a Congressional Research Service report cited by the WSJ.
Pope Francis spoke of a "contagion of hope" as he celebrated Easter Sunday mass by breaking with centuries of tradition in a livestream of the service from a near-empty St. Peter's Basilica.
The big picture: The mass was broadcast via the Holy See's YouTube channel early Sunday amid the lockdown. Hope was a theme of the Pope's Saturday night Easter vigil, when he urged some 1.2 billion Catholics, "Do not be afraid, do not yield to fear" in the coronavirus crisis.
Families and communities around the globe are adapting their religious observance of Passover and Holy Week to the global pandemic that has put half the planet's population on lockdown.
Driving the news: Police are taking extra efforts to enforce social distancing over Easter weekend, as officials say the practice is beginning to flatten the COVID-19 curve in crucial areas across U.S. and Europe.
The journey from field to plate has been interrupted in our locked down world.
Why it matters: With some crops rotting in fields and others subject to export bans, the coronavirus crisis could cause shortages in richer countries and hunger in poorer ones.
People are able to see blue skies for the first time in years as India's three-week coronavirus lockdown has drastically cut air pollution across the country, The Washington Post writes.
Why it matters: India is notorious for its air pollution — among the worst in the world. The speedy drop in the level of particle pollution by nearly 60% in capital city New Delhi has surprised experts, but the clean air has come at a cost for the country.
Chicago drug arrests are down 42% in the weeks since the city shut down — a trend playing out globally as cities report stunning crime drops, AP reports.
The big picture: Even among regions that have the highest levels of violence outside a war zone, fewer people are being killed and fewer robberies are taking place.
The U.S. reported the highest coronavirus death toll in the world as of Saturday, per Johns Hopkins data. 18,860 Americans have died.
The big picture: More than 1,000 people in the U.S. have died every day from COVID-19 since April 1. China has reported fewer infections and deaths, but its reporting is encountering considerable skepticism.
