As the coronavirus pandemic lingers in the U.S., its social implications are just starting to emerge, but the spread of misinformation has crossed divides on social media, unexpectedly gaining traction with both white conservatives and black liberals.
Meanwhile, scientists are working to find a vaccine for the virus, which has infected more than 1.1 million people in the U.S. and killed nearly 65,000. There are 14 potential coronavirus vaccines under development in the Trump administration's program to fast-track one for use as early as January, according to senior administration officials.
But the personal toll of coronavirus might never be recouped for million of Americans. Aging grandparents are being robbed of spending precious time with their families while millions of people are forced to adjust to life without a stable income for the foreseeable future.
Here's what to know about the coronavirus, plus a timeline of the most critical moments:
- MAPS: Confirmed cases in the U.S. and worldwide, confirmed deaths in the U.S. and globally.
- Reopening America: See what states across the U.S. are starting to reopen.
Download the NBC News app for latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak.
This live coverage has now ended. Continue reading May 3 coronavirus news.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway reports nearly $50 billion loss
OMAHA, Neb. — Warren Buffett’s company reported a nearly $50 billion loss on Saturday because of a huge drop in the paper value of its investments, though it is still sitting on a big pile of cash.
The biggest factor in the loss was a $54.5 billion loss on the value of Berkshire's investment portfolio as the stock market declined sharply after the coronavirus outbreak began. The year before, Berkshire's investments added $15.5 billion to the company's profits.
Ohio reporter confronted by angry protestor outside statehouse
A reporter with NBC affiliate WCMH in Ohio was confronted by an angry protester outside the statehouse Friday in a heated exchange that was caught on camera.
NBC4 Columbus reporter Adrienne Robbins tweeted the video, which showed an unidentified woman berating Robbins for her station's coverage of coronavirus.
“You know that the company you work for is lying to the American people. And you know that what you are doing is wrong at the end of the day. You know it. You are shaking. You are terrifying the general public!” the woman yelled.
Robbins repeatedly asked the woman to step back, but the woman reportedly refused.
Man arrested trying to quarantine on private Disney island
ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida deputies arrested a man who had been living out his quarantine on a shuttered Disney World island, telling authorities it felt like a “tropical paradise.”
Orange County Sheriff's deputies found Richard McGuire on Disney's Discovery Island on Thursday. He said he'd been there since Monday or Tuesday and had planned to camp there for a week, according to an arrest report.
The 42-year-old said he didn't hear numerous deputies searching the private island for him on foot, by boat and by air because he was asleep in a building. He told the deputy he didn't know it was a restricted area, despite there being numerous “no trespassing” signs.
“Richard stated that he was unaware of that and that it looked like a tropical paradise,” according to the arrest report.
New protests demand states ease restrictions
Protesters flock to Kentucky Capitol to demand state's reopening
Protesters carried guns and at least one Confederate flag to the Kentucky Capitol on Saturday to rally against Gov. Andy Beshear's stay-at-home order and his phased approach to gradually reopening the economy.
People chanted "Open Kentucky now!" and "USA!" while at least one counterdemonstrator wearing medical scrubs stood on the Capitol steps.
According to NBC affiliate WLEX, many people at the rally were not social distancing or wearing masks.
Fearing an undercount, advocates say census outreach is getting crushed
When Commonpoint Queens started its census outreach efforts earlier this year, the social services group would sometimes get 300 people to fill out the government survey in a single day.
Now, with much of the nation shut down by the coronavirus, they're lucky to get 50 to watch a webinar.
Community groups across the U.S. are facing a daunting challenge as they try to inform historically hard-to-count minority communities why the census is important. Population data is used to distribute federal money — currently about $675 billion a year — to states and communities for schools, hospitals and roads, as well as Medicaid, welfare, school lunches, food stamps, college grant money for low-income students and dozens of other programs for those in need.
Coronavirus misinformation infects black social media
There's a kind of public and collective schadenfreude taking shape on black Twitter.
It began after Diamond and Silk, among the best known and most outspoken black supporters of President Donald Trump, were reported to have parted ways with Fox News after they promulgated unproven and dangerous medical advice, false claims, conspiracy theories and misinformation about the coronavirus outbreak.
The irony is that the misinformation amplified by Diamond and Silk and others has gained traction in conservative, mostly white social media spaces and black, mostly left-leaning online spaces, too.
Violence erupts when ICE detainees refuse testing
An altercation over coronavirus tests broke out between federal immigration detainees and officers at a detention center in Massachusetts, authorities said Saturday.
The incident Friday ended with three detainees hospitalized and $25,000 in damage to the C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center in Bristol County. Immigrant rights advocates called for an investigation.
Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said Friday that 10 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees refused to go to the center's medical unit for testing even though each had symptoms.