Show me the money

As the world scrambles to address the impact coronavirus is having on American life, Congress awaits President Donald Trump's signature on an emergency aid plan.

It's Ashley with the news you need to know.  

But first, quarantine and chill? Just because you're social distancing doesn't mean you have to give up movie nights with your buds. Netflix made a Chrome extension for it. 

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Emergency aid package awaits Trump's sign-off

The Senate approved a multibillion-dollar emergency aid package Wednesday that will provide paid sick and family leave for many Americans while also offering free testing for the coronavirus and bolstering unemployment insurance. The bill will now be sent to the White House for Trump’s signature. 

The coronavirus relief plan includes: 

• Offers paid sick leave to American workers in quarantine, helping a family member with COVID-19 or who have children whose schools have closed.
• Bolsters unemployment insurance
• Free testing for the coronavirus for those who need it
• Boosts food assistance (SNAP) and federal funding for Medicaid

Canada’s out too, eh? 

The border between Canada and the U.S. is closing to “non-essential” travel in order to fight the spread of coronavirus. "We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic," Trump tweeted Wednesday. Here's what the restriction means for travelers. 

School's out for the year – for Kansas

Kansas became the first state to announce that schools would remain closed for in-person teaching for the rest of the school year. That means, ready or not, schools will have to try to figure out online education.

Trump invokes wartime powers to speed coronavirus aid

Trump invoked a 1950 law known as the Defense Production Act to speed the production of masks, ventilators and other equipment vital to helping doctors treat coronavirus patients.

Give it to me straight 

The U.S. death toll climbed to 118 on Wednesday and the number of U.S. cases rolled past 7,750, according to Johns Hopkins. Worldwide, the virus has killed more than 8,700 people and almost 215,000 infections have been reported. 

What's everyone talking about? 

• Fact check: Is COVID-19 caused by human consumption of animals?
• Coronavirus can remain infectious in droplets in the air for hours and on some surfaces up to three days, according to a new study.
• When will coronavirus end? What wartime and human kindness can tell us about what happens next.
• A "death sentence" avoided: How this elderly Washington coronavirus patient survived.
• members of the LGBTQ community may be “particularly vulnerable” to the effects of the coronavirus. Here's why.

5.7 magnitude earthquake hits Utah

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Utah on Wednesday morning, knocking out power and rattling residents already shaken up by the coronavirus pandemic. About 55,000 people lost electricity in the Salt Lake City Area, utility Rocky Mountain Power said. And the quake shook more than just Utah: People in Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada also reported feeling the quake.

Sanders isn’t calling it quits – yet 

Sen. Bernie Sanders is reassessing his presidential campaign ahead of the next primary contest on April 4, his campaign says. But the Vermont senator is not dropping out of the race, a claim the campaign had to squash after a flurry of Twitter activity on Wednesday. The hoopla comes a day after Sanders lost all three states that held primaries on Tuesday – Arizona, Illinois and Florida. Former Vice President Joe Biden won those states overwhelmingly. 

• Someone who did call it quits: Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, the last Republican challenging Trump in the 2020 Republican primary.

Real quick 

• An outbreak of severe thunderstorms, which includes the possibility of tornadoes, will erupt over portions of the central and southern U.S.
• Gisele Bündchen shares heartfelt goodbye to Boston after Tom Brady's decision to leave the Patriots. 
• The Dow tumbled nearly 2,000 points to close below 20,000. 
• The Chicago Bears landed quarterback Nick Foles in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Say hello to my little ‘wonderchicken’

The oldest fossil of a modern bird, legitimately nicknamed the "wonderchicken," has been discovered, a new study reports. The tiny fossil includes a nearly complete skull that dates back to the age of dinosaurs (a casual 66 million years ago). This is less than 1 million years before the asteroid impact that killed off all the large dinosaurs. The seagull-size shorebird had features of both ducks and chickens as well as turkeys. The fossil provides the best evidence yet of when and how the earliest ancestors of today’s birds evolved. 

A break from the news

• Netflix, Disney Plus, and more: The best shows and movies to keep you entertained at home.
• The 5 best Amazon deals you can get Wednesday.
• 10 travel shows on Netflix that offer a virtual escape.

This is a compilation of stories from across the Paste BN Network.