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Dear me of three months ago ...

Ashley Shaffer ,  Patty Michalski   | Paste BN

Three months. That’s a full fiscal quarter. The full length of some couples' made-for-television engagements. The amount of time it takes to potty train a puppy (if you're lucky). 

A lot can change in three months. Exhibit A: The first case of a "mysterious virus" from China was discovered in America exactly three months ago. Things sure have escalated since then, haven’t they?

It's Ashley with the news to know.

But first, over boring Zoom meetings? An appearance from a donkey could shake things up. You can "rent" an animal to virtually join your video call. (If anyone at Paste BN is reading this, please bring alpaca to our next meeting.)

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It's been 3 months since the US confirmed its first coronavirus case

Since the first U.S. COVID-19 case was discovered, there have been more than 2.5 million confirmed cases worldwide, and the USA reports more than any other country. If there's a silver lining to this suffering, it’s that the country is learning important lessons about dealing with this pandemic – and the ones that will inevitably come.

COVID-19 was not produced in lab, WHO says

Available evidence indicates that the coronavirus originated in animals in China and was not made in a lab as has been alleged, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. The announcement follows President Donald Trump's comments last week that U.S. intelligence officials were investigating whether the coronavirus began spreading after an accident at a Chinese high-security biomedical laboratory in Wuhan.

What are 'COVID toes'?

A new coronavirus symptom – mostly seen in kids – puzzles disease experts. Patients with the symptom, informally dubbed “COVID toes,” experience purple or blue lesions on their feet and toes.

Nurses protest outside White House

Registered nurses gathered outside the White House on Tuesday, calling attention to the tens of thousands of health care workers nationwide who have become infected with COVID-19 because of the lack of personal protective equipment. The nurses read aloud the names of U.S. nurses who died of COVID-19. 

You OK, Kim Jong Un?

South Korean officials say there’s no reason to think North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seriously ill, despite a U.S. media report suggesting he was in “grave danger." CNN, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported Monday that Kim had undergone heart surgery this month and intelligence suggested the leader might be seriously ill. South Korea's government says it has not detected any unusual signs about Kim's health and had no information to corroborate the report. However, North Korea is one of the world's most secretive nations, and information about its leader is extremely difficult to verify. 

What everyone’s talking about

This would be *quite* the reunion

Rob Gronkowski wants to play football again. More specifically, he wants to continue playing with Tom Brady. And it appears he'll get his wish. Gronkowski is set to come out of retirement in conjunction with a trade that will send his contractual rights from New England to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his agent confirmed. The Buccaneers signed Brady in March. 

Speaking of Tom Brady, even he has to social distance: The six-time NFL champion quarterback was kicked out of a Tampa park while working out, Mayor Jane Castor revealed. Tampa parks are closed because of the coronavirus outbreak, but a park staffer spotted someone violating the rules. It was Tom Brady.

This is dirty

Nearly half of the nation’s population – about 150 million people – live with and breathe polluted air, "placing their health and lives at risk," according to a report released Tuesday by the American Lung Association. The report says climate change continues to make air pollution worse, and many Western cities saw record-breaking spikes in particle pollution because of wildfires. In fact, about 9 million more people are breathing dirty air than in last year's report.

Real quick 

HBD, Queen Elizabeth! 94 years young

Queen Elizabeth II is getting a few royal birthday wishes for her big day. The British monarch turned 94 on Tuesday, which prompted her family of royals to take to social media to wish her well. Prince William and Duchess Kate posted a photo with the queen to their social media accounts. Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan and their son Archie called her with good wishes. Even the queen's Instagram account posted in celebration, sharing rare footage of the monarch when she was a child. That's as close as we'll get to a celebration – the queen asked that there be no gun salutes to mark her special day and chose not to celebrate. 

A break from the news

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

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