10 things you need to know today: April 1, 2020

U.S. coronavirus deaths surge above 4,000, New York governor's brother Chris Cuomo sickened with COVID-19, and more 

Trump in a press briefing
(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

1. Coronavirus deaths jump as outbreak intensifies in U.S.

The U.S. coronavirus death toll has jumped above 4,000, surpassing that of China, the first country hit in the pandemic. For the first time, more than 700 people died in the United States in one day, according to data reviewed Tuesday by The Washington Post. The total number of infections in the country reached nearly 190,000, with more than 800,000 cases worldwide. President Trump urged Americans to diligently practice social distancing, and warned that the crisis will worsen. "This is going to be a very painful — very, very painful — two weeks," he said. The White House says that even with successful isolation and distancing nationwide 100,000 to 240,000 people could die of COVID-19 in the U.S.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.