Informing, engaging & connecting the people of the world. MARCH 24, 2020

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New York’s governor said Monday that he is beginning to explore how the state will restart its economy, once the worst of the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On March 24, 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdez runs aground near Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history. More than 11 million gallons of oil was discharged along over 700 miles of coastline, killing huge amounts of wildlife. The remote location and craggy coastline complicated cleanup efforts.

VIDEO: Los Angeles authorities have announced that all restaurants, bars and amusement parks will be closing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Locals are spending their time in huge lines in grocery stores. But food is not the only thing people have been stocking up on in California: There are also lines in front of some gun stores.

The long-awaited trial of a former U.S. Marine facing charges of espionage got under way in Moscow on Monday, with U.S. officials accusing Russia of providing no evidence in a case that has proved an added irritant to already troubled relations between the two countries.

VIDEO: Washington authorities issued a warning to visitors enticed by the annual cherry blossoms. It’s becoming “increasingly difficult to maintain effective social distancing” amid the coronavirus outbreak, they said. This comes as more than 1.5 billion people worldwide were asked or ordered to stay home.

Fears Iran would serve as a launching pad for the coronavirus pandemic, potentially wreaking havoc on the Middle East, are coming true, according to U.S. officials, who point to a growing volume of evidence.