The White House has ordered intelligence officials to look into whether the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Chinese government withheld information about the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year, according to a report by NBC News.

The directive was sent to the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and the CIA, according to NBC. President Donald Trump appeared to reference the directive on Monday during a White House briefing.

“We’re doing very serious investigations,” Trump said. “We are not happy with that whole situation, because we believe it could have been stopped at the source, it could have been stopped quickly, and it wouldn’t have spread all over the world.” Read Full Story

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Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that some state governors’ efforts to fight the coronavirus “infringes on a fundamental right” of American residents.

Barr said in an interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show” that state governments in the U.S. need to “do a better job” of ensuring coronavirus restrictions are “properly targeted” and do not unnecessarily infringe on constitutional rights. He added that  the country is currently facing “unprecedented burdens on civil liberties.” Read Full Story

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As Washington policymakers scramble to contain the fallout from the coronavirus crisis, the question of how quickly to reopen the economy has emerged as the latest political battleground dividing the two parties.

Behind President Donald Trump, Republicans are increasingly eager to get businesses reopened and customers into their doors, warning that a prolonged economic shutdown — even in the name of protecting public health — will do more harm to the nation’s long-term viability than the coronavirus itself.

“It is time for Texans to go back to work,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told a local news station on Wednesday. “Because the consequences of this economic shutdown are serious and dire.” Read Full Story

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• Axios: Coronavirus Dashboard