Latest in coronavirus

UPDATED with latest: The death toll of victims of coronavirus in the U.S. grew to 17 on Friday, with 15 of the deaths in Washington state, according to the Seattle Times. Also, three students at University of California, Los Angeles, are being tested for coronavirus, said UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block. Two patients…

Whatever televangelist Jim Bakker is selling, the New York Attorney General ain’t buying. Lisa Landau, Chief of the Health Care Bureau, gave The Jim Bakker Show 10 days to comply with a cease-and-desist letter that tells him to stop touting an alleged cure for the coronavirus. The letter was sent Thursday to Bakker’s…

President Donald Trump toured the Centers for Disease Control on Friday and, as he often does, he took questions from the press. When a correspondent asked him a question about the administration’s response to the wave of cancellations of public events and other hits to the economy, Trump veered off into an aside…

Never mind the just-canceled South by Southwest, staffers of big tech companies  may not even be exiting their front doors if their bosses have any say as Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Google asked employees in Seattle and the Bay Area to work from home due to coronavirus fears. Apple is said to have made the request…

Refresh for updates … As the coronavirus continues to spread, more events are being canceled or postponed amid travel restrictions and increasing health warnings. As of Friday, the virus had sickened more than 98,000 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, including across 88 countries and 19…

Deutsche Bank Friday said coronavirus jitters prompted a last-minute shift in its annual media investor conference to audio only for the event, slated to run Monday through Wednesday in Palm Beach, Florida with a host of major companies presenting. “After careful consideration and an abundance of caution for the…

UPDATED with Paramount Network and Comedy Central exits: In the wake of SXSW declaring that the fest will go on amid fears of the coronavirus, notable attendees have decided they’re pulling out. On Friday, Deadline confirmed that ViacomCBS’ Paramount Network and Comedy Central are the latest to withdraw from the…

The nation’s coronavirus scare has not as yet impacted Broadway production schedules, with all shows currently playing as planned in theaters scrubbed and disinfected with extra vigor and stocked with additional sanitizer dispensers. And producers are urging ticket-holders with cold or flu symptoms, or who are not…

The chaotic impact of the coronavirus is affecting every sector of the cultural and entertainment scene – "an equal opportunity disaster," in the words of one CEO. Giant companies are canceling events and re-aligning strategies worldwide. The openings of major movies like the appropriately titled James Bond film No Tim…

SAG-AFTRA leaders said Friday they're "currently making preparations for various scenarios" to deal with the spread of the coronavirus. "As this is a dynamic and evolving situation, SAG-AFTRA will continue to closely monitor COVID-19 events and will update members as necessary," president Gabrielle Carteris and…

Amid confusion and even misinformation about the coronavirus, networks are stepping up their special coverage to the outbreak, often with the aim of sifting through facts and myths and what is known and what is unknown. On Sunday at 10 PM ET, MSNBC is devoting an hour to the topic with On Assignment with Richard Engel…

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains details of the results of the Super Tuesday primaries & the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. Already the Comeback Kid after his stellar Super Tuesday performance, Joe Biden is now Captain America to rival Senator Bernie Sanders' Thanos – at least in a side-splitting mash-up Avengers…