virus

J.C. Penney is exploring filing for bankruptcy protection after the coronavirus pandemic forced the US retailer to temporarily shut its 850 department stores, upending its turnaround plans, according to people familiar with the matter. The Plano, Texas-based company has access to enough cash to survive in the months ahead, even as revenue dries up because …

US retail sales posted their sharpest drop on record last month as the coronavirus pandemic shuttered shops around the country, stark new data show. Retail and foodservice businesses raked in a seasonally adjusted $483.1 billion in sales in March, an 8.7 percent plunge from February’s revised total, the US Department of Commerce revealed Wednesday. That’s …

Omnnivores, this is on you. According to Queen guitarist and armchair epidemiologist Brian May, the coronavirus outbreak should be blamed squarely on meat eaters. “This pandemic seemed to come from people eating animals, and it’s becoming more well known that eating animals is not the greatest thing for our health,” the 72-year-old tells NME. “We’ve …

DJ Jazzy Jeff opened up to longtime pal Will Smith about his experience with coronavirus-like symptoms. “I came home from my trip, you know, I feel like I’m coming down with something,” the 55-year-old DJ explained to Smith on his Snapchat series, “Will From Home” (via ET). “Got in the bed, don’t remember the next …

Johnson & Johnson says it aims to have more than half a billion coronavirus vaccines ready early next year. The pharmaceutical giant will have 600 to 800 million vaccines available in early 2021, when it expects the US government to approve the drug it plans to start testing in humans this September, chief financial officer …

The feds have delivered stimulus checks to millions of Americans, but millions more who are still waiting can follow some simple steps to get their money faster. The Trump administration expects more than 80 million people to get direct deposits by Wednesday with their share of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package Congress passed last month …

Branded Harry Potter buses that usually convey fans to Warner Bros.’ The Making of Harry Potter studio tour in the U.K. are being used to transport key National Health Service (NHS) workers for free between hospitals fighting coronavirus. The buses have been provided by Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and bus operator Golden Tours to transport …

Ride-hailing giant Uber is adding phone ordering capabilities to its Uber Eats delivery service to help people who don’t own smartphones survive the coronavirus pandemic. The tech company will roll out the old-fashioned phone ordering feature in New York City and Florida — two areas hit the hardest by the viral pandemic — on Wednesday …

The coronavirus pandemic has not cooled the fevers of avid theatre-goers, despite the fact that Broadway is closed through June. The virtual opening of the musical “Pride and Prejudice” drew 150,000 views when it was streamed on Friday free of charge from the Palo Alto’s TheatreWorks in Silicon Valley. The show had run at the …

President Trump on Tuesday announced he would halt U.S. funding to the World Health Organization pending a review of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. “Today I’m instructing my administration to halt funding of the WHO while a review is conducted to assess the WHO’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of …