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Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day 17 since coronavirus was declared a global pandemic. Cases in the United States soared to more than 85,000, making the U.S. the world leader in COVID-19 cases. On today's episode, the coronavirus detectives. But first, here are the top

stories from today. The U.S. Senate passed a historic $2 trillion relief package late on Friday morning,

which promises to deliver payments and benefits

to individuals, businesses, and states affected by the pandemic.

Italy had its deadliest 24 hours, recording almost 1,000 fatalities from the virus in one day.

Spain's death rate also soared. Cases are jumping in the United Kingdom, and the U.S.

raced past China to become the country with the most cases in the world. Meanwhile,

in China, where the outbreak began, virtually all the latest cases came from people arriving

from overseas, prompting the government to temporarily suspend the entry of foreigners with valid visas

and residence permits. In the U.S., a deal to produce life-saving ventilators at a massive scale

faltered as President Donald Trump attacked manufacturers. Carmakers General Motors and Ford,

as well as medical device manufacturer Ventech life systems,

were set to ramp up production of the breathing machines, waiting on the Trump administration to place orders and cut checks.

But then, the president published a series of angry tweets, accusing GM of moving too slowly and charging too much, calling on the company to produce

the machines in an Ohio plant it no longer owns. Later, GM said it would stop waiting on a federal

contract and produce the machines at an Indiana plant. GM says it can eventually ramp up to making as many as

...