Coronavirus

Sir Elton John will host the “iHeart Living Room Concert for America” on Sunday, March 29 at 6 p.m. PT on Q13 FOX. 

SEATTLE — Each week on “The Divide,” Brandi Kruse offers a commentary that looks for common ground on issues dividing Americans.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- A veteran emergency room physician has reportedly been fired from a Bellingham hospital after publicly voicing concerns about how the hospital has been handling COVID-19.Dr.

On March 29, Sir Elton John will host the “iHeart Living Room Concert for America" on FOX.

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Weeks before Washington state was in lock-down and most people began changing how they lived their lives, COVID-19 ravaged through Life Care Center of Kirkland."A lot of people at Life Care Center went from being reasonably healthy to dead in six hours, that's what the doctor told us," says Ted Ish.Ted's mother Nell had been living at Life Care for four years when he got the call that she was sick in late February.

SEATTLE - Some small business owners say they are falling through the cracks when it comes to collecting grant money or finding aid during the coronavirus pandemic.Joe and Andrea Raetzer own Steepologie Teas.In about three years, the couple grew their small business, and had five locations and more than two dozen employees.They say in two weeks the coronavirus has destroyed their years of work.“We’ve gone from 26 employees to four employees.

San Juan Island Fishing Charters is worried about staying afloat during the Coronavirus pandemic.

This week on “The Divide”:  U.S. Representative Dr.

SEATTLE - As an invisible monster virus continues to wreak havoc across the country, Washington state saw a 843% increase in claims for unemployment benefits last week.The state's Employment Security Department is also getting up to 25,000 calls per day.

SEATTLE - The Seattle Police Foundation is helping officers stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic.The nonprofit has raised thousands of dollars to purchase emergency safety supplies, like hand sanitizer.Friday, Seattle Police picked up a fresh batch of sanitizer from Glass Distillery in Sodo.For the last two week, Glass Distillery has stopped all production on vodka and instead is focusing on making hand sanitizer.Ian MacNeil is the founder and distiller at Glass Distillery.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- We continue to hear amazing stories of people lifting each other up during this difficult time.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After days of desperate pleas from the nation’s governors, President Donald Trump took a round of steps Friday to expand the federal government’s role in helping produce critically needed supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic even as he warned the leaders of hard-hit states not to cross him.“I want them to be appreciative,” Trump said after the White House announced that he would be using the powers granted to him under the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to try to compel auto giant General Motors to produce ventilators.Yet Trump — who hours earlier had suggested the need for the devices was being overblown — rejected any criticism of the federal government’s response to a ballooning public health crisis that a month ago he predicted would be over by now.“We have done a hell of a job,” Trump said, as he sent an ominous message to state and local leaders who have been urging the federal government to do more to help them save lives.Trump said he had instructed Vice President Mike Pence not to call the governors of Washington or Michigan — two coronavirus hotspots — because of their public criticism. “If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call,” Trump said.The comments came after Trump unveiled a slew of executive actions to bolster states’ capacities to respond to the pandemic, including authorizing Defense Secretary Mark Esper to call up an unspecified number of federal reservists to help with the coronavirus response.Friday’s invocation “should demonstrate clearly to all that we will not hesitate to use the full authority of the federal government to combat this crisis,” Trump said.Trump had been saying for more than a week that he was reluctant to use the Defense Production Act — even after he invoked it — because companies were already doing what he wanted and he didn’t need arm-twisting to make them comply.Yet Trump continued to suggest that states’ own failures were to blame for the needed intervention. “Normally these would be bought for states, just so you understand,” he said.The president has been under growing pressure from the nation’s governors to do more to bolster supplies, despite the perceived risks of speaking out.