Modi tells 1.3 billion people to stay home

Congress is close to an agreement on more coronavirus relief; India enacts a total lockdown. Tonight's Sentences was written by Cameron Peters. TOP NEWS The Senate nears a deal for a phase III coronavirus relief package Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call Getty Images - In the Senate, negotiations are still continuing over a massive economic stimulus package intended to combat some of the impact of the coronavirus. Successive procedural votes failed along party lines Sunday and Monday. [[Washington Post /]([Erica Werner, Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane, and Jeff Stein](] - Negotiators indicated that a deal is likely to emerge sometime Tuesday, however, and the package could come up for a vote later the same day. [[Washington Post / Erica Werner, Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane, and Jeff Stein](] - Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Tuesday that the bill was “on the 2-yard line” after Republicans gave way on key Democratic priorities, though a few sticking points remain. [[Roll Call / David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt](] - The White House also agreed to “significant oversight” for the $500 billion in funding the package allocates to bail out industries impacted by the pandemic. [[Twitter / John Bresnahan](] - All told, the Senate bill could amount to almost $2 trillion in spending, including direct cash payments, strengthened unemployment insurance, and aid for states. That’s still markedly less than the $2.5 trillion put forward by the House on Monday, though. [[NYT / Emily Cochrane](] - The promise of an imminent stimulus package gave the markets a much-needed lift on Tuesday morning. The Dow Jones stock index climbed by more than 11 percent and the S&P 500 made gains too, though both remain substantially down from earlier last month. [[NPR / Avie Schneider](] - Despite the market rally on Tuesday, all signs point to the US heading toward a recession: The coronavirus has all but shuttered large sections of the economy, hindering consumer spending and spurring widespread layoffs. [[Vox / Emily Stewart](] Almost one-fifth of the world's population is under coronavirus lockdown - India — the world’s second-largest country by a substantial margin — implemented on Tuesday what Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as “a total ban on venturing out of your homes” in response to the coronavirus pandemic. [[BBC](] - Currently, India has relatively few confirmed Covid-19 cases at just 519, which is fewer than the death toll in the US right now. According to Modi, however, the lockdown is necessary to “break the cycle of infection” in India and avoid a spike in cases. [[CNN / Manveena Suri, Swati Gupta, and Ivana Kottasová](] - But as Vox’s Alex Ward reports, there could be a much larger number of unreported cases in India, and the country’s population density will make social distancing hard. One expert estimated that the death toll in India from Covid-19 could exceed 1 million over the next year. [[Vox / Alex Ward](] - The lockdown will be in effect for at least three weeks and is set to begin at midnight on Tuesday. India has also halted international and domestic flights, as well as long-distance domestic travel on the country’s rail system. [[AP / Emily Schmall and Sheikh Saaliq](] - Modi also indicated that the Indian government would dedicate 150 billion rupees (about 2 billion USD) to bolstering the country’s health care system, and an economic aid package is also in the works. [[WSJ / Rajesh Roy](] MISCELLANEOUS The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo have been postponed to “a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021” in response to the coronavirus pandemic. [[Vox / Jen Kirby](] - “A mystery bag of books”: How one DC bookstore is coping with the coronavirus. [[NPR / Mary Tyler March](] - The World Health Organization warns that the US could soon become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. [[Reuters / Emma Farge and Stephanie Nebehay](] - A bipartisan commission will recommend to Congress that women should be required to register for the draft. [[NYT / Sarah Mervosh](] VERBATIM "In a moment of deep uncertainty and anxiety, helping those in need is one of the few pure pleasures one can still partake in while social distancing. If you’re feeling powerless these days and have the means, look up your local mutual-aid network." [[Columnist Charlie Warzel on how to cope with the coronavirus pandemic / NYT](] LISTEN TO THIS ["What is happening is a shock to the American economy more sudden and severe than anyone alive has ever experienced."]( "What is happening," writes Annie Lowrey, "is a shock to the American economy more sudden and severe than anyone alive has ever experienced." [[Spotify / Ezra Klein](] [Read more from Vox](#) [How the coronavirus crisis will hit American workers, in one chart]( [People are helping each other fight coronavirus, one Google spreadsheet at a time]( [Cable news should cancel the Trump Show]( [Coronavirus memes let us see internet humor evolving overnight]( [Surprise: Woody Allen’s memoir has come out in the US after all]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. 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