Public Schools In Financial Crisis; Nowhere To Register to Vote; Toughing It Out In Vermont

Plus, unlocking the mystery of the coronavirus's origin. by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up [Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden depart after placing a wreath at the Delaware Memorial Bridge Veterans Memorial Park on Monday.]( Patrick Semansky/AP Here's what we're following today. The World Health Organization is temporarily suspending clinical trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19. The WHO acted after medical journal The Lancet reported patients who got the drug were [dying at higher rates]( than other coronavirus patients. President Trump has touted the drug and said he's taken it himself to protect against the virus. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, made an unannounced visit to the Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle, Del., on Monday. It was [the first time Biden had left the area around his home]( in Wilmington since mid-March, when he began self-isolation amid the pandemic. [President Trump also honored service members]( Monday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and Fort McHenry in Baltimore. People are having a difficult time finding places to register to vote. The usual ways to register — at motor vehicle offices or public gatherings, or via door-to-door canvassers — are on hold due to the pandemic. That’s led to [a big fall-off in the number of people registered to vote]( which in turn could affect the outcome of this year’s presidential election. Thousands of people who intended to visit Washington, D.C., on Memorial Day were unable to do so because of the coronavirus pandemic. That included veterans traveling with the nonprofit network Honor Flight. Many expressed disappointment, but noted [they don’t want to endanger others](. "My place is to take care and be safe and to make other people safe. That's something we learned in the Marine Corps. You protect your comrades,” said Vietnam vet Leland Shiro. As required by law, both the Trump administration and the Biden campaign are quietly preparing presidential transition teams for the day after the November general election. Earlier this month, President Trump named a coordinating council that will manage [all transition matters]( led by the new chief of staff, Mark Meadows. Former Vice President Biden has told his supporters that his staff is also making plans. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- The Explainer NPR/YouTube Scientists have learned a great deal about how the coronavirus spreads, yet they still haven’t untangled the mystery of where SARS-CoV-2 came from in the first place. Scientific evidence points overwhelmingly to wildlife — specifically, to bats — as the most likely origin point, but it could take years to pinpoint the source. [Click here to see the video](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listens LA Johnson/NPR The coronavirus pandemic is pushing schools into a financial meltdown that could set back an entire generation of students. Schools get nearly half of their funding from their states, but that funding is dependent on state income and sales tax revenues, which have been crashing. One expert predicts, "We're about to see a school funding crisis unlike anything we have ever seen in modern history." ([Listen here]( or [read the story]( Native American tribes in the Southwest have been hit hard by the coronavirus. A GoFundMe campaign to support the tribes has raised more than $4 million. Some of those donations are from Ireland — that's because of an act of kindness from a century ago. ([Listen here]( Since October, the German icebreaker Polarstern has been drifting in the Arctic Ocean while scientists onboard collect data to try to better understand climate change. Now, despite many obstacles created by the coronavirus pandemic, a personnel swap is about to begin. Scientists who've been at sea since January will be released into a changed world. ([Listen here]( NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Maggie Koerth, a senior science writer for FiveThirtyEight, about the true COVID-19 death count in the U.S. Experts say it is undoubtedly higher than the official number. ([Listen here]( --------------------------------------------------------------- The Picture Show [Floyd Van Alstyne, 100, and his wife, Marjorie Van Alstyne, 92, live on a farm in East Barnard.]( Tara Wray for NPR Even in the best of times, living in Vermont takes a certain amount of grit. The state's bitter winters can last as long as six months, only to be followed by "mud season," the lead-up to spring that turns the ground to sludge and makes dirt roads impassable. But the coronavirus has [tested Vermonters like never before](. The virus can be particularly dangerous for the elderly, and Vermont's population is the third-oldest by median age in the nation. Photographer Tara Wray, a Vermont transplant from Kansas by way of New York City, traveled through her community to take portraits — through windows and from a safe distance — of her older neighbors. --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [Jimmy Cobb was the last surviving member of what's often called Miles Davis' First Great Sextet.]( Gai Terrell/Redferns - Drummer Jimmy Cobb, the last living member of Miles Davis’ first great sextet, has [died at 91]( of lung cancer. Cobb’s subtle and steady drumming formed the pulse of many beloved jazz recordings, including the iconic Kind of Blue. - Yvonne Orji, who plays best friend Molly Carter on the series Insecure, will headline her own HBO stand-up special in June, called Mama, I Made It. [Orji talked to NPR’s Sam Sanders]( about religion, growing up with strict immigrant parents and finding the humor in all of it. — Suzette Lohmeyer contributed to this report. --------------------------------------------------------------- Follow [The New Normal]( on Instagram! What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [dailynewsletter@npr.org](mailto:dailynewsletter@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Daily News emails. 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