Matthew Cella

Florida health officials have announced that two people died from the coronavirus, bringing the nationwide death toll to 17 and marking the first fatal cases of the COVID-19 virus on the East Coast. Officials late Friday said the people who died contracted the virus after traveling internationally. One of the people lived in Lee County and the other lived in Santa Rosa County. Officials said both were elderly and one had underlying health conditions.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is reportedly planning to file paperwork to run in Alabama's Democratic presidential primary, a possible indicator the billionaire businessman is leaning toward mounting a bid that could upend the 2020 race. SEE: [ Cartoons on the 2020 Presidential Election ] The New York Times reported late Thursday that Bloomberg, who has long toyed with a White House run, had sent staffers to the state to collect signatures to qualify him for the ballot.

(Jae C. Hong/AP) For the last 60 years or so, a little-utilized program has allowed Americans to write a check to the federal government out of generosity or guilt for the sole purpose of helping to pay down the national debt. But these days, people seem to be feeling a lot less charitable toward Washington. In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, Americans volunteered less money when adjusted for inflation than any year since the start of Ronald Reagan's presidency in 1981.