The United States was poised to surpass 20,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus on Saturday as the number of deaths approached 300.

Storytelling vocalist Kenny Rogers, who left footprints on country, folk, jazz, and pop music during his decade-spanning career, died Friday night of natural causes. He was 81.

Stocks sank lower and the price of oil tanked Friday as the coronavirus outbreak shut down entire sectors of the U.S. economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid more than 900 points, ending the week with a 17.3 percent loss. The index has declined in four of the last five weeks.

Despite having less than one-twentieth the population of China, Italy has seen more deaths from COVID-19. More than 3,400 people have succumbed to the disease in Italy, a country of 60 million people. China, which has a population of about 1.4 billion, had 3,248 deaths as of Friday.

Empty spaces throughout the country testify to the economic vacuum the coronavirus pandemic brought with it. The Simon Property Group announced Wednesday it would close all 200 of its shopping malls and outlet centers. Major automakers are shutting down their North American factories. And the New York Stock Exchange will lock up its trading floors and move to all-electronic trading on Monday. The number of Americans filing for unemployment surged last week by 70,000 to the highest level in more than two years.

Decisive primary victories in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona on Tuesday gave former Vice President Joe Biden an almost insurmountable lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination for president. Biden continued to win over African American and older voters and gained ground with Hispanics. In a livestream address to supporters from his home state of Delaware, he told younger voters who continue to cling to Sanders, “I hear you. I know what’s at stake. I know what we have to do.”

When Magnolia, Texas, decided in 2018 to raise its water rates, everyone in the small town felt the pinch. But the increase squeezed churches even more because the city levied additional fees on nonprofit groups, schools, and places of worship.