— President Joe Biden is dispatching the nation’s top scientists and public health experts to regularly brief the American public about the pandemic, which has claimed more than 425,000 U.S. lives. Americans can expect a sharp contrast from the Trump administration’s briefings, when public health officials were repeatedly undermined by a president who shared his unproven ideas without hesitation. Wednesday’s briefing will feature the Biden administration’s coordinator for pandemic response, as well as government scientists and public health officials. And he acknowledged that states in recent weeks have been left guessing how much vaccine they will have from one week to the next. ___Find AP’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

All around the city, thousands of houses are being decorated as floats because the coronavirus pandemic has canceled parades that usually take place on Mardi Gras. She started a Facebook group, the Krewe of House Floats, expecting a few friends and neighbors to join. “I didn’t think I was starting a Mardi Gras krewe. The crowdfunded decorations may be auctioned after Mardi Gras to raise more money, DeWulf said. “Even when Mardi Gras comes back, I think people are going to keep doing this,” he said.