Ruth Wisse recommends reading the greatest works of modern Jewish literature.

Interim results from the WHO Solidarity Therapeutics Trial show that four drugs being used to treat the novel coronavirus have a negligible effect In mortality statistics.The trial, which was launched in March, involved nearly 5,500 hospitalized patients in 30 countries, and investigated the use of several drugs and their impact In mortality, ventilation, and duration of hospital stay.The drugs being investigated are remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and interferon. The WHO has concluded so far that these have "little or no effect In 28-day mortality or the in-hospital course of Covid-19 among hospitalized patients."

The ministerial committee responsible for defining restricted zones is due to meet today at two o'clock in the afternoon.Yesterday's meeting of the coronavirus cabinet resulted in a decision to ease the current lockdown in most parts of the country, excepting "red zones," and therefore these red zones must now be defined.

According to the Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Sudanese government representatives have described a leadership split between those wishing to pursue normalization with Israel as a result of pressure from the United States, and those who remain opposed.The report states that those remaining opposed to pursuing ties with Israel are led by the Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, whereas those in favor of normalization are led by the President of Sudan's Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, along with senior figures in the military.

FBI investigators are examining whether emails allegedly describing activities by Joe Biden and his son Hunter and found In a laptop at a Delaware repair shop are linked to a foreign intelligence operation, according to a report in NBC News.The FBI seized the laptop and a hard drive through a grand jury subpoena, which was later published by the New York Post.The Post apparently used the emails as the basis for a series of articles, claiming it obtained the material from US President Trump's attorney, Rudy Giuliani. One story hinted at a meeting between then-VP Biden and a representative of a Ukrainian company that did business with his son, Hunter. The Biden campaign insists that there is no evidence of such a meeting ever occurring.

Former Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein, who made the decision to close the case In the current Attorney-General, Avichai Mandelblit, In the Harpaz Affair, told the Maariv newspaper that, "My decision to close the case against Mandelblit was the right decision to make." Mandelblit had been suspected of interfering with the investigations into the Harpaz Affair.Weinstein added that, "I do not have any intention of expressing an opinion In Mandelblit's request of Shai Nitzan regarding the case." He added that, "It would have been better if Mandelblit had not used such words [regarding Shai Nitzan, in recordings recently leaked to the media] even though they were spoken between two close friends."

Professor Yonatan Halevy, the President of Shaare Zedek Medical Center, told Reshet Bet that in his opinion, the government has chosen the right course for emergence from lockdown."The outline that has been developed strikes the right balance between the need to defeat the epidemic and the parallel need to reopen the economy," he said. He noted that "young children are far less likely to spread the coronavirus, and there is no sense in talking about capsules and social distancing in preschools."

Just 4.5% of coronavirus tests are positive, less than 1/3 of peak figure. Number of patients in serious condition falls to 713.