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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made “self-reliance” his governing lynchpin during his decade in power and shunned international help for his people. But a massive outbreak of suspected COVID-19 has left Kim at a critical crossroads. Does he swallow his pride and accept help or does he go it alone even though a huge number of fatalities could undermine his leadership? The outbreak is likely several times worse than the North's official media says, since COVID-19 tests and medicine are in short supply. Some analysts say North Korea would not accept help from rival South Korea or the U.S. They say it would more likely accept quiet, unofficial shipments from its ally China.

A handful of U.S. hospitals are facing a financial crisis that officials say was caused by the federal government's rules for pandemic relief money. A trio of hospitals in Alabama, Kansas and New Mexico say they're not getting as much assistance as other hospitals because they're so new they can't prove financial losses from before the pandemic. In rural southwest Alabama, Thomasville Regional Medical Center says it's in danger of closing after just two years. Federal health officials say all three hospitals have gotten some money from the CARES Act, and no health providers are getting all their losses reimbursed.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little is fighting back a Republican primary challenge from his far-right lieutenant governor, Janice McGeachin. The intraparty contest between Little and McGeachin is emblematic of the choice GOP voters face nationwide as Idaho’s ascendant far-right tries to take the state’s highest post and expand legislative gains. McGeachin has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and made headlines last year with a power grab when Little was out of state, issuing executive orders that the governor had to overturn. Little decried her actions as an “irresponsible, self-serving political stunt,” while McGeachin accused him of abandoning conservative principles.