Conservative news outlets and pundits covering the protests erupting across the country this week have mostly emphasized images of destruction and chaos, blaming "organized" elements for the mayhem and framing President Donald Trump's calls for a military response as necessary to gain order.

WASHINGTON - In retrospect, it seems almost understandable that people two weeks ago might have thought the risk posed by the novel coronavirus was overstated. On Feb. 27, there were only about 60 cases in the United States, up from a week earlier but still by only a handful of cases.