WASHINGTON (AP) — It's becoming a kind of daily ritual: President Donald Trump and a phalanx of doctors file into the White House briefing room each evening to discuss the coronavirus, producing a display of rhetorical contortions as the medical officials try to stay true to the science without crossing the president.

The result can be a bewildering scene for Americans trying to understand how best to protect themselves from the virus.

On Tuesday, for example, Dr. Deborah Birx aligned herself with Trump's positive comments about plans to reopen businesses in Georgia and suggested that beauty s...