The U.S. economy in the first quarter shrank at its fastest pace since the last recession as the coronavirus pandemic shut down large parts of the country, signaling the end of the longest economic expansion on record. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced across the economy, contracted at a seasonally and inflation adjusted annual rate of 4.8% in the first three months, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. The decline marks the beginning of a near-certain recession, economists say,…