Evening Summary
Thank you for tuning in, readers! This is Kari Paul logging out for the night. Here is what we have covered in the last few hours.
- Trump gave a short-lived press conference, apparently part of a new strategy in which he makes fewer and shorter appearances to the public – a departure from his daily pressers.
- Trump stressed in the presser that the economy would recover from coronavirus, touting recent stimulus checks.
- The US food and drug commissioner, Stephen Hahn, said 65 coronavirus tests have been approved and the FDA is expediting more as quickly as possible.
- The new economic rescue bill stands to benefit wealthy Americans more than others, a new analysis shows.
Updated
Wealthy Americans and corporations stand to benefit more than others from the economic rescue package, a New York Times report showed.
“Many of the tax benefits in the stimulus are ‘just shoveling money to rich people’,” Victor Fleischer, a tax law professor at the University of California, Irvine, told the Times.
One tax break in the bill, for example, only applies to companies with $25m in annual receipts.
Another change lets people in households earning at least $500,000 a year – the top 1% of American taxpayers – deduct even more of their businesses’ losses from any winnings they reaped in the stock market, sharply reducing what they owe in capital gains taxes.
Updated
Apparently Trump’s surprisingly short coronavirus briefing was part of a new policy.
Trump may stop appearing daily at press conferences, according to a new Axios report.
Advisers in the White House have told Trump he may be “overexposed”, causing him to sink behind Joe Biden in the polls. From the report:
Another source close to the deliberations said there simply isn’t enough new material to justify Trump appearing before the press every day. “I mean, you wonder how we got to the point where you’re talking about injecting disinfectant?” the source wondered aloud.
Updated
Well, that was a brief briefing. Donald Trump made opening remarks and handed over to Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drugs Administration, and Mike Pence, but then fled without taking questions.
The obvious conclusion is he is still smarting from Thursday night’s effort, when he wondered aloud if injecting disinfectant into patients might be a good idea and was duly hammered by doctors, politicians and even disinfectant makers.
White House coronavirus task force briefings are often two-hour prime time marathons but on Friday Trump turned on his heel as reporters shouted questions in vain. Perhaps it was a fit of pique, or perhaps revenge is a dish best served cold. He may also have reached a tipping point with advisers warning that the briefings are now hurting him more than they help.
Right on cue, minutes later, the Axios website reported that Trump plans to “pare back” his coronavirus press conferences, according to four of its sources. Next week, it said, “he may stop appearing daily and make shorter appearances when he does”.
One other thought. What Trump might have delivered on Friday night was a sombre, landmark speech recognising that more than 50,000 of his countrymen have now been lost to the coronavirus. He did not.
Updated
Political reporters are floored by the brevity of today’s White House briefing, which clocked in at less than 30 mins (others have lasted hours), and lacked the usual Q&A with reporters.
Wow. President Trump left the room without taking questions
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) April 24, 2020
WOW. Trump and Pence take no questions and leave the briefing.
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) April 24, 2020
Trump’s quick escape comes as the president faces a huge backlash over comments he made at yesterday’s briefing, where he mused on whether disinfectant or sunlight could be used internally to treat coronavirus.
Today the president has attempted to backtrack, claiming his comments were merely “sarcasm”. As the Guardian’s Poppy Noor writes ...
Now, this might cause one to question whether Trump knows the definition of sarcasm which, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain”.
The thought of the president baiting journalists to see “how they would react” in a time of unprecedented crisis is unsettling, but it is nothing new: Trump has mastered the art saying one thing and retracting or changing his statement when public opinion doesn’t follow.
Trump walked off stage quickly without taking any questions, unusual for the president in these recent press conferences where he often spars with reporters.
Mike Pence now gives a nationwide update on the coronavirus pandemic and how states are responding.
Various state governors have “made progress” in testing, the vice-president said. Many states are putting forth new technology to trace and treat coronavirus.
Governor Kim Reynolds in Iowa has launched testiowa.com, a location to screen people with coronavirus symptoms and connect them with tests.
Governor Mike Parsons of Missouri launched a website to list companies repurposing their manufacturing resources to make medical supplies.
The state of Utah has launched a “healthy together” app to find testing locations.
“I believe the day will soon come when we will heal our land,” Pence said.
Updated
Trump praised the FDA extensively on Friday, despite the administration just today urging extreme caution on hydroxychloroquine.
The FDA commissioner, Stephen Hahn, also addressed concerns about inaccurate coronavirus antibody tests on the market. He said only four have been approved, but did not say how many were publicly available despite not being approved.
Updated
Now US food and drug commissioner, Stephen Hahn, is speaking. He said coronavirus tests from 65 companies have been approved. Meanwhile, the government is working with more than 400 companies developing additional tests for the coronavirus, and coronavirus antibodies.
In addition to tests, the FDA is looking into additional types of coronavirus treatments.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in finding treatments for Covid-19,” he said.
Trump has been criticised for touting unproven treatments for Covid-19 including hydroxychloroquine – despite a near total lack of scientific study on the safety and efficacy in coronavirus patients.
Updated
Trump quickly pivots to a focus on the economy, saying that he spoke with the Apple executive Tim Cook who said the market is “going to be a ‘V’ – it’s going to go quickly back upward”.
The president said more than 80 million Americans have already received their stimulus checks and that it will aid in an economic recovery.
“Over the last three years we built the strongest economy and the most successful country the world has ever seen greatest economy, the world has ever seen,” he said. “We will rebuild that economy, our economy in the not too distant future.”
Updated
The press conference begins with Trump claiming “very significant progress” in the fight against the coronavirus.
He said 18 states now show a decline in a number of positive tests in the last seven days.
Hello readers, Kari Paul here hopping on the blog for the day. Stay tuned for more updates and, later, a live fact check of Donald Trump’s presser.
Time for another recap:
Here’s what we’ve covered so far today:
- The coronavirus likely reached New York from Europe
- Meanwhile, Trump signed the latest coronavirus bill and claimed his disinfectant suggestion was sarcasm
- Trump owes tens of millions to the Bank of China
- At least 18 members of a naval ship tested positive for Covid-19
- FDA warned doctors against prescribing hydroxychloroquine
- But the VA intends to keep using it
- The mother of Biden’s accuser allegedly reported the incident in a call to Larry King
- Navy leaders recommended reinstating Captain Brett Crozier
- The US deficit is expected to reach $3.7tn
- USPS may need to quadruple its prices or losing funding
Stay tuned for more on the live blog with Kari Paul taking over.
Updated
US Veteran's hospitals to keep using hydroxychloroquine
The US Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed it will continue using an anti-malarial drug previously touted by Donald Trump to treat Covid-19.
VA officials told CNN said it would still administer hydroxychloroquine in ways “consistent with current FDA guidance.” Earlier Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration warned the drug is not proven to work and could cause deadly side effects.
“While clinical trials are ongoing to determine the safety and effectiveness of these drugs for Covid-19,” the FDA said. “There are known side effects of these medications that should be considered.”
VA spokeswoman Christina Noel said hospitals use the drug “to treat Covid-19 in cases where Veteran patients and their providers determine it is medically necessary.”
New York man charged with supply hoarding
A retailer was charged with hoarding tons of disposable masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer in a Long Island warehouse and selling the items at huge markups, according to federal prosecutors.
From the AP:
Amardeep “Bobby” Singh, 45, was charged with violating the Defense Production Act of 1950 in what authorities described as the first such prosecution during the coronavirus pandemic.
Singh is expected to surrender to authorities next week in the case around what is known as personal protective equipment (PPE), which has become a hot commodity during the outbreak. Singh’s attorney, Bradley Gerstman, called the charges “mostly fiction” and said the complaint misstated his client’s costs.
“If selling PPE goods is improper or criminal, then a lot of people need to go to jail,” Gerstman said in a telephone interview. “The Defense Production Act is wildly vague, and I don’t think this would pass muster on any appellate level. I think this statute would be struck down as null and void.”
Donald Trump issued an executive order making it illegal to hoard medical supplies or sell PPE at inflated prices last month.
The Guardian’s Mario Koran with more on California’s new food program:
California is launching a program it hopes will feed seniors and get restaurant workers back on the job.
Speaking from a noon press conference, California governor Gavin Newsom said the program was of particular importance to the 1.2 m seniors across the Golden State who live alone. Capacity for performing wellness checks on vulnerable residents will also be expanded.
Local agencies will begin distributing criteria on who qualifies for the program, but of highest priority are seniors who live below the poverty line and those with compromised immune systems.
“These programs will provide older, vulnerable Californians with access to nutritious meals in the safety of their homes and the opportunity to connect with someone who can listen to their concerns and make sure their needs are met. We are all in this together and we will continue to support older Californians who are more at risk during this public health emergency” Newsom said in a press release.
The program, funded by the state and by FEMA, will provide three meals a day, seven days a week, with a daily cash value of up to $66. Newsom said the program could also mean relief for the restaurant industry and its workers. State and local governments will select which restaurants will be included in the program.
“This will allow for restaurants to start rehiring people or keep people employed”, he said.
Meantime, with warm weather expected in California over the weekend, Newsom reminded Californians that it’s not yet time to greenlight the reopening of wide sections of society.
Yesterday California tallied 93 deaths, and the number of confirmed coronavirus cases ticked up 5% in the past 24 hours. Hospitalizations and admissions to ICUs, on the other hand, stayed largely flat.
California is a state but many parts, Newsom said, and the state will consider regional realities — like the number of cases and hospital capacity should outbreaks resurface — when deciding to ease stay-at-home orders.
In recent days, protestors have challenged stay-at-home orders in various states, including California. But Newsom said the decision to modify restrictions will be based only on facts.
“We don’t debate dates. We are only guided by indicators”, he said.
At least one person believes the president’s ‘sarcasm’
Reporters at Breitbart News want readers to know that Donald Trump wasn’t encouraging Americans to inject themselves with disinfectant. But that doesn’t appear to be going over well:
The writers and editors at Breitbart are professional liars. pic.twitter.com/bjCw1mdiEp
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 24, 2020
Trump to USPS: Raise prices or fail
Donald Trump confirmed to the White House press pool, on Friday, reports that the administration is leveraging funding of the US Postal Service, saying it should quadruple its package delivery prices, otherwise he will stop congressionally approved funding.
“If they don’t raise the price, I’m not signing anything,” he said.
The terms that the Trump administration appear to be weighing the right to dictate package rates and select set collective bargaining policies.
From the Post:
Trump has railed for years against what he sees as mismanagement at the Postal Service, which he argues has been exploited by e-commerce sites such as Amazon, and has sought to change how much the agency charges for the delivery of packages.
Under the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus relief passed last month, the Treasury was authorized to loan $10 billion to the USPS, which says it may not be able to make payroll and continue mail service uninterrupted past September. [Steve] Mnuchin rejected a bipartisan Senate proposal to give the Postal Service a bailout amid the negotiations over that legislation.
The Guardian’s Amanda Holpuch with more on the US immigration ban announced this week:
Stephen Miller, the senior White House advisor who has promoted white supremacist views and racist conspiracy theories, is insisting the immigration ban announced this week is part of a longer-term vision for the country as anti-immigrant groups criticize its limited scope.
The amount of exceptions carved into the ban has left some of Donald Trump’s most consistent supporters, right-wing anti-immigrant groups, complaining about the ban.
On Thursday, the anti-immigration group Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) sent a critical letter to the president. Six current and former Trump advisors, including Miller, have ties to the group.
In a private call this week, Miller appeared to try and maintain restrictionists’ favor by saying the ban was part of a long-term vision. According to the Washington Post, Miller said of the executive order: “It is vital, it is necessary, it is patriotic and it deserves the full-throated support of everybody on this call.”
The Trump administration has already made dramatic changes to immigration in the US, through policies big and small. So, the vision is already in place.
This is why the ban, with its exceptions, was interpreted as a largely political move. To have it be criticized by the people it is meant to appease is a problem for Miller above all others.
In addition to the call, the far-right website Breitbart News had an exclusive story today saying the original ban was more expansive. The story also attempted to move blame for the exceptions away from Trump and some of his advisors.
“It is unclear how closely Trump reviewed this draft before signing the final executive order,” Breitbart said. “The contents indicate administration staffers with views more in tune with the president’s economic nationalist agenda were involved in its drafting.”
Miller has had a close relationship with the website in the past and late last year, a former reporter there leaked her 900 email correspondence with the president’s advisor. The emails revealed Miller’s endorsement for white supremacist views and promotion of racist conspiracy theories.
Congressional Budget Office: US deficit to reach $3.7 trillion
The US Congressional Budget Office announced Friday that a looming recession caused by coronavirus pandemic and a spike in government spending will nearly quadruple the government’s budget deficit to $3.7 trillion.
From the AP:
The 2020 budget deficit will explode after four coronavirus response bills passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump promise to pile more than $2 trillion onto the $24.6 trillion national debt in just the remaining six months of the current fiscal year, according to the CBO’s report.
That’s more than double the deficit record set during President Barack Obama’s first year in office.
The CBO predicted a devastating hit to the economy this quarter at a rate of decline of 40 percent, accompanied by a 14 percent unemployment rate.
The Guardian’s David Smith has a short wrap on the updated disinfectant debate that just took place in the Oval Office:
As a clean-up attempt, it could have gone better. Donald Trump tried on Friday to justify dangerous comments about using disinfectant as a potential cure for coronavirus, falsely claiming that he was “asking a question sarcastically to reporters”.
The US president provoked uproar at a White House coronavirus task force briefing the previous evening by suggesting that doctors study the idea of people receiving injections of disinfectant to combat the virus. Medical experts, politicians and even disinfectant makers denounced the suggestion and warned the public against consuming the product.
On Friday, even as the US death toll topped 50,000, Trump tried to make what critics saw as a desperate and dishonest u-turn.
“I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen,” the president, sitting at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, told reporters as he signed emergency funding legislation.”
“When I was asking a sarcastic – a very sarcastic question – to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside, but it does kill it, and it would kill it on the hands and that would make things much better. That was done in the form of a sarcastic question to a reporter.”
A video of the briefings demonstrates otherwise.
When Trump posed the question about the efficacy of disinfectant injections, he had turned to his right and was looking in the direction of Bill Bryan, the acting homeland security undersecretary for science and technology, and Deborah Birx, the coronavirus task force coordinator.
Reuters reporter Jeff Mason asked if Trump wanted to clarify that he was being sarcastic and ensure no one misunderstood him.
He replied: “Yes. I do think that disinfectant on the hands could have a very good effect. Now, Bill is going back to check that in the laboratory. You know, it’s an amazing laboratory, by the way. It’s amazing the work they do.”
But returning to the effect of sunlight, he added: “I’d like them now to look as it pertains to the human body. Not just sitting on a railing or sitting on a wall. I’d like to look as it pertains because maybe there’s something there. They have to work with — I’m not a doctor. They have to work with their doctors. But maybe there is something to light, and the human body, and helping people that are dying.”
One more time, Mason gamely pressed: “Just to clarify, you’re not encouraging Americans to inject disinfectant?”
Trump: “No. Of course not. Interior-wise, it was said sarcastically. It was put in the form of a question to a group of extraordinarily hostile people, namely the fake news media.”
Mason answered: “Some doctors felt you needed to clarify that after your comments.”
Trump said: “Of course, all they had to do was see just — you know the way it was asked. I was looking at you.”
Mason shot back: “No, you weren’t, sir. I wasn’t there yesterday.”
Weijia Jiang of CBS News pointed out that Trump had been looking at Birx. Changing his story, Trump claimed: “I was looking at Bill. I was looking at the doctor. I was looking at some of the reporters. I don’t know if you were there. Were you there?
Jiang said: “I was there and I watched you ask her.”
Trump, who has clashed with Jiang in the briefing room, added: “You were there. You were there. You I never forget.”
The jumbled, inaccurate assertions are likely to have the opposite of the desired effect, only deepening concerns about Trump’s embrace of flawed science that could endanger public health.
Scott Gottlieb, Trump’s former Food and Drug Administration director, told CNBC:
“I think we need to speak very clearly. There’s no circumstance under which you should take a disinfectant or inject a disinfectant for the treatment of anything, and certainly not the treatment of coronavirus.”
“There’s absolutely no circumstance in which that’s appropriate, and it can cause death and very adverse outcomes, so people should not be doing that if that was an impression that was left by any of the reporting around comments that have been made in the last 24 hours.”
Navy leader recommends reinstating fired captain
Officials with the US Navy recommended the reinstatement of the commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was fired after he pleaded for help with a coronavirus outbreak onboard. Reuters reports the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the recommendation to reinstate Captain Brett Crozier was made during a meeting on between Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Navy leaders.
The decision is still pending Esper’s approval.
Updated
Mother of Biden accuser allegedly reported incident in 1993 call to Larry King
Reporters for The Intercept obtained new evidence that appeared to support accusations from former congressional staffer Tara Reade. Reade has made allegations of sexual harassment and assault related to her former boss, then-Delaware senator Joe Biden, including a claim that she told her mother about the encounter.
Reade had maintained that she told her mother, close friend, and brother about both the harassment. Her mother passed away in 2016.
From the Intercept:
In interviews with The Intercept, Reade also mentioned that her mother had made a phone call to “Larry King Live” on CNN, during which she made reference to her daughter’s experience on Capitol Hill. Reade couldn’t remember the date or the year of the phone call, and King didn’t include the names of callers on his show. After the podcast aired, a listener managed to find the call and sent it to The Intercept.
On August 11, 1993, King aired a program titled, “Washington– ‘The Cruelest City on Earth’?” Toward the end of the program, he introduces a caller dialing in from San Luis Obispo, California. Congressional records list August 1993 as Reade’s last month of employment with Biden’s Senate office, and, according to property records, Reade’s mother, Jeanette Altimus, was living in San Luis Obispo County.
Biden, throughout a spokesperson, continued to deny the allegation.
Updated
FDA warns doctors against prescribing hydroxychloroquine
The US Food and Drug Administration released an alert Friday warning doctors against prescribing the malaria drug Donald Trump touted for treating the coronavirus, citing reports of sometimes fatal heart side effects among patients.
From the AP:
The warning comes as doctors at a New York hospital published a report that heart rhythm abnormalities developed in most of 84 coronavirus patients treated with hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, a combo Trump has promoted. Both drugs are known to sometimes alter the heartbeat in dangerous ways, and their safety or ability to help people with COVID-19 is unknown.
The warning excludes in hospital and research studies. A National Institutes of Health experts panel earlier this week also recommended against taking that drug combo except in a formal study.
New poll shows a hidden threat for Trump: double haters
A poll on voters who had negative opinions of both Trump and Biden showed Donald Trump’s may be in trouble with the double haters. Voters who disliked both candidates were clear in their preference between them: they prefer Joe Biden by a 50-point margin.
Researcher Joshua Green, who analyzed data provided by NBC News, said in an op-ed that while one poll doesn’t predict the future, “it’s hardly a positive sign for Trump, and there are a number of reasons to think the disparity in support is real.”
From Green:
Trump’s allies have been eager to change this for more than a year, and the fact that they haven’t succeeded is the main reason why some in his campaign are itching to attack Biden as weak on China.
But I think bottom line is that voters who dislike both Trump and Biden probably won't break for the guy who suggests shooting bleach into your veins https://t.co/YLkFt8VfGC
— Joshua Green (@JoshuaGreen) April 24, 2020
More reactions to the president’s “sarcasm” explanation: Fox News’ Bret Baier is not buying it.
Fox's Bret Baier after Trump's false claim that he was being sarcastic with his light / disinfectant comments: "It didn't seem like it was coming off as sarcastic when he was talking and turning to Dr. Birx on the side."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 24, 2020
Merriam-Webster with a bit of a cheeky quip directed at the Donald Trump, who might need a refresher from the dictionary:
📈'Sarcasm': a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain https://t.co/DR9F4F3q3h
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) April 24, 2020
At least 18 Members of Naval ship test positive for Covid-19
In a statement, the Navy confirmed another ship at sea , the USS Kidd, had a reported coronavirus outbreak and is returning to port. At least 18 members of the crew of a destroyer have tested positive.
Numbers are expected to grow as the Navy evaluates the outbreak.
From AP:
The Kidd is in the Caribbean, where it has been operating as part of a counter-drug mission. One sailor who displayed symptoms was flown off the Kidd on Thursday to a medical facility at San Antonio, where he tested positive for the virus. After the positive case was confirmed at San Antonio, the Navy deployed a specialized medical team to the ship to conduct contact tracing and additional onsite testing.
Updated
More from the Cuomo presser:
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo agreed with Donald Trump’s criticism of the World Health Organization’s early handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Whose job is it to warn us of these global pandemics? The president says it’s the World Health Organization, and that’s why he’s taken action against them. Not my field, but he’s right to ask the question.”
Here is a fuller report on the exchange that just took place in the Oval Office between Donald Trump and the small group of reporters gathered to see him sign the latest coronavirus financial rescue legislation.
From the pool:
Reporter: Can you clarify your comments about injection on disinfectant?
POTUS [President of the United States]: I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen. Now disinfectant or doing this maybe on the hands would work. I was asking the question of the gentleman who was there yesterday, Bill [Bill Bryan, the acting homeland security undersecretary for science and technology], because when they say that something will last three to four hours or six hours, but if sun is out, or if they use disinfectant, it goes away in less than a minute. Did you hear about this yesterday?
POTUS: When I was asking a sarcastic — a very sarcastic question to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside, but it does kill it, and it would kill it on the hands and that would make things much better. That was done in the form of a sarcastic question to a reporter.
Reporter: But you were asking your medical experts to look into it.
POTUS: To look into whether or not sun — and disinfectant on the hands — but whether or not sun can help us. Because, I mean he came in yesterday and he said they’ve done a big study. This is a study. This isn’t where he hasn’t done it. This is where they’ve come in with a final report that sun has a massive impact negatively on this virus. In other words, it does not live well with humidity and it doesn’t live well with sun, sunlight, heat. It doesn’t live well with heat and sun and and disinfectant. And that’s what I brought up, and I thought that was clear.
Jeff Mason [Reuters journalist]: Just to follow up on the comments from yesterday you said you were being sarcastic, but some people may have misunderstood you. Do you want to just clarify?
POTUS: I wish they […]
Jeff Mason: Do you want to clarify to Americans if you don’t want people to think that?
POTUS. Yes. I do think that disinfectant on the hands could have a very good effect. Now, Bill is going back to check that in the laboratory. You know, it’s an amazing laboratory, by the way. It’s amazing the work they do. So, he’s going to check because a hard surface. This is a hard surface I guess maybe depending on whose hand you’re talking about, right? But this is a hard surface and disinfectant, disinfectant has an unbelievable — it wipes it out. You saw it? Sun and heat, and humidity and you wipe it out. And this is from tests — they’ve been doing these tests for a number of months. And the result — so then I said, ‘Well, how do we do it inside the body or even outside the body with the hands and disinfectant I think would work.’ He thinks it would work. When you use it when you’re doing your hands. I guess that’s one of the reasons they say wash your hands, but whether it’s washing hands or disinfectant on your hands, it’s very good. So, they’re going to start looking at that. And there is a way of, you know, if light — if sun, sun itself that sun has a tremendous impact on or kills it like in one — it goes from what was it? Hours to like one minute instead.
So, I said you got to go back and look, but I’d like them now to look as it pertains to the human body. Not just sitting on a railing or sitting on a wall. I’d like to look as it pertains because maybe there’s something there. They have to work with — I’m not a doctor. They have to work with their doctors. but maybe there is something to light, and the human body, and helping people that are dying.
Jeff Mason: Just to clarify: You’re not encouraging Americans to inject disinfectant?
POTUS: No. Of course not…It was said sarcastically. It was put in the form of a question to a group of extraordinary hostile people. Namely, the fake news media.
Jeff Mason: Some doctors felt you needed to clarify that after your comments.
POTUS: Of course, all they had to do was see just — you know the way it was asked. I was looking at you.
Jeff Mason: No you weren’t sir. I wasn’t there yesterday.
Weijia Jiang: You were looking at Dr. Birx.
POTUS: What’s that?
Weijia Jiang: You were looking at Dr. Birx.
POTUS: I was looking at Bill. I was looking at the doctor. I was looking at some of the reporters. I don’t know if you were there. Were you there?
Weijia Jiang: I was there and I watched you ask her.
POTUS: You were there. You were there. You I never forget.
Jeff Mason: I wasn’t there yesterday.
POTUS: You were not?
Jeff Mason: No sir.
POTUS: Yeah. I didn’t think you were there.
That’s the end of that section of the Oval transcript.
It’s worth re-upping this tweet from CBS’s Weijia Jiang:
NEW: Just now in the Oval Office the President said he asked if people should inject disinfectant sarcastically.
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) April 24, 2020
When I pointed out he asked the medical experts to look into it, he denied it and said it was only a question meant for reporters.
But he was asking Bill Bryan: pic.twitter.com/Q49HkfNZ2A
Updated
Cuomo to McConnell: ‘I dare you’ to let states to go bankrupt
During his daily press briefing on the state’s coronavirus response, New York governor Andrew Cuomo dared Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pass legislation that would allow states to go bankrupt amid the outbreak.
“Pass the law. I dare you,” the governor said. “You want to send a signal to the markets that this nation is in real trouble? I dare you to do that”.
Cuomo then expanded on earlier comments on how the state of New York contributes more to federal budgets than McConnell’s home state of Kentucky:
“New York has bailed you out every year, every year. Mitch McConnell is a taker, not a giver. New Yorker is a state of givers.”
The dare then extended to Donald Trump:
“OK, senator, pass the bill that authorizes states to declare bankruptcy. Sign the bill Mr. President. Good, pass the bill, and let’s watch how the stock market takes off. I got great news about our economic resilience.”
This follows Cuomo’s angry remarks yesterday in reaction to McConnell’s suggestion on Wednesday in an interview that maybe states should be able to go bankrupt and restructure their battered finances that way, rather than take federal coronavirus rescue funds.
Updated
More on what the president of the United States said in the Oval Office moments ago:
"I was asking a sarcastic, & a very sarcastic question, to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside. But it does kill it." -- Trump tries to rewrite history, says he was speaking "sarcastically" when he mused about disinfectant injections being cure for Covid. pic.twitter.com/bWRU8EV6FZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 24, 2020
Trump owes tens of millions to the Bank of China
Politico is reporting despite trying to pin former vice president Joe Biden as ‘Beijing Biden’, “Trump himself is tens of millions of dollars in debt to China.”
The debt is apparent from one of the US president’s New York City buildings, which was refinanced by his real estate partner in 2012. The president owns a 30 percent stake on a loan that matures in 2022.
From Politico:
In 2012, his real estate partner refinanced one of Trump’s most prized New York buildings for almost $1 billion. The debt includes $211 million from the state-owned Bank of China — its first loan of this kind in the U.S. — which matures in the middle of what could be Trump’s second term, financial records show.
Blockbuster story on Trump's deep financial debt to China.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) April 24, 2020
- $200MM loan from the state-owned Bank of China
- State-owned Chinese developers building Trump properties in UAE and Indonesia
- Chinese government awarded several trademarks to @IvankaTrump https://t.co/cQJmVR4xdZ
The Trump campaign provided a statement in response to the scoop:
There is an obvious difference between Donald Trump working as a successful businessman as a private citizen and Hunter Biden using his name to cash in with a $1.5 billion investment from a state-controlled Chinese bank while his father was vice president,’ said Tim Murtaugh, a campaign spokesman.
20 coronavirus cases linked to Wisconsin primary
Wisconsin officials confirmed Friday that, so far, nearly 20 newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus can be traced to the state’s 7 April primary.
“We know that gatherings such as (the election) are detrimental to the efforts to slow the spread of this pandemic,” Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management’s medical director Ben Weston, said in the statement.
Democrats excoriated the state’s Republican-led senate and supreme court for going through with the primary even as the virus spread, including governor Tony Evers, whose last-ditch effort would have postponed the primary until June.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, the Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously to approve a plan that would mail every registered voter in the city an application for an absentee ballot, under an initiative to create a “SafeVote” program.
Along with the absentee ballot applications, every Milwaukeean would also receive a postage-paid envelope for to return it.
The resolution still needs the approval of Democratic mayor Tom Barrett, but the measure could have major implications for the state’s general election, where turnout in the city fell in 2016 to a two-decade low.
A 19 percent drop in turnout among the city’s African American population is largely credited with Donald Trump’s narrow victory in the state over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
As black Americans face disproportionate negative health outcomes from the coronavirus, sending each resident an absentee ballot could stand to protect vulnerable voters from an expected second wave of the outbreak in the fall.
Here’s CBS’s Weijia Jiang on Trump’s assertion just earlier that his comments last night suggesting taking disinfectant internally as a possible coronavirus treatment or cure was simply sarcasm.
NEW: Just now in the Oval Office the President said he asked if people should inject disinfectant sarcastically.
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) April 24, 2020
When I pointed out he asked the medical experts to look into it, he denied it and said it was only a question meant for reporters.
But he was asking Bill Bryan: pic.twitter.com/Q49HkfNZ2A
On disinfectant:
More:
Worth noting, Trump and WH officials have used the "sarcastic" excuse many times before to explain Trump's comments. Examples: https://t.co/8SkPNqTYuX https://t.co/xCM977URFw https://t.co/coFaTnUK7P
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) April 24, 2020
Trump said to pool reporters gathered in the Oval Office for the signing of the legislation just earlier, re his disinfectant suggestion: “I was asking a question just sarcastically, to reporters like you, just to see what would happen.”
Anderson Cooper just said on his show on CNN: “We have the president of the United States just lying, just there. He was lying about that, we witnessed him saying it yesterday to his own task force” about whether there could be analysis of the scope for injecting disinfectant into humans to treat or cure the coronavirus. “We have the tape, we’re going to play it to you,” he said.
It’s right here:
Updated
Trump says disinfectant suggestion was sarcasm
The president caused uproar last night by suggesting that coronavirus could be treated or cured with the application of light onto or inside the human body and the injection of disinfectant.
Today he appears to want to dismiss the disinfectant remark.
Trump telling reporters he was just being "sarcastic" yesterday when he suggested that people could inject themselves with disinfectant as a treatment for coronavirus. per TV pool reporter @weijia (note: in the video it did not appear he was being sarcastic)
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) April 24, 2020
The maker of Lysol put out a warning this morning.
Updated
Trump signs latest coronavirus financial rescue bill
Donald Trump signed the $484 billion bill moments ago to aid employers and hospitals under stress from the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 50,000 Americans and devastated broad swaths of the US economy.
The bill is the latest effort by the federal government to help keep afloat businesses that have had to close or dramatically alter their operations as states try to slow the spread of the virus, The Associated Press writes.
Over the past five weeks, roughly 26 million people have filed for jobless aid, or about 1 in 6 US workers.
Updated
Cuomo says coronavirus reached New York from Europe
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said today that “the horse had already left the barn” by the time the US responded to the coronavirus pandemic.
He also pointed out that strains of the coronavirus that first infected his state’s residents came from Europe, not China, and that the restrictions on travelers to the US from China announced by Donald Trump on January 31 and implemented on February 2 came too late to halt the spread of Covid-19.
“We closed the front door with the China travel ban, which was right, but we left the back door open,” Cuomo told a daily briefing.
Recap of the day so far
Here is what we’ve covered thus far today:
- The US has reached 50,000 coronavirus deaths
- Georgia hurried to reopen despite a jump in coronavirus cases
- Atlanta’s mayor is fighting against racists attacks for encouraging residents
- The EPA and Lysol manufacturers warned against disinfectant use
- One in four Americans reported a job loss in the household
- Trump announced the US is working with Ecuador to combat the outbreak
- Hillary Clinton warned Americans against poisoning themselves
Updated
Breaking: AP reports US surpasses 50,000 coronavirus deaths
The AP is reporting that US deaths from the coronavirus had surpassed 50,000, Friday. The number is based on a Johns Hopkins University database tracking the virus’ spread.
The Guardian’s Jessica Glenza with more on the controversial drugs hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin:
A new letter published in the journal Nature describes how hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin – an anti-malarial medication and an antibiotic – may increase the risk of “sudden cardiac death” for Covid-19 patients.
The combination has been touted by Donald Trump as a “cure” for Covid-19, despite a near total lack of scientific study on the safety and efficacy in coronavirus patients. The drugs came of interest after a “misleading” French study, according to earlier Guardian reporting.
In the letter to Nature, which unlike a study is not peer-reviewed, a New York City doctor described 84 Covid-19 patients’ reaction to a five-day, twice daily regimen of the drugs. The patients’ were monitored on electrocardiogram. Both drugs have independently been shown to increase patients’ risk of “drug-induced sudden cardiac death”.
Among the patients, nine showed signs of potentially severe heart “malignant arrhythmia” which could increase risk of cardiac arrest, although none had heart attacks. At the end of the study, four patients had died of multi-organ failure, 16 patients were discharged and another 64 remained in hospital at the time the letter was submitted.
The authors concluded patients on the regimen need to be “constantly monitored” for heart problems.
Updated
Hillary Clinton: 'Don't poison yourself'
The former first lady and US secretary of state weighed in on the Donald Trump’s incoherent suggestions that sunlight, UV rays and disinfectants could be used to treat patients battling the coronavirus.
Please don’t poison yourself because Donald Trump thinks it could be a good idea.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 24, 2020
The president’s remarks appear to be derived from Department of Homeland Security’s William Bryan, who said at Thursday’s White House briefing that researchers see “emerging results” suggesting solar light has a powerful effect in killing the virus on surfaces and in the air, not humans.
Updated
American factories face second-largest order decline in history
A new report from the US Commerce Department showed orders for big-ticket manufactured goods plunged 14.4 percent in March, the second-largest decline on record.
From the AP:
The March decline was surpassed only by an 18.4 percent drop in August 2014. The report Friday from the Commerce Department showed widespread weakness, with demand for motor vehicles and commercial airliners both tumbled.
Commerce’s numbers followed a report that manufacturing production collapsed in March, with declines that have not been seen since the country demobilized after World War II.
Trump says US working with Ecuador to combat country's outbreak
The president tweeted:
Great conversation with President Lenin Moreno of the Republic if Equador. We will be sending them desperately needed Ventilators, of which we have recently manufactured many, and helping them in other ways. They are fighting hard against CoronaVirus!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 24, 2020
Ecuador had been hit hard by the coronavirus with more than 11,000 confirmed cases. The virus had been confirmed as the cause of 560 deaths, and more are suspected.
Interior minister María Paula Romo told The Guardian the true number was probably much higher, saying “the number of deaths is totally out of the ordinary”.
The US is struggling as well, despite Trump’s commitment to sending supplies to the embattled South American nation, the US is currently experiencing a shortage of ventilators, masks and other supplies as experts estimate the US is behind daily testing targets by the millions.
Backlash over stimulus loan applications despite business’s bailout criticism
Businesses representing a diverse political spectrum are drawing ire for applying for loans from the Small Business Administration’s stimulus package despite a history of strong governmental rebuke.
Two of those businesses include FreedomWorks, a conservative operation that advocates small government and made its name opposing bailouts, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center on the left.
SCOOP: At least two conservative groups backing TRUMP's re-opening push — @FreedomWorks & @LibertyCounsel — have applied for @SBAgov loans.
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) April 24, 2020
FreedomWorks application is notable, since:
1) it opposed past bailouts.
2) it's organizing coronavirus protests. https://t.co/bHik0bKWXJ
From the New York Times:
The groups on the left may be more comfortable than those on the right with the idea of federal government assistance, but accepting help from an administration they regularly criticize has left them debating how to balance their independence with their ability to keep functioning during an economic crisis.
Despite being a strong supporter of limited government and free enterprise, FreedomWorks president Adam Brandon told the Times “I would love someone to give us free cash,” in working with Donald Trump to reopen the economy.
One in four Americans say coronavirus costs job of someone in their home
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found one-in-every-four American adults say someone in their household has lost a job to the coronavirus pandemic.
From the AP:
Forty-six percent of all Americans say their household has experienced some form of income loss from layoffs, reduced hours, unpaid leave or salary reductions.
Still, Americans remain mostly optimistic about the economy.
The AP reported 71 percent of Americans describe the national economy as poor, up from 60 percent three weeks ago and 33 percent in January. More than 60 percent called their personal financial situation good, largely unchanged since before the virus outbreak began.
The country is split on whether the economy will rebound over the next year, however. Forty-five percent of respondents expected the economy to improve, while 37 percent say it will worsen.
Just 17 percent expect it to stay the same.
Updated
Atlanta mayor targeted with racists threats
Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shared on Twitter the backlash she’s receiving on account of keeping the city closed, despite governor Brian Kemp order to reopen businesses.
One racist text required a discussion with her 12-year-old son after it was sent to the pair.
With my daughter looking over my shoulder, I received this message on my phone. I pray for you.
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) April 23, 2020
“Conscientious stupidity or sincere ignorance.”
~Martin Luther King, Jr. pic.twitter.com/dOimv9sdN3
The mayor told CNN on Friday:
“I see racism in 2020, people feel empowered to speak hate. It saddened me. There is someone or some entity attempting to make this pandemic about something else, but this is impacting all of us.”
The mayor vowed that racism wouldn’t stop her from protecting her constituents. “We are not cowards. Cowards don’t run for office,” she said.
Lance Bottoms went on to remind Georgians to “just stay home” on Good Morning America Friday.
Listen to the scientists. There is nothing essential about going to a bowling alley or getting a manicure in the middle of a pandemic. Any type of relief in the situation is because we have been aggressive, especially in Atlanta, with the social distancing.
Updated
Doctor’s discomfort with Trump goes viral
Coronavirus response coordinator, Dr Deborah Birx, looked uncomfortable when Donald Trump referred to sunlight as a possible treatment in the outbreak. A tweet featuring a video of Birx’s body language during Trump’s remarks about UV lights went viral.
From CNN’s Daniel Lewis:
Here is Dr. Birx's reaction when President Trump asks his science advisor to study using UV light on the human body and injecting disinfectant to fight the coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/MVno5X7JMA
— Daniel Lewis (@Daniel_Lewis3) April 24, 2020
Trump was apparently referencing light treatments to help the infected. “You’re going to have to use medical doctors, right, but it sounds interesting to me,” he said.
Dr Birx only offered a mild retort to the president’s inaccurate suggestions, noting she hadn’t heard light used “as a treatment a treatment before but “certainly fever is a good thing.”
“When you have a fever, it helps your body respond,” she said. “But not as, I’ve not seen heat or light.”
EPA warns against bodily disinfectant use
The Environmental Protection Agency is reminding people to only use disinfectant on surfaces, issuing an update after Donald Trump suggested it might be helpful to inject disinfectant to combat the coronavirus.
The EPA says: “Never apply the product to yourself or others. Do not ingest disinfectant products.”
Reckitt Benckiser, which manufactures Lysol and Dettol, also put out a statement discouraging unintended use.
“As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).”
The company added it had a “responsibility in providing consumers with access to accurate, up-to-date information as advised by leading public health experts.”
William Bryan of the Department of Homeland Security said at a White House briefing on Thursday “emerging results” from new research suggest solar light has a powerful effect in killing the virus on surfaces and in the air.
But he said there was no consideration of internal use of disinfectants. Trump’s hypothesis drew a flood of comments on Twitter.
Updated
Georgia begins reopening businesses today
After Georgia governor, Republican Brian Kemp lifted a month-long stay-at-home order, the AP reports some salons, gyms and other close-contact services in Georgia are preparing to open today:
David Huynh had 60 clients booked for appointments Friday at his nail salon in Savannah. He said that’s less than half the customers he would normally see. But he’s also starting back with fewer nail technicians to allow for empty work stations between them.
Still, many business owners planned to remain closed in spite of the governor’s insisting that new cases have leveled off enough for barbers, tattoo artists, massage therapists and personal trainers to return to work .
The reopening also comes as experts warn of a potential new surge in coronavirus infections.
Hello!
I’m Kenya Evelyn kicking off our live blog today. What’s on tap? We’re following Donald Trump’s signing ceremony of the second economic stimulus package, expected at midday, and of course, all the latest on states and federal efforts to combat the US coronavirus outbreak.
Thanks for following along with us today, stay tuned for more.
Georgia hurries to reopen, as US coronavirus cases approach one million
Good morning, US blog readers, it’s Friday but that’s not going to slow the news cycle, so stay tuned for up-to-the-minute developments.
The state of Georgia is first to venture out from effective coronavirus lockdown this morning, allowing a host of businesses to reopen despite warnings against the move from public health officials, city mayors and even the president (who had earlier encouraged Georgia and other states to reopen).
This as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US comes close to a million and the official number of deaths is poised to reach 50,000. The unofficial totals of both cases and deaths are likely to be much higher, public health officials believe, especially in New York, the center of the US outbreak.
At 12pm Donald Trump will sign the latest rescue package bill passed by the House yesterday that provides a further $484bn in funds for small businesses, as well as hospitals and the sorely-needed ramping up of coronavirus testing.
The manufacturer of the popular home disinfectant brands Lysol and Dettol – Reckitt Benckiser – warned people against using disinfectants to treat the coronavirus, after Donald Trump suggested at the White House briefing last night that researchers try putting disinfectants into patients’ bodies. Experts immediately went public warning of the dangers.
“Under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route),” the company said.
And presumptive Democratic 2020 nominee Joe Biden said at a fundraiser last night that he believes Trump is going to try to delay the November presidential election, in order to offset the damage to his chances of re-election amid a tanked economy, following a botched response the outbreak of the pandemic.
Updated
