Summary
- Donald Trump repeated misleading and false claims at a coronavirus briefing. During the briefing, the president invited several executives — including My Pillow CEO and Trump rally fixture Mike Lidell — to tout their coronavirus efforts.
- Even as US hospitals complained of shortages and struggles, Trump boasted that the US would soon have a surplus, and be able to provide millions in aid to Italy, France and Spain. He came under fire today over reports that the US provided nearly 18 tons of ventilators and other equipment to China, weeks after the first cases were reported in Washington state.
- Judges in Texas and Ohio temporarily overrode efforts to ban abortions during the coronavirus pandemic. A federal judge in Texas ruled that only the Supreme Court can decide if states are allowed to restrict abortion access during a national emergency. Conservative lawmakers have tried to block abortions by asserting that they do not constitute an “essential” health care service.
-
Joe Biden called on Trump to move “more rapidly” against coronavirus. The Democratic frontrunner has also demanded that Trump use the powers of the Defense Production Act to speed up the production of medical equipment.
-
The governors of Virginia and Maryland issued “stay at home” orders, as the number of coronavirus cases in the Washington metropolitan area continues to rise.
Here’s the full story on Trump’s latest briefing:
Updated
Feds rescinds reservation status for Mashpee Wampanoag land
Late Friday afternoon, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs notified the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe that it would revoke reservation status for 300 acres of tribal land, and remove it from the federal trust, according to Cedric Cromwell, the tribe’s chairman.
“The steps being taken right now – in the middle of a nationwide pandemic – to disestablish our reservation and take our land out of trust has created a crisis on top of a crisis,” Cromwell said in a statement. “We now have no choice but to divert precious resources from COVID-19 to address this unwarranted attack on our sovereignty.”
When the federal government holds tribal land “in trust”, it allows the tribe special legal status and autonomy over that land. In February, a US appeals court upheld a lower court decision declaring that the federal government didn’t have the authority to take the 300 acres of land in Massachusetts into trust.
In Texas and Ohio, abortion providers gain temporary relief
In Texas, a federal district judge granted abortion providers a temporary restraining, allowing them to continue through April 13, after attorney general Ken Paxton sought to ban abortion access during the coronavirus pandemic, saying it did not qualify as “essential” health care.
In Ohio, a judge struck down a similar policy put forth by the state’s health department.
“Patients will suffer serious and irreparable harm,” said Judge Lee Yeakel of the Western District of Texas. Only the Supreme Court has the power to decide whether a ban on abortions during a national crisis is constitutional, Yeakel said.
Women’s health advocates are seeking similar rulings in Oklahoma, Iowa, and Alabama, which have also sought to restrict abortion access amid the pandemic.
Senators, they’re just like us!
Many of us who are sheltering in place, or under quarantine, have sought artistic outlets for our anxieties. Senator Cory Booker has turned to poetry.
Some late night writing: pic.twitter.com/uwcY3yEH1e
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) March 30, 2020
“We can’t touch/But we still reach out,” Booker writes. “We are distant/But we stand together.”
Report: Trump dismissed rural governors' need for medical supplies
“I haven’t heard about testing in weeks,” Donald Trump told the governors of rural states, who are requesting medical supplies and testing equipment, according to an audio recording of the call between the president and governors obtained by CBS News.
LISTEN: A portion of President Trump’s call today with state governors. @GovernorBullock raises concerns about testing in his state in response to a question from Dr. Fauci. Trump responds, “I haven’t heard anything about testing being a problem.” https://t.co/c9AelkeH9j
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) March 30, 2020
My colleague Oliver Milman recently pulled out some of Donald Trump’s most common coronavirus claims, including, “Anybody that needs a test gets a test...And the tests are beautiful” and, “I’ve always viewed it as very serious.”
Take a look:
The president finished speaking a while back, but. we’ve just now finished fact-checking his words — for now. Please reach out to me via Twitter (@maanvisings) if you spotted any other statements from the president that you’d like us to vet.
Updated
Fact check: Are American coronavirus tests better?
“Our testing is also better than any country in the world,” Trump bragged.
In fact, some of the initial coronavirus tests sent out to states were seriously flawed – some did not even work. Part of the problem came from the CDC insisting it would manufacture the tests itself.
Other countries – after their first coronavirus case – swiftly asked private companies to develop their own tests. South Korea, which recorded its first case on the same day as the US, did so within a week
The US only allowed laboratories and hospitals to conduct their own tests on February 29, almost six weeks after the first case was confirmed.
“The federal agency shunned the World Health Organization test guidelines used by other countries and set out to create a more complicated test of its own that could identify a range of similar viruses,” ProPublica reported.
Updated
Even as US hospitals report shortages and struggles, Trump boasted during the briefing that the US is “going to be sending approximately $100 million worth of things, of surgical and medical and hospital things to Italy.”
“And Giuseppe was very, very happy, I will tell you that, they’re having a very hard time,” the president said. Trump said he had spoken with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and made the pledge.
It’s unclear why Trump is emphasizing aid to other counties, which he has often opposed and runs counter to his principle of “America first”. His administration came under criticism today amid reports that the government sent nearly 17.8 tons of medical supplies to China—including masks and respirators— weeks after the first cases of coronavirus were reported in the US.
Trump, you incompetent idiot! You sent 18 tons of PPE to China early but ignored warnings & called COVID19 concerns a hoax. You've endangered doctors, nurses, aids, orderlies, & janitors - all risking their lives to save ours. Pray 4 forgiveness for the harm that you're causing!
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) March 30, 2020
“Trump, you incompetent idiot!”, said Maxine Waters, a democratic representative of California, in a tweet criticizing the move.
The president defended saying, a month ago, that a “miracle” would bring the number of coronavirus cases down to “I could cause panic,” he said. “But I don’t want to do that.”
Fact check: Is testing in the US on par with other countries?
Trump was asked when the US will catch up with South Korea and other countries in terms of testing per capital. “It’s very much on par,” Trump says of the US testing numbers.
To repeat a point from earlier: The US, as of Monday afternoon, had conducted about 287 tests per 100,000 people in the US (with huge variations depending on the county, city and state). This compares to 709 per 100,000 in South Korea and 600 per 100,000 in Italy.
Fact check: Population of Seoul, South Korea
“Do you know how many people there are in Seoul? 38 million,” Trump said, emphasizing that people are “packed in there”.
In fact, the population of Seoul is 9.7m. It is unclear where Trump got his figure.
Updated
Fact check: Ventilator stockpile
Trump touted the US stockpile of 10,000 ventilators. But experts say that the government’s secretive stockpile of medicines, vaccines, protective clothing and equipment, stashed in a dozen warehouses across the country, isn’t enough to meet the demand for medical equipment needed to treat coronavirus patients. State governors, including Andrew Cuomo of New York, have asked for tens of thousands of ventilators.
In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, public health experts wrote: “The national strategic reserve of ventilators is small and far from sufficient for the projected gap. No matter which estimate we use, there are not enough ventilators for patients with Covid-19 in the upcoming months.”
Trump said that he’s discussed national stay-at-home orders, but for now is leaving it up to governors. “Well we’ve talked about it, there are obviously there are some parts of the country that are in far deeper trouble than others,” he said.
A nationwide quarantine would be “very unwieldy, very tough to enforce” but “if we do that, we’ll let you know,” the president said.
Updated
“I have some friends that are unbelievably sick,” Trump said. “In one case he’s unconscious. In a coma. And you say, how did that happen.”
This isn’t time that Trump has mentioned unnamed friends who have been affected by coronavirus in different measures.
Updated
Among the corporate representatives that Trump has invited to speak today is Mike Lidell, a fixture at Trump rallies and the CEO of My Pillow.
Lidell said his company is assisting in the coronavirus efforts by producing face masks, and designating “some of its call centers to help US companies navigate the many issues that resulted from this pandemic”.
The briefing is ostensibly meant to update the press and the public on the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis. Today, the briefing has become a platform for businesses to promote themselves, as one by one, “some of the greatest business executives in the world” — according the president — take the podium.
Updated
Trump said that the US production of ventilators will ramp up sufficiently to supply some other countries, including Italy and Spain. The president has repeatedly marveled at why US hospitals would need thousands of ventilators — which healthcare providers need to help coronavirus patients with severe symptoms breathe.
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine published on Wednesday 25 March categorically concluded that the US does not have enough ventilators to treat patients with Covid-19 in the coming months.
The authors, American public health experts, wrote: ‘There is a broad range of estimates of the number of ventilators we will need to care for U.S. patients with Covid-19, from several hundred thousand to as many as a million. The estimates vary depending on the number, speed, and severity of infections, of course, but even the availability of testing affects the number of ventilators needed.... current estimates of the number of ventilators in the United States range from 60,000 to 160,000, depending on whether those that have only partial functionality are included. The national strategic reserve of ventilators is small and far from sufficient for the projected gap. No matter which estimate we use, there are not enough ventilators for patients with Covid-19 in the upcoming months.”
Ford today announced it will work with GE to make ventilators. And GM announced on Friday that it will start manufacturing ventilators in April on behalf of Ventec Life Systems.
Fact check: Hydroxychloroquine cure
Trump said the government is testing hydroxychloroquine, a common anti-malaria drug he has previously touted as a potential cure.
Public health experts including his own top infectious diseases adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, have previously warned that there was only “anecdotal evidence” that the drugs could be helpful. My colleague Oliver Milman reported that a French study of 40 coronavirus patients found that half experienced clearing of their airways after being given hydroxychloroquine. Experts have warned that the study is small and lacks sufficient rigor to be classed as evidence of a potential treatment. The French health ministry has warned against the use of hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19.
Last week, an Arizona man died and his wife was left in critical condition after the couple took chloroquine phosphate, an additive used to clean fish tanks that is also found in the anti-malaria treatment promoted by Trump. “Trump kept saying it was basically pretty much a cure,” the woman told NBC, before advising: “Don’t take anything. Don’t believe anything. Don’t believe anything that the president says and his people … call your doctor.”
The surge in demand for the unproven hydroxychloroquine also risks shortages of the drug for those who need it most. It is used to help patients manage the chronic autoimmune disease lupus, but some are already complaining the drug is harder to come by. Trump’s pushing of the treatment has reportedly caused stockpiling of hydroxychloroquine.
Updated
The president is touting new tests from Abbott Laboratories, which said on Friday it won US marketing approval for a coronavirus diagnostic test within 15 minutes.
In Rose Garden, Trump shows off Coronavirus test which can be performed within about five to 15 minutes. pic.twitter.com/m7GHDd7CRY
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) March 30, 2020
Abbott said plans to start distributing the this week and will ramp up manufacturing to 50,000 tests per day.
Fact check: Testing
Trump said more than one million Americans have now been tested for the coronavirus. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar then said this was more than any other country. But the US has conducted far fewer tests per capita given the US population is over six times larger than South Korea’s.
As of Monday afternoon, the United States, with a population of 329 million, had administered at least 944,854, according to the Covid Tracking Project, a group led by Alexis Madrigal, a staff writer for The Atlantic magazine, with more than 100 volunteers that compiles coronavirus testing data from states.
This equates to 287 tests per 100,000 people in the US (with huge variations depending on the county, city and state) compared to 709 per 100,000 in South Korea and 600 per 100,000 in Italy.
About 65,000 coronavirus tests a day are currently being done on Americans — a massive rise from 10 days ago. But there’s huge variation from state to state, and public health experts reckon 150,000 tests are needed every day so that infected patients can be identified quickly, traced and quarantined
To match South Korea’s testing rate, the US would have needed to conduct another 2 million tests.
Updated
Coronavirus briefing begins
Trump is addressing reporters outside today. And he’s practicing a bit of social distancing for a chance, standing at the podium alone.
“This is a very vital 30 days. We’re sort of putting it all on the line,” he said in the White House Rose Garden. He said Easter, which he’d had previously marked as the day he wanted to scale back distancing measures, will be when the disease will peak.
Updated
Hey! It’s Maanvi Singh, blogging from the West Coast. Donald Trump and the Coronavirus Task Force are about to deliver one of their regular briefings. My colleague Adam Gabbatt and I will be providing you with live fact checks.
White House news conference at 5:00 P.M. Eastern. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2020
Today so far
That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague Maanvi Singh will take over for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- Joe Biden called on Trump to move “more rapidly” against coronavirus. The Democratic frontrunner has also demanded that Trump use the powers of the Defense Production Act to speed up production of medical equipment.
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned “no American is immune” to this virus. The governor predicted his state’s desperate situation would not be “an anomaly” and said New York could prove to be “the canary in the coalmine” of this pandemic.
- Nancy Pelosi ruled out the possibility of the House moving toward remote voting, even as several members have reported contracting coronavirus.
- Trump called Pelosi a “sick puppy” in an interview, lashing out against the House speaker after she said the president was responsible for coronavirus deaths because of his administration’s slow response to the pandemic.
- The governors of Virginia and Maryland issued “stay at home” orders, as the number of coronavirus cases in the Washington metropolitan area continues to rise.
Maanvi will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated
The Dow rose nearly 700 points, even as more layoffs were announced in connection to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, the Dow saw its best week since 1938, apparently shaking off the report of record-high unemployment claims.
Unemployment numbers are expected to climb once again this week, as major employers like Macy’s announce plans to dismiss many workers.
Biden urges Trump to move 'more rapidly' on coronavirus
Joe Biden said Donald Trump must move “more rapidly” in the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic quickly spreading across the US.
“We know from experience that speed matters,” Biden said in an interview on MSNBC on Monday afternoon. “We know that you can’t go too fast. It’s about going too slow.”
Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, implored Trump to use the federal Defense Production Act “more aggressively” and said that if he were president he would “surge” more medical supplies and equipment to the most devastated states, such as New York.
He also endorsed an idea from New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who has asked the federal government to send life-saving ventilators and other equipment to his state – the worst hit in the US – and when it is under control New York can send the equipment to other states as they need it.
"The president has to stop the belittling of the governors with whom he disagrees," says Joe Biden. "Get the help to where it's needed now."
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 30, 2020
"They should let Dr. Fauci and the experts run the show." pic.twitter.com/qKhSdFtaoP
If elected, Biden said his team has already discussed how swiftly they could replace the pandemic office in the White House, which was shut down by the Trump administration in a reorganization in 2018.
Asked about Trump’s comments about him on Fox & Friends, Biden said it “didn’t warrant a response. It’s bravado. It’s a bunch of malarkey, as they say in my family.”
He called on Trump to stop the attacks and criticism of those who don’t agree with him and instead to “step up and do your job”.
Biden said: “The president has to stop the belittling of the governors with whom he disagrees. Stop making accusations that somehow some New York hospitals, they all of a sudden need more masks, we ought to investigate them ... That is bizarre – absolutely bizarre.”
Biden said the current crisis, which has exposed severe cracks in the US healthcare system, has not made him reconsider his opposition to a government-run healthcare system like Medicare for All. “Single-payer will not solve that at all,” he said.
At the end of the interview, after being asked about his fading presence on the national stage, Biden quipped: “Thanks for giving me the time so they don’t wonder where I am!”
On Monday, Biden’s campaign also launched a new podcast called “Here’s the deal.” The first episode features Ron Klain, the former White House Ebola Response coordinator who is advising the campaign on the coronavirus outbreak, to discuss Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
Updated
Pelosi rules out remote voting amid pandemic
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ruled out the possibility of lawmakers moving toward remote voting amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“There is no way we can engage in remote voting,” Pelosi said on a call with reporters. “Let’s not waste time on something that is not going to happen.”
The California Democrat said remote voting may be a possibility “way down the road,” but it won’t be an option in the next couple of months.
House Democrats added they are already looking at another bill to address fallout from the pandemic, just days after passing the $2 trillion stimulus package.
Pelosi said the next bill could include provisions on clean water improvement, rural broadband and infrastructure, among other things.
The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:
North Carolina is making it easier to register to vote online amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The state’s board of elections announced Monday they would make it easier for people to register to vote or update their information online if they are already in the state’s DMV database.
The state did not previously have full-blown online voter registration, but allowed people to register if they were completing a DMV transaction online. The state will now allow people, free of charge, to submit a voter registration or update existing information, even if they aren’t completing a DMV transaction. Only people who have an identification card issued by the state DMV can use the online portal, those without one still have to register using a paper form or in person.
The change comes as elections officials around the country are seeking to expand opportunities to register to vote and cast a ballot amid the covid-19 pandemic. Several voter registration efforts around the country have already been severely harmed.
Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia offered online voter registration as of January, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Here’s the latest New Yorker cover.
This week’s cover, “Bedtime," by Chris Ware: https://t.co/775s0pKjaR pic.twitter.com/0D0Tzm5HHR
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) March 30, 2020
Enough said.
The Guardian’s Mario Koran writes that California, bracing for a surge on the healthcare system, is moving to meet demands on resources, hospital beds, and the health care professionals needed to meet the surge.
Speaking from an afternoon press conference now underway, California governor Gavin Newsom announced today they’re easing some restrictions on health care facilities that will allow them to temporarily forego things like required professional-to-patient ratios.
Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference at the Bloom Energy Sunnyvale campus in Sunnyvale, California, on Saturday. The fuel cell generator company is now refurbishing ventilators. Photograph: Beth LaBerge/KQED PHOTOS/EPA
Newsom also said the state is seeking help from medical professionals who have recently retired, and those who are nearing completion of nursing and medical degrees.
About 170 of the ventilators the federal government sent Los Angeles County were found to be not working, Newsom said over the weekend, and the ventilators were sent to a Silicon Valley company for repairs.
Newsom said Monday the company was making fast work of the repairs.
A Florida sheriff today sought an arrest warrant for the pastor of a megachurch after officials said he held two services with hundreds of people and violated a safer-at-home order put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The AP writes:
Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news conference Monday that he was negotiating with the attorney of pastor Rodney Howard-Browne to turn himself in to authorities in Hernando County, where he lives. Chronister added that the pastor has “an arsenal of weaponry” and “a vast security force.”
“We’re allowing him to turn himself in. If he doesn’t, then we’re going to be forced to be police officers and go get him, and law enforcement is highly trained to handle it appropriately,” the sheriff said.
Chronister said his command staff met with The River at Tampa Bay Church leaders about the danger they are putting themselves - and their congregation - in by not maintaining appropriate social distancing, but Howard-Browne held the services. The Sheriff’s Office also placed a digital sign on the road near the church driveway that said “practice social distancing.”
“Shame on this pastor, their legal staff and the leaders of this staff for forcing us to do our job. That’s not what we wanted to do during a declared state of emergency,” Chronister said. “We are hopeful that this will be a wakeup call.”
The church has said it sanitized the building, and the pastor said on Twitter that the church is an essential business. He also attacked the media for “religious bigotry and hate.”
The county and governor’s orders require gatherings, including those held by faith-based groups, be fewer than 10 people to limit the spread of Covid-19.
As recently as last year, Howard-Browne’s church hosted an event with Paula White Cain, who was named an advisor leading Donald Trump’s Faith and Opportunity Initiative. She’s also an unofficial spiritual advisor to the president.
California coronavirus hospitalizations double
California Governor Gavin Newsom said at a press conference moments ago that the number of Covid-19 hospitalizations in the state had doubled over the past four days.
The number of ICU patients tripled during that time, Reuters writes.
Newsom did not immediately give figures for those totals. One of our reporters on the west coast will bring us more details shortly.
Updated
The House is not expected to return to session until April 20, giving lawmakers at least three weeks away from Capitol Hill.
House majority leader Steny Hoyer sent that notice to members earlier today, as several lawmakers have reported contracting coronavirus.
The House passed the $2 trillion coronavirus package on Friday, and Hoyer’s office said members would receive “sufficient notice” if they needed to return to Washington to pass “critical legislation related to the coronavirus response.”
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who said she has been diagnosed with a presumed coronavirus infection, was in Washington on Friday for the House vote on the stimulus package.
The New York Democrat delivered a floor speech and attended the House speaker’s signing ceremony after the bill’s passage.
Velazquez’s movements raise concerns that she may have passed the virus on to other lawmakers, as several members of Congress have already reported contracting coronavirus.
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez said she has been diagnosed with presumed coronavirus and is self-isolating at home.
I have been diagnosed with presumed coronavirus infection. My symptoms are mild. I am isolating myself at my home and following the guidance of the Office of Attending Physician.
— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) March 30, 2020
My full statement is below. pic.twitter.com/9TgPXoy9dN
Velazquez represents New York’s 7th Congressional District, which covers parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.
New York City has been hard hit by the pandemic, reporting nearly 800 deaths already, with cases expected to surge over the next couple of weeks.
Virginia governor issues 'stay at home' order
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has issued a statewide “stay at home” order as the Washington metropolitan area sees a surge of coronavirus cases.
The order goes into effect today and “shall remain in full force and in effect until June 10, 2020, unless amended or rescinded by further executive order.”
For those who are asking, this is the final part of Gov. Northam’s order, showing the effective date today & the end date of June 10. pic.twitter.com/EpgrEdZcE6
— Julie Carey (@JulieCareyNBC) March 30, 2020
Meanwhile, however, Liberty University...
Northam’s announcement comes just hours after Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued a similar statewide order, warning the region could be in the next round of coronavirus hot spots.
Hogan said combatting the virus in the DC region should be a top priority for the federal government, considering “a major outbreak among our critical federal workforce could be crippling to the response.”
The Maryland governor said in a Fox News interview earlier today that the number of coronavirus cases in the DC region has more than quadrupled over the past week.
Updated
Amazon workers have walked out at the company’s Staten Island, New York warehouse, demanding increased protective gear and hazard pay as they work through the coronavirus pandemic.
“Since the building won’t close by itself, we’re going to have to force their hand,” Chris Smalls, lead organizer of the Staten Island strike, told CNBC. He added that workers “will not return until the building gets sanitized”.
Instacart delivery workers are also holding a day of protest, calling on the company to do more to protect them from infection as the numbers of Covid-19 cases soar.
Today so far
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that “no American is immune” to coronavirus. New York has seen the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths, but Cuomo predicted the state’s situation would not be “an anomaly” in the country.
- Trump lashed out against Nancy Pelosi in an interview, calling the Democratic House speaker a “sick puppy.” The comment comes after Pelosi said Trump was responsible for coronavirus deaths because of his administration’s slow response to the pandemic.
- Dr Deborah Birx predicted up to 200,000 Americans would die of coronavirus if the country responded “almost perfectly.” But the White House coronavirus response coordinator warned that some Americans do not appear to be taking social distancing guidelines seriously, which could increase the number of fatalities.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo closed his press conference by saying the people of New York are “inspired” by the medical professionals who are on the frontlines against coronavirus.
“We are all in their debt,” Cuomo said. “We respect them, and we love them for what they are doing.”
The governor noted officials needed to repay that debt by ensuring medical professionals have the proper equipment to safely treat coronavirus patients.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the coronavirus statistics from the state are already alarming, and deaths are expected to rise significantly over the next couple of weeks.
“We’ve lost over 1,000 New Yorkers,” Cuomo said. “To me, we are beyond staggering already.”
Cuomo announced today that 1,218 New Yorkers have now died as a result of coronavirus, marking an increase of 253 deaths since yesterday.
Cuomo says he is unafraid to 'tangle' with Trump
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he is not afraid to “tangle” with Trump about the federal government’s response to coronavirus.
“I’m a tangler,” joked the governor, who has called on the federal government to provide more ventilators to his state.
However, Cuomo added the US response to coronavirus cannot get bogged down in partisan bickering.
“This is no time for politics,” the Democratic governor said. “I’m not going to get into a political dispute with the president.”
Cuomo said he was looking for a “partnership” with the federal government to combat the pandemic. “I just want partnership to deal with this,” the governor said. “Forget the politics.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state is creating a stockpile of medical equipment to prepare for the apex of the coronavirus crisis.
Cuomo’s comments come a day after Trump suggested New York was mismanaging its supply of medical eqipment. “Something’s going on, and you ought to look into it,” the president said yesterday. “Where are the masks going? Are they going out the back door?”
Asked about Trump’s comments, Cuomo replied, “I don’t know that means. I don’t know what he’s trying to say. If he wants to make an accusation, then let him make an accusation. But I don’t know what he’s trying to say.”
Overall, New York now has 66,497 cases of coronavirus, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at his press conference.
The virus has now claimed 1,218 lives in the state, up from 965 deaths a day earlier, Cuomo told reporters.
New York has seen far more coronavirus cases and deaths than any other state, accounting for nearly half of the deaths in the country.
Cuomo: 'No American is immune to this virus'
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that the state’s surge of coronavirus cases and deaths could soon be replicated across the country.
“No American is immune to this virus,” Cuomo said. “I don’t care if you live in Kansas. I don’t care if you live in Texas.”
No American is immune.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 30, 2020
What is happening in New York is NOT an anomaly.
We will share the lessons learned here across this country. #COVID19
Cuomo also called on states to share medical professionals as different regions hit their peak number of cases at different points in time.
“In this battle, the troops are our healthcare professionals,” Cuomo said. “We need relief. We need relief for nurses working 12-hour shifts. We need relief for doctors. Help us now and we will return the favor.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo emphasized that his statewide order to stay at home is a mandate, not a recommendation.
“If you leave the house, you are exposing yourself to danger. If you leave the house you are exposing others to danger,” Cuomo said.
“I know staying at home can be boring or oppressive but it’s better than the alternative.”
Cuomo has taken some of the most aggressive steps in the country to mitigate the spread of the virus, banning all gatherings of any number of people.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo noted that more than 9,000 people are currently hospitalized with coronavirus.
“What’s happening in New York is not an anomaly,” Cuomo warned, reitering that the state’s situation is a “canary in the coalmine” for other regions of the country.
The governor said he hopes New York can share lessons about this new virus that will be instructive to other states as they combat the pandemic.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo kicked off his press conference a little early, addressing reporters as the number of coronavirus deaths in the state rises.
Cuomo opened his remarks by noting today is National Doctors Day and thanking the medical professionals who are putting themselves in harm’s way to treat patients.
Cuomo is speaking from the Javits Center in New York City, which has been converted into a hospital and will begin receiving patients today.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will hold his daily press conference in about 20 minutes.
The governor, who has become one of the most recognizable faces of the US response to coronavirus, was on hand for the Navy hospital ship Comfort’s arrival to New York earlier today.
Welcome to New York, @USNSComfort.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 30, 2020
We knew from the outset that expanded hospital capacity was critical.
We asked and the federal government answered.
This ship is a step forward in our fight against Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/r6Hj8NL9JH
Cuomo said he received a briefing about the hospital ship, which will treat non-coronavirus patients to allow New York City’s overrun hopsitals to focus on fighting the virus.
Italy’s rates of new coronavirus cases and ICU admissions appear to be on the decline, providing some much-needed good news to the country that has been most devastated by the pandemic.
Italy is still reporting several hundred deaths a day linked to the virus, but experts say that statistic will likely be the last one to improve.
Italy's 🇮🇹 new registered cases rise by 4.1% today, the lowest since the start of the outbreak.
— Ferdinando Giugliano (@FerdiGiugliano) March 30, 2020
The increase in admissions into ICUs is again very low (~2%)
There are 812 new deaths. This is the most tragic figure, but experts expect it to be the last one to decrease. #Covid_19
Italy has seen more coronavirus deaths than any other country, reporting more than 10,000 fatalities from the virus.
A second United States Capitol Police officer has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus.
The USCP confirmed yesterday that an officer had tested positive and has been in quarantine since March 18.
“The USCP has contacted employees in order to identify individuals who may have been in close contact with the affected employee,” a spokesperon told the Hill.
“The Department has taken, and will continue to take, all the necessary steps to ensure that any affected work areas or facilities were properly cleaned.”
The Capitol will be closed to the public until May 1, but many lawmakers, staffers and reporters were still reporting to work last week, raising concerns about spreading the virus.
The cancelation of Capitol tours has been extended until May 1, according to a new statement from the House Sergeant at Arms and Senate Sergeant at Arms.
The tours were originally scheduled to resume Wednesday, but that timeline seemed unlikely to hold, considering Trump has extended federal social distancing guidelines through April.
“We are taking this temporary action out of concern for the health and safety of congressional employees as well as the public,” the statement said. “We appreciate the understanding of those with planned visits interrupted by this necessary, but prudent, decision.”
Updated
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged the city will almost certainly see a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths in the weeks to come.
“Right now, the toughest weeks are still ahead,” de Blasio said. “But we are grateful to every doctor, every nurse, every ventilator.”
The city has already reported at least 776 deaths from the virus, and de Blasio predicted the worst may not come until the “beginning of May.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said he thinks the state will see its peak of coronavirus cases in the next couple of weeks.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city needs to triple its number of hospital beds by May in order to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio: “We need to triple our hospital bed capacity in New York City by May.” #CheddarLive pic.twitter.com/hpERTyUoVt
— Cheddar🧀 (@cheddar) March 30, 2020
Marking the arrival of the Navy hosptial ship Comfort to New York, de Blasio expressed gratitude to the Navy for offering the ship to the city.
The mayor noted the ship’s arrival was effectively adding a well-run hospital to the city’s medical system as many ICUs report occupancy issues.
The Navy ship will receive non-coronavirus patients to allow New York’s hospitals to focus on treating those who have tested positive for the virus.
Macy’s has announced it is furloughing most of its 130,000 staff. The retailer said it lost “the majority” of its sales after shutting its stores on March 18.
Macy’s is just the latest big employer to announce layoffs. So far retail, leisure and hospitality businesses have been hardest hit by the closures. MGM Resorts begins its layoffs today.
All these losses are likely to be reflected in Thursday’s weekly unemployment claims figures. Last week, a record 3.3 million people filed for benefits and analysts are expecting a sharp increase in that figure this Thursday to 4 million or more.
“We expect to bring colleagues back on a staggered basis as business resumes,” a Macy’s spokesperson said.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is getting high marks for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll.
According to the Siena College survey, 87% of New Yorkers approve of the aggressive steps Cuomo has taken to mitigate the spread of the virus. That number includes 95% of Democrats, 70% of Republicans and 87% of independents.
Cuomo has become one of the faces of the US response to coronavirus thanks to his daily press briefings, where he has pushed the federal government to provide more ventilators and warned residents about the potentially deadly consequences of ignoring social distancing guidelines.
Despite Cuomo’s aggressive response to the virus, New York has seen more coronavirus-linked deaths than any other state. The virus has now claimed the lives of more than 1,000 New Yorkers.
Congressman Mark Meadows, founder of the archconservative Freedom Caucus, will resign from his seat on Monday to officially begin his new role as Donald Trump’s chief of staff, just as public health experts warn the coronavirus pandemic is likely to worsen in the US.
Meadows, who has for years been Trump’s sounding board, will be the president’s fourth chief of staff in as many years. He will take over from Mick Mulvaney, a fellow former Freedom Caucus member who Trump kept in an “acting” capacity until pushing him out earlier this month.
A spokesman for Meadow’s congressional office said on Monday that he had moved to the White House to serve as an advisor to Meadows in his role as White House chief of staff on Monday. CNN reported that Meadows would formally resign on Monday afternoon.
Meadows takes over at a precarious moment for the president and the country, as the coronavirus takes a devastating toll. The US now leads the world in coronavirus cases after a series of missteps and missed opportunities by administration officials. More than 2,500 Americans have died from the disease.
On Sunday, Trump extended social distancing measures through the end of April.
Operating in something of a limbo between the roles, Meadows was present on Capitol Hill for the frenetic negotiations between Congress and the administration over a massive $2tn economic stimulus plan, which was signed into law by Trump on Friday.
Affable and accessible to the press, Meadows initially announced his retirement in December, saying then that he planned to leave Congress at the end of his term. But in his statement then, he teased the opportunity: “My work with President Trump and his administration is only beginning.”
More than 200 million Americans are under stay-at-home orders, as more state and local leaders direct residents to only go outside for essential activities.
That means that 2 out of every 3 Americans is being asked to remain in their homes to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.
Trump also announced yesterday that federal social distancing guidelines would be extended through the month of April, as public health experts expect to see a surge in cases in the next couple of weeks.
Maryland had already closed non-essential businesses to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus, but this “stay at home” order escalates restrictions on state residents.
“We are no longer asking or suggesting that Marylanders stay home,” said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. “We are directing them to do so.”
Hogan warned that violating the order, which directs residents to only leave their homes for essential activities, could result in fines or imprisonment.
Maryland’s “stay at home” order goes into effect at 8 pm tonight, and it orders residents not to leave their homes except for essential activities.
Hogan argued the federal government should prioritize combatting the virus in the DC region because “a major outbreak among our critical federal workforce could be crippling to the response.”
“This is a rapidly escalating situation,” Hogan warned of the number of coronavirus cases in the region.
Maryland governor issues 'stay at home' order
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has issued a statewide “stay at home” order, as the number of cases in the Washington metropolitan area continues to rise.
Governor Hogan issues "Stay at Home" order for entire state. You can not leave your home except for essential reasons: medical care, get food, essential job. pic.twitter.com/0UbaTkcSMk
— FOX Baltimore (@FOXBaltimore) March 30, 2020
Hogan warned in an interview this morning that the DC region could be in the “next wave of hotspots.”
The governor noted the number of coronavirus cases in the region had more than quadrupled over the past week.
“We look a lot where New York was just a couple weeks ago,” the Republican governor said.
The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:
Trump admitted Monday that efforts to make it easier to vote amid the covid-19 pandemic would hurt Republicans.
Trump was referring to Democratic efforts to include provisions in the $2.2 tn stimulus bill to require each state to establish universal vote by mail, early voting, among other measures.
Trump openly admitting if we made voting easier in America, Republicans wouldn't win elections
— Lis Power (@LisPower1) March 30, 2020
Trump: "The things they had in there were crazy. They had levels of voting, that if you ever agreed to it you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again." pic.twitter.com/x5HmX6uogo
“The things they had in there were crazy. They had things, levels of voting that if you’d ever agreed to it, you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again,” Trump said during an appearance on Fox and Friends.
“They had things in there about election days and what you do and all sorts of clawbacks. They had things that were just totally crazy and had nothing to do with workers that lost their jobs and companies that we have to save.”
Trump’s comments underscore widespread GOP-opposition to measures that make it easier to vote. House Democrats pushed the provisions as states around the country have struggled to balance restrictions on social gatherings with public health risks.
Around the country, poll workers have dropped out on election day over concerns of contracting the virus. The provisions ultimately weren’t included in the bill, but Democrats helped secure $400 million to help states fund elections. While that’s a fraction of the up to $2 billion the Brennan Center for Justice estimates state election officials need, advocacy groups have said they will continue to push for more money.
Updated
The Navy hospital ship Comfort has arrived in New York harbor, where it will help treat non-coronavirus patients to allow the city’s overrun hospitals to focus on combatting the pandemic.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was in New York City to receive a briefing about the hospital ship, which has 1,000 beds, upon its arrival.
The USNS Comfort seen sailing to New York Harbor from a NYS escort vessel.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 30, 2020
The Comfort brings 1,000 much-needed hospital beds & 1,200 personnel to New York. I'll be in NYC to receive a briefing upon its arrival. pic.twitter.com/VpHpjymsow
At least one Republian lawmaker is now suggesting Richard Burr should lose his chairmanship of the Senate intelligence committee because of his suspicious stock trades.
Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida, a close Trump ally, said Republicans “need to do a better job cleaning our own house” after CNN reported the Justice Department is investigating the trades.
How can @senatemajldr justify leaving someone as the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee.....
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 30, 2020
who is being investigated by the FBI for criminally abusing their position for personal, financial gain?!?!#wheresmitch
Republicans need to do a better job cleaning our own house https://t.co/NMU8agPYtg
Burr has called on the Senate ethics committee to investigate the trades, but the panel works slowly and is often reluctant to dole out any kind of punishment.
The Justice Department is now reportedly investigating some lawmakers’ stock trades in the weeks before coronavirus wreaked havoc on US markets.
ProPublica reported earlier this month that Republican senator Richard Burr dumped up to $1.7 million in stock last month, while he was receiving briefings on coronavirus. The transactions raised concerns that lawmakers were trying to profit off the pandemic.
The Justice Department has reached out to Burr about the trades, according to CNN:
The inquiry, which is still in its early stages and being done in coordination with the Securities and Exchange Commission, has so far included outreach from the FBI to at least one lawmaker, Sen. Richard Burr, seeking information about the trades, according to one of the sources. ...
There’s no indication that any of the sales, including Burr’s, broke any laws or ran afoul of Senate rules. But the sales have come under fire after senators received closed-door briefings about the virus over the past several weeks — before the market began trending downward. It is routine for the FBI and SEC to review stock trades when there is public question about their propriety.
Burr has claimed he relied on public reports to guide his stock trades and asked the Senate ethics committee to investigate the matter.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan warned the Washington metropolitan area could be in the “next wave of hotspots.”
The governor told Fox News that coronavirus cases in the region have more than quadrupled over the past week.
“We look a lot where New York was just a couple weeks ago,” the Maryland Republican said.
Maryland has already seen more than 1,200 coronavirus cases and at least 15 deaths linked to the virus.
Hogan is holding a press conference in about a half an hour to give further updates on the state’s response to the pandemic.
I strongly encourage Marylanders to tune in today at 10:45 a.m. for additional announcements regarding COVID-19 in Maryland.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) March 30, 2020
Watch live here on Twitter, Facebook (@GovLarryHogan), or YouTube: https://t.co/qYwocj8CYO pic.twitter.com/0Fq6Jn5FFR
Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin voiced support for providing hazard pay to medical professionals, an idea that Trump also entertained during his “Fox and Friends” interview this morning.
“I think I agree with the president, I think that makes a lot of sense,” Mnuchin said of the proposal. “When we get to the next bill in Congress, that’s definitely something we will put in the next bill.”
During his Fox interview this morning, Trump took a question from a nurse named Wendy, who noted she does not qualify for the coronavirus stimulus bill.
Asked whether he had considered hazard pay, Trump said his administration is “looking at that” and urging hospitals to think about bonuses.
Birx predicts 100,000 to 200,000 coronavirus deaths in US
Dr Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, predicted America would see 100,000 to 200,000 deaths linked to the virus.
"If we do things together well ... we could get in the range of 100,000-200,000 fatalities. We don't even want to see that." -Dr. Birx
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 30, 2020
"You kind of take my breath away with that because what I hear you saying is that's sort of the best case scenario." -@savannahguthrie pic.twitter.com/bridl3WFJQ
“If we do things together well, almost perfectly, we could get in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 fatalities,” Birx told NBC News this morning.
Birx warned some Americans may not be taking social distancing guidelings as seriously as they should, saying, “The best-case scenario would be 100% of Americans doing precisely what is required, but we’re not sure … that all of America is responding in a uniform way to protect one another.”
Trump similarly said at his White House press conference yesterday that he would consider it a job well done if the US can keep the number of deaths to 100,000.
“And so, if we could hold that down, as we’re saying, to 100,000 – it’s a horrible number, maybe even less, but to 100,000, so we have between 100 [thousand] and 200,000 – we altogether have done a very good job.” the president told reporters.
The Navy hospital ship Comfort is arriving in New York, where it will help treat non-coronavirus patients as the city’s hopsitals grapple with the pandemic.
The USNS Comfort is approaching New York Harbor. The Comfort just raised the NY State flag. pic.twitter.com/wONOwhhpIc
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) March 30, 2020
Both the Comfort and the Mercy, which is now docked in Los Angeles, have 1,000 hospital beds and 12 operating rooms to attend to patients who are not infected with the virus.
The extra beds are desperately needed, especially in New York, where ICUs are already facing occupancy issues, even though the city has likely not yet hits its peak of coronavirus cases.
This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Martin Pengelly.
Joe Biden has launched a new podcast, and the first episode is unsurprisingly about coronavirus and Trump’s response to the pandemic.
The Democratic presidential candidate sat down with Ron Klain, his former chief of staff and the former White House Ebola response coordinator.
In the interview, Biden spoke about his campaign suspending all in-person events in recent weeks amid the pandemic. “It’s just not worth it to go out there and take a chance at getting sick or further spreading the virus,” Biden said.
The former vice president also issued a statement last night calling on Trump to use the Defense Production Act in the next 48 hours to speed up the production of medical supplies.
One last question: how can we pray for you?
Trump would love that, he says, he praises the evangelical communities, the communities of faith who “were on my side in the last election as you know”.
The New York Times reported yesterday on coronavirus cases, fear and confusion among students at the evangelical Liberty University in Virginia, who were told to come back despite the public shutdown.
Here’s our piece about how churchgoers all over the world are ignoring physical distancing advice:
How is the Trump family coping, Kilmeade asks. Trump says his son Barron, 14, is not unhappy with having to be schooled at home.
Now Trump’s on to what he knows about Elmhurst hospital in his native Queens, in New York, and its “body bags and refrigerated trucks”. He discussed that in the Rose Garden yesterday.
Now we’re on to Trump’s end-of-day briefings, of which he is proud in terms of “ratings”. Asked what his message for the American people is right now, he says they are in for a “month of achievement” in the fight against coronavirus.
The big thing is the coronavirus will be gone sooner or later, Trump says, and “hopefully we’ll keep the deaths down to the minimum number”.
Trump is asked again about possible drug treatments for Covid-19.
“First of all we’re going to have a vaccine,” Trump says, although he then says “that’s not for right now.”
He then returns to a subject from the Rose Garden, discussing an unnamed friend who is “heavy and not young” and is “in a coma”.
Trump says he expects to have a good idea about the effectiveness of hydrochloroquinine, the antimalarial drug he has spoken about enthusiastically, “within three days” or so.
Here’s Oliver Milman’s look at Trump’s enthusiasm for the drug and the problems with it:
Kilmeade asks if he will lift sanctions on Russia. “I put the sanctions on, Brian, no one else,” Trump says. It’s not true that Trump is the only person to have sanctioned Russia.
A major rant on foreign policy ensues – Trump is proud that he speaks to US enemies, then goes off on a strange course about how Russia “lost 50m people in world war two” and “now we don’t talk to Russia, we talk to Germany”.
The Fox hosts interrupt him and move on.
Trump to call Putin
Now we’re on to Saudi Arabia and Russia about oil. Trump says that “right after this call I’m talking to a gentleman called Vladimir Putin”, then complains about how he has always been right about the need to get along with Russia.
Trump says he will talk to Putin about oil, about trade – hindered by the “nonsense that has been going on which has turned out to be a hoax”, meaning Robert Mueller’s report, above – and then he diverts to bragging about the strength of the US military.
He’ll also talk to Putin about the coronavirus. “That’s my next call,” he says.
Audience questions now. Trump is asked why airports are still open. He dodges the question.
An email from Wendy, an ER nurse who does not qualify for the stimulus bill. Has he considered hazard pay? “We’re looking at that,” Trump says. He salutes such “really brave people, in fact they’re warriors.”
“We are asking hospitals to consider things including bonuses,” he says.
Back to the civics lesson on the stimulus bill: Trump needed Democratic votes but claims success in removing things which were “totally crazy and had things which had nothing to do with people who lost their jobs”.
An email from Anthony, about truck drivers who need masks. “If they’re in the cab by themselves they should be in great shape,” Trump says. “I know a lot about trucks.”
Trump is really flying here – he’s in his happy place, after all, even if the Fox & Friends hosts are separated and not squashed together on the sofa as usual.
He’s still going. Here’s some relevant reading:
Updated
Brian Kilmeade asks about “the crap” that Democrats got into the stimulus bill, including funding for the Kennedy Center in Washington, which has become a running sore on the political right. How could this be, Kilmeade asks?
“Because we need their votes, they have the House,” Trump says, offering the host a basic lesson in civics.
Trump’s off on a rant after that – the Democrats “want windmills all over the place to ruin everyone’s house and farm”, he says, presumably windmills that cause cancer, and he attacks the Green New Deal too. Of course he does. It’s a disgrace, he says, but “we had to do it to get the deal”. Basic civics, again.
“I’m right on things,” Trump says. “That’s what I do.”
Kilmeade, to his credit, says “it looks like Republicans piled stuff in too”, citing funding won by lawmakers from Kentucky and Utah.
Trump doesn’t engage with that. “It’s a complicated way of screwing things up,” the president says, predicting Republicans will take back the House in November while keeping the Senate and the White House.
Now Trump is asked if Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, would make a better Democratic presidential nominee than Biden, who looks set to take the nomination.
Trump says Cuomo’s high ratings for handling the outbreak are mostly down to the federal response: “We’ve helped make him successful.” Controversial, to say the least.
Trump says he wouldn’t mind running against Cuomo, then attacks “Sleepy Joe” Biden for his supposedly lagging mental acuity.
Trump repeatedly says he has “gotten great marks also” for the outbreak response.
Asked about his shift to a 30 April date for relaxing social guidelines, Trump repeats a line from Sunday – it’s better not to declare victory too soon. He discusses the developing hotspots of the disease, including Louisiana and New Jersey. Both those states have Democratic governors who Trump says he gets on with well. He doesn’t like the Democrats in Michigan and Washington so much, of course.
He also praises the medical ship sent to Los Angeles and says he was there when they sent it out – that was the ship that went to New York.
Fox are asking about the international situation, leading off on Benjamin Netanyahu going into isolation.
While Trump attacks the Washington Post and the New York Times, his favourite targets, it’s worth remembering what Pelosi said about his response to the outbreak. This is from our report yesterday:
“The president’s denial at the beginning was deadly,” the House speaker told CNN’s State of the Union. “His delay in getting equipment to where it’s needed is deadly … As the president fiddles, people are dying.”
Pelosi indicated that an investigation of Trump’s actions would be pursued once the worst of the disaster was over.
“What did he know?” she asked, echoing congressional investigators who brought down Richard Nixon. “When did he know it?”
For now, she said, it was a question of making sure the president stopped failing to act.
“We still don’t have adequate testing,” Pelosi said, “and we still don’t have protective equipment for our health workers who are risking their own lives to save lives.”
Now Trump is asked about the production of direly needed ventilators and other equipment by private companies and his reluctance to use the Defense Production Act, which enables a president to compel companies to work for the national interest.
Biden has said Trump must invoke the DPA in the next 48 hours but Trump says again he doesn’t need to, that the likes of General Motors are now working well with the government, and he doesn’t want to “nationalise the country”.
Trump also repeats a claim that ventilators sent to New York by the federal government were stacked in a warehouse in New Jersey and not used. Governor Cuomo has disputed this but Trump hits it regularly.
Trump also says he has spoken to Boris Johnson and been told the UK needs ventilators, as does everyone else.
Soon ventilators will be “a dime a dozen”, Trump says, accusing New York again of having dropped the ball on the issue before the outbreak.
Here’s Ed Pilkington and Victoria Bekiempis’s report on what Pelosi said yesterday:
“There’s something wrong with the woman,” Trump tells Fox & Friends, returning to familiar complaints against Pelosi including that her city, San Francisco, is supposedly a “slum”. Trump says the federal government may go in there and take over – which would be interesting.
He slams Pelosi again regarding impeachment, which he survived in the Senate.
“She lost,” the president says.
Trump: Pelosi is a 'sick puppy'
Trump answers a question about testing speeds from Dr Oz, a popular TV doctor.
Steve Doocey now asks if this is a “make or break week” for many US businesses, with rent due on 1 April. Trump agrees and says “nobody more worried than me for the country”.
He then boasts about having “the best economy we’ve ever had … and then one day they said, ‘By the way there’s a virus coming in and everyone asked what’s that all about and we had to shut it down.” It’s a familiar response and economists are happy to quibble about the “best economy” claim.
Trump salutes the $2.2tn stimulus bill passed by Congress last week and says he is pursuing a course to ensure the “least death”, saluting the public response. Then he trots out the 2.2m deaths line.
He’s asked about Nancy Pelosi, who he says is “a sick puppy” for saying he is responsible for US deaths because of the administration’s slow and chaotic response to the onset of the coronavirus outbreak.
The House Speaker has “a lot of problems” Trump says, she was “playing the impeachment game where she ended up looking like a fool … impeaches went on for years”. Her statement on Sunday about his culpability was a “disgrace to her family, her country”.
Trump also says she does not credit him for shutting down travel from China early in the outbreak. He did not totally shut down such travel.
The president and the speaker have not spoken in five months, according to reports and Pelosi’s own semi-confirmation on Sunday.
Trump also says “if Sleepy Joe Biden were president, no one would know what was going on”.
Updated
Trump is now talking about tests, new tests being developed and his hope that an antimalarial drug might be used to treat Covid-19. He also repeats that the US has “tested more than anybody in the world by far” – in fact the US does not lead the world in terms of tests per capita, and it is largely agreed that the Trump administration presided over a catastrophically slow start to the testing regime.
Trump now praises Dr Anthony Fauci and Dr Deborah Birx, the public health experts who convinced him not to try to reopen the economy by Easter, and the administration’s response to the crisis in New York.
He repeatedly mentions the new hospital built at the Javits Center in Manhattan by the Army Corps of Engineers, all 2,900 beds of it. He doesn’t mention that it is not for Covid-19 cases but to take pressure off the rest of the healthcare system. Nor does he repeat Sunday’s insinuation that hospitals in New York are stealing or selling face masks.
Trump also says “deaths will be brought down to a very low number”. He doesn’t mention the 200,000 figure predicted by Fauci yesterday or the 2.2m if we do nothing figure Trump repeated in the Rose Garden.
Updated
Do we have enough equipment to handle the coming peak of the crisis, the president is asked.
“We should,” he says, repeating a familiar line about how nobody could ever have seen this coming – in fact, many people charged with preparing the country for such a pandemic did see it coming.
And here comes the claim that this is just like when “the general” told Trump in his first week in office that the US was out of ammunition. It wasn’t.
Here’s Donald…
Before Trump gets on the phone, Fox & Friends is interviewing Guy Fieri, a celebrity chef, about his efforts to support the restaurant industry and those who work in it, all hit horribly hard by the coronavirus shutdown.
There’s more about his grants programme, run with the National Restaurant Association, here. Trump is now trailed for 8am, top of the hour, two minutes from now.
Trump’s due imminently. Meanwhile, worrying news for New Yorkers and others dependent on online shopping and delivery as the outbreak paralyses their city: multiple outlets are reporting that workers at Amazon’s massive facility on Staten Island will stage a walkout today, over inadequate coronavirus protection measures at a warehouse where an employee has tested positive.
This is from the New York Post:
Some 200 employees are expected to walk out at around 12.30pm in protest of Amazon’s decision to keep the Bloomfield warehouse open for business as usual.
“We want the business closed down and sanitized before we return,” said Chris Smalls, a management assistant at the facility who is leading the walkout.
The online retail giant has been “shady and secretive”, about the outbreak, Smalls said – estimating that the real number of workers with the virus is close to seven, not one.
And staffers fear that, at a facility with more than 2,500 full-time employees, the disease will spread “like wildfire”.
“People are scared, supervisors, managers … all levels,” Smalls said. “We’re unsafe. There are thousands of employees at risk.”
Amazon has previously said that the infected employee was last at work on 11 March and is quarantined after receiving medical care. The e-commerce giant advised any workers who were in close contact with the sick employee to stay home for 14 days of paid self-quarantine.
Amazon is not the only online firm facing unrest from uneasy workers and customers. Instacart workers are also preparing to strike on Monday.
This is from CNN Business:
The strike, which is being called for by Instacart shoppers and a newly formed non-profit called Gig Workers Collective, has a list of demands including providing workers with safety items including hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and sprays, hazard pay, and an expansion of its coronavirus pay to include those with underlying health conditions.
The workers specified in a Medium post that they wanted an extra $5 per order and a default tip of at least 10% of the order total.
Good morning…
… and welcome to another day of coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in the US. Joanie Greve will be here later to take you through the day.
The day will likely get off to a lively start, because Donald Trump is due to be interviewed on Fox & Friends at 7.55am ET – not long from now. The Torquemadas of the long beige sofa will no doubt grill the president pitilessly about his administration’s coronavirus respo– … no, not really. The president will take softball after softball and, aiming for the cheap seats, potentially cause news.
After all, in the more august setting of the White House Rose Garden on Sunday night, Trump:
- Extended federal guidelines on social distancing and other measures to fight the outbreak to 30 April, thereby scotching hopes of an Easter reopening of the economy he denied having ever been serious about.
- Denied that he had seriously floated some form of quarantine for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – in fact on Saturday he did, prompting confusion, fear and a furious response from New York governor Andrew Cuomo.
- Implied that 100,000 or 200,000 US deaths from Covid-19, as predicted by Dr Anthony Fauci, would represent a successful government response.
- Implied that New York hospitals were stealing or selling face masks they insist they desperately need.
- Attacked PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor, again, and a representative of CNN, again.
- Bragged about his “ratings” for such briefings being better than “Monday Night Football and the Bachelor finale”.
- And more… here’s David Smith’s full report from the Rose Garden:
There’s a White House briefing on the schedule for today, too – at 5pm ET – so between that and the interview, here’s Oliver Milman’s look at five of the president’s most misleading (and oft-repeated) claims about the coronavirus outbreak and response:
And after all that, more sober and sobering news. Overnight, in figures compiled by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the US passed 2,500 deaths from Covid-19, among nearly 143,000 confirmed cases. According to other counts, New York state counts for 1,000 or more of such deaths. A huge US Navy medical ship, the USNS Comfort, is due to arrive in New York harbor today, to provide relief for a healthcare system under terrible strain.
Updated
