The White House is drawing up long-term plans to punish China as Donald Trump had a high degree of confidence coronavirus originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and not the nearby wet markets, as previously thought. The scientific and intelligence community is investigating if the spread of the pandemic was incompetence or allowed to happen.
General Michael Flynn might get a call up off the bench as Trump would "certainly consider" having him back in the administration, saying he has effectively been exonerated after what those "dirty, filthy cops" did to him.
Trump says Joe Biden should respond to sexual assault allegations made by former aid, Tara Reade, that date back to the early 1990s as more high-profile Democrats came out in support of the presumptive presidential nominee, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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Did anyone else notice this?
Trump: "I think I'm going to Arizona next week."
Arizona: "Stay at home order extended to 15 May."
Arizona: "Stay at home order extended to 15 May."
Hello and welcome to The Independent's rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in the US and the Donald Trump administration's response to it.
Trump lashes out at news anchors in fevered late night tweets
Donald Trump was up late on Twitter again on Wednesday night continuing to stew over negative press coverage of his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, attacking TV news anchors Brian Williams, Don Lemon and Joe Scarborough, saying of the former he is "dumber than hell" and “wouldn’t know the truth if it was nailed to his wooden forehead”.
CNN host Lemon, according to the president, is "the dumbest man on television" while MSNBC's Morning Joe anchor - a semi-regular target of his ire - was given the nickname Joe “What Ever Happened To Your Girlfriend?” Scarborough.
Trump otherwise angrily denied a CNN story alleging that he called up his 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale on Friday night to rage at him (even threatening to sue Parscale) over his dwindling poll numbers while still feeling hurt about the widespread mockery he received for suggesting that knocking back tumblers of bleach and subjecting the body to UV light might be the antidote to Covid-19.
Extraordinary, even for this man.
Donald Trump was up late on Twitter again on Wednesday night continuing to stew over negative press coverage of his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, attacking TV news anchors Brian Williams, Don Lemon and Joe Scarborough, saying of the former he is "dumber than hell" and “wouldn’t know the truth if it was nailed to his wooden forehead”.
CNN host Lemon, according to the president, is "the dumbest man on television" while MSNBC's Morning Joe anchor - a semi-regular target of his ire - was given the nickname Joe “What Ever Happened To Your Girlfriend?” Scarborough.
Trump otherwise angrily denied a CNN story alleging that he called up his 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale on Friday night to rage at him (even threatening to sue Parscale) over his dwindling poll numbers while still feeling hurt about the widespread mockery he received for suggesting that knocking back tumblers of bleach and subjecting the body to UV light might be the antidote to Covid-19.
Extraordinary, even for this man.
President rows back on testing brag as death toll climbs
With the US death toll from the outbreak now soaring beyond 60,000 and Dr Anthony Fauci warning that a second wave of the virus was "inevitable", the president’s latest briefing at the White House on Wednesday saw him refuting a claim he himself had made just a day earlier that the country would “soon” be hitting 5m tests for Covid-19 per day.
He denied he said it, but he sure as heck did, as our video chief Tom Richell amply demonstrates below:
Keen to resume 2020 campaign rallies, Trump also said the government would not be extending its social distancing guidelines expiring on Thursday, alleged that China wants him to lose to Joe Biden in November's presidential election and told Beijing that its failure to warn the world about the coronavirus - as he sees it - had left their deal aimed at reducing trade deficits between the two superpowers "upset very badly".
"China will do anything they can to have me lose this race," he said of the election, before complaining of Chinese officials: "They're constantly using public relations to try to make it like they're innocent parties."
Also on Asia, Trump said South Korea had agreed to pay the United States more bunce for a defence co-operation agreement - but would not be drawn out on precisely how much.
"We can make a deal. They want to make a deal," he said. "They've agreed to pay a lot of money. They're paying a lot more money than they did when I got here in January 2017."
The United States stations roughly 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in an armistice, rather than a peace treaty.
Back on the coronavirus, he repeated two of his current favouite false claims about the extent of US testing and inheriting "broken" test kits from the Obama administration and again repeated his threat to withhold federal bailout money from blue states unless they abandon their sanctuary city commitments to asylum seekers (which still sounds awfully quid pro quo-ish to me).
"All sanctuary means to me is protecting a lot of criminals," he said, alarmingly.
Finally, on the diease itself, is it wise to reopen without any sight of a vaccine?
"It's gonna go. It's gonna leave. It's gonna be gone. It's gonna be eradicated," he answered, bullishly, based on not much at all.
John T Bennett has this report from DC.
With the US death toll from the outbreak now soaring beyond 60,000 and Dr Anthony Fauci warning that a second wave of the virus was "inevitable", the president’s latest briefing at the White House on Wednesday saw him refuting a claim he himself had made just a day earlier that the country would “soon” be hitting 5m tests for Covid-19 per day.
He denied he said it, but he sure as heck did, as our video chief Tom Richell amply demonstrates below:
Keen to resume 2020 campaign rallies, Trump also said the government would not be extending its social distancing guidelines expiring on Thursday, alleged that China wants him to lose to Joe Biden in November's presidential election and told Beijing that its failure to warn the world about the coronavirus - as he sees it - had left their deal aimed at reducing trade deficits between the two superpowers "upset very badly".
"China will do anything they can to have me lose this race," he said of the election, before complaining of Chinese officials: "They're constantly using public relations to try to make it like they're innocent parties."
Also on Asia, Trump said South Korea had agreed to pay the United States more bunce for a defence co-operation agreement - but would not be drawn out on precisely how much.
"We can make a deal. They want to make a deal," he said. "They've agreed to pay a lot of money. They're paying a lot more money than they did when I got here in January 2017."
The United States stations roughly 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in an armistice, rather than a peace treaty.
Back on the coronavirus, he repeated two of his current favouite false claims about the extent of US testing and inheriting "broken" test kits from the Obama administration and again repeated his threat to withhold federal bailout money from blue states unless they abandon their sanctuary city commitments to asylum seekers (which still sounds awfully quid pro quo-ish to me).
"All sanctuary means to me is protecting a lot of criminals," he said, alarmingly.
Finally, on the diease itself, is it wise to reopen without any sight of a vaccine?
"It's gonna go. It's gonna leave. It's gonna be gone. It's gonna be eradicated," he answered, bullishly, based on not much at all.
John T Bennett has this report from DC.
Trump shifts to upbeat message on opening country – but top aide warns of more economic pain
Here's a little more from Mr Bennett on Trump's latest lurch in tone at these daily briefings from the White House.
He seems to be trying a sunnier outlook on ending lockdown and getting the states back to work, an approach undermined somewhat by the more grounded brand of pessimism his top economic adviser Larry Kudlow is trading in.
Here's a little more from Mr Bennett on Trump's latest lurch in tone at these daily briefings from the White House.
He seems to be trying a sunnier outlook on ending lockdown and getting the states back to work, an approach undermined somewhat by the more grounded brand of pessimism his top economic adviser Larry Kudlow is trading in.
Jared Kushner in spotlight after branding fatalities rate 'great success story'
Trump's son-in-law was busy predicting the country's economy would be “really rocking again” by July yesterday in an interview with Fox and Friends, in which he also made the shockingly callous comment that the US death toll should be seen as a "great success story".
Here's Chris Riotta on his dismissal of concerns over testing in the same interview - a tack also taken by Trump yesterday when he suggested the matter was just a media fixation being used to discredit him and not actually essential to the recovery effort.
"I think what you’ll see in May as the states are reopening now is May will be a transition month, you’ll see a lot of states starting to phase in the different reopening based on the safety guidelines that President Trump outlined on 19 April," he added.
"I think you’ll see by June that a lot of the country should be back to normal, and the hope is that by July the country’s really rocking again."
Trump's son-in-law was busy predicting the country's economy would be “really rocking again” by July yesterday in an interview with Fox and Friends, in which he also made the shockingly callous comment that the US death toll should be seen as a "great success story".
Here's Chris Riotta on his dismissal of concerns over testing in the same interview - a tack also taken by Trump yesterday when he suggested the matter was just a media fixation being used to discredit him and not actually essential to the recovery effort.
“I'm very confident we have all the testing we need to start reopening the country,” Kusher told the Fox friends. “Everyone’s talking about testing. I have to say the work that’s been done over the last 60 days on testing has been absolutely extraordinary.”
"I think what you’ll see in May as the states are reopening now is May will be a transition month, you’ll see a lot of states starting to phase in the different reopening based on the safety guidelines that President Trump outlined on 19 April," he added.
"I think you’ll see by June that a lot of the country should be back to normal, and the hope is that by July the country’s really rocking again."
Nancy Pelosi announces Democratic members of panel to oversee pandemic response
The House speaker yesterday announced the Democratic members of Congress who will join a newly-established oversight panel with broad authority to oversee the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Her team includes House majority whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who Pelosi had previously hinted would chair the committee, as well as:
- Maxine Waters of California
The House speaker yesterday announced the Democratic members of Congress who will join a newly-established oversight panel with broad authority to oversee the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Her team includes House majority whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who Pelosi had previously hinted would chair the committee, as well as:
- Maxine Waters of California
- Carolyn Maloney of New York
- Nydia Velazquez of New York
- Bill Foster of Illinois
- Jamie Raskin of Maryland
- Andy Kim of New Jersey
"It is with great excitement that we establish this," Pelosi commented. "It's bipartisan. We're hoping that the Republican leader will name his members soon. We've been in communication. I told him a couple of days ago who I was going to be appointing so he can make his own judgments about the committee, but we want it to be as nonpartisan as possible and very much a part of doing the right thing for the American people."
"It is with great excitement that we establish this," Pelosi commented. "It's bipartisan. We're hoping that the Republican leader will name his members soon. We've been in communication. I told him a couple of days ago who I was going to be appointing so he can make his own judgments about the committee, but we want it to be as nonpartisan as possible and very much a part of doing the right thing for the American people."
Florida prepares to reopen as other states extend stay-at-home orders and California offers free testing
The Sunshine State’s governor Ron DeSantis, among the last to lock down his state against the coronavirus outbreak, announced on Wednesday he would permit a limited economic reopening next week while leaving restraints intact for the dense greater-Miami area.
His decision sees Florida become the latest, and one of the two largest, of about a dozen states forging ahead to ease crippling restrictions on business activity without vastly expanded virus testing and other safeguards that medical experts recommend should be in place first.
"There is a light at the end of the tunnel," DeSantis said as he unveiled his "phase-one" plan yesterday for relaxing mandatory workplace closures and stay-at-home orders imposed four weeks ago.
Wyoming’s Republican governor Mark Gordon also said yesterday his state will ease some of its coronavirus restrictions on Friday, with barbershops, gyms, nail salons and childcare centres among the businesses that will be allowed limited re-openings.
Earlier in the week, their counterpart in Texas, Greg Abbott, another governor closely aligned with Trump, announced a similar economic reopening strategy due to go into effect on Friday while New Jersey's Democratic governor Phil Murphy said he would reopen state parks and golf courses to recreation starting Saturday.
Wyoming’s Republican governor Mark Gordon also said yesterday his state will ease some of its coronavirus restrictions on Friday, with barbershops, gyms, nail salons and childcare centres among the businesses that will be allowed limited re-openings.
Earlier in the week, their counterpart in Texas, Greg Abbott, another governor closely aligned with Trump, announced a similar economic reopening strategy due to go into effect on Friday while New Jersey's Democratic governor Phil Murphy said he would reopen state parks and golf courses to recreation starting Saturday.
Other states though are proving more cautious and risk-averse.
Arizona governor Doug Ducey - also a Republican - has extended his stay-at-home order through 15 May (Trump is planning to visit the state next week, incidentally), with Nevada's Steve Sisolak following suit.
Gavin Newsom of blue state California is meanwhile planning to close the state’s beaches after angrily reminding residents that “the virus does not take weekend off” when they hit the surf on Saturday and Sunday to capitalise on the fine weather.
Gavin Newsom of blue state California is meanwhile planning to close the state’s beaches after angrily reminding residents that “the virus does not take weekend off” when they hit the surf on Saturday and Sunday to capitalise on the fine weather.
Speaking of California, the city of Los Angeles is meanwhile offering free coronavirus testing to all residents, whether or not they have symptoms.
Until now tests were reserved for those with symptoms and frontline employees like healthcare and grocery store workers. Mayor Eric Garcetti says LA will be the first major American city to offer wide-scale testing to all its residents.
Until now tests were reserved for those with symptoms and frontline employees like healthcare and grocery store workers. Mayor Eric Garcetti says LA will be the first major American city to offer wide-scale testing to all its residents.
People can sign up online for appointments starting immediately but priority will still be given to those with symptoms, such as a fever, cough and shortness of breath.
Also reaching out is Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is offering free tuition to essential workers, a plan modelled on a GI bill dating back to the Second World War.
Her “Futures for Frontliners” programme will apply to hospital and nursing home workers, as well as those working at still-open grocery stores, providing childcare, delivering supplies and manufacturing personal protective equipment, her office said.
Whitmer - who became the focal point of anti-lockdown protests last week - is allowing construction work to resume in the state from 7 May.
Whitmer - who became the focal point of anti-lockdown protests last week - is allowing construction work to resume in the state from 7 May.
Remdesivir: FDA to announce emergency use of experimental drug to treat coronavirus
As questions linger over when and how to loosen social-distancing rules, employed so far as the chief weapon against this highly contagious virus with no vaccine, word emerged from Washington on Wednesday of a promising new treatment for the disease.
As questions linger over when and how to loosen social-distancing rules, employed so far as the chief weapon against this highly contagious virus with no vaccine, word emerged from Washington on Wednesday of a promising new treatment for the disease.
Doc Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, from pharmaceutical maker Gilead Sciences, had proven effective in a key clinical trial.
With preliminary results showing patients recovering 31 per cent faster with the drug than with a placebo, remdesivir will become the standard of care for treating Covid-19, the potentially deadly lung disease caused by the novel coronavirus, Fauci told reporters at the White House.
He called the development "highly significant."
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was in talks with Gilead about making the drug available to patients as quickly as possible.
Oliver O'Connell has this report.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was in talks with Gilead about making the drug available to patients as quickly as possible.
Oliver O'Connell has this report.
Trump's 'Operation Warp Speed' to fast-track 300m coronavirus vaccines by January 2021
The administration is preparing to fast-track the development and production of whatever the eventual vaccine for coronavirus proves to be by readying capacity that would enable the US to inoculate 300m people by January 2021.
The president's team is calling the Manhattan Project-style vaccination programme "Operation Warp Speed," according to Bloomberg News, and is hoping to cut the time before rolling out an effective vaccine to the masses by as much as eight months.
The programme, which has not been officially announced, would co-ordinate and streamline the efforts of dozens of pharmaceutical companies, the US departments of Defence and Health and Human Services and the FDA.
It would, however, divert the monetary risk of failed prototypes away from drug companies to taxpayers and is likely to cost billions of dollars.
Griffin Connolly has more on this.
The administration is preparing to fast-track the development and production of whatever the eventual vaccine for coronavirus proves to be by readying capacity that would enable the US to inoculate 300m people by January 2021.
The president's team is calling the Manhattan Project-style vaccination programme "Operation Warp Speed," according to Bloomberg News, and is hoping to cut the time before rolling out an effective vaccine to the masses by as much as eight months.
The programme, which has not been officially announced, would co-ordinate and streamline the efforts of dozens of pharmaceutical companies, the US departments of Defence and Health and Human Services and the FDA.
It would, however, divert the monetary risk of failed prototypes away from drug companies to taxpayers and is likely to cost billions of dollars.
Griffin Connolly has more on this.
Trump says Sweden made wrong call not to lock down and defends cronies
The latest from the Desk of Donald in which he criticises Stockholm in an attempt to make himself look good, defends his disgraced cronies Michael Flynn and Roger Stone and moans about polling - without specifying which one he disputes or, indeed, what on earth he's really talking about here, making him look deeply mad.
The latest from the Desk of Donald in which he criticises Stockholm in an attempt to make himself look good, defends his disgraced cronies Michael Flynn and Roger Stone and moans about polling - without specifying which one he disputes or, indeed, what on earth he's really talking about here, making him look deeply mad.
Honestly, why has he suddenly taken against Sweden?
Here's Andrew Naughtie to explain the Flynn beef.
Brooklyn funeral home reduced to storing bodies in rented ice trucks
Gino Spocchia has the full story.
Police were called to a New York neighbourhood on Wednesday after a funeral home overwhelmed by the coronavirus resorted to storing dozens of bodies on ice in rented trucks and a passerby complained about the smell, officials said.
Investigators who responded to a 911 call found that the home had rented four trucks to hold about 50 corpses, according to an NYPD officer who spoke to the AP. No criminal charges were brought against the Andrew T Cleckley Funeral Home for failing to control the odours.
The city's funeral parlours have struggled as at least 18,000 people have died in the city since late March.
Gino Spocchia has the full story.
Maryland shares how it will use 500,000 Covid-19 test kits from South Korea
Here's an update on the situation in Maryland, where Republican governor Larry Hogan capitalised on his personal ties to Seoul to acquire half a million ventilators - to the consternation of the president.
How experts think American society will look after the coronavirus lockdown
Chris Riotta has been talking to the specialists, who say post-pandemic America will be dealing with the "unintentional consequences" of quarantine life for generations to come.
US employment claims hit record 30 million
Trump has been furiously bashing out retweets in the last hour - around 40 in total, airing grievances with the aid of right-wing intellectual titans of the calibre of Don Jr, Dan Bongino, Bill Mitchell, Steve Scalise, Dan Crenshaw, "Buck Sexton" (how is that a real person's name?), Chuck Grassley, Andy Biggs, Elise Stefanik, Jonathan Turley and Liz Cheney.
Meanwhile, in the real world...
Women’s rights advocates angry as Joe Biden stays quiet on sexual assault allegation
Here's the latest on a highly fraught situation for the Democratic movement.
Both possible running mate Stacy Abrams and New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand have defended the candidate against Tara Reade's historic sexual assault allegation but many others are far from comfortable with Biden's own silence and that of the wider party establishment.
Biden says he will keep US embassy in Jerusalem if elected
The Democratic nominee-elect has meanwhile moved to reassure Israel he has no plans to reverse Trump's highly controversial decision to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv should he ultimately become president.
Alex Woodward has this report.
The Democratic nominee-elect has meanwhile moved to reassure Israel he has no plans to reverse Trump's highly controversial decision to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv should he ultimately become president.
Alex Woodward has this report.
Trump claims China want Biden to win 2020 election race
The president certainly seems rattled by the polling these days.
There's that Parscale story doing the rounds and his intense obsession with the media:
Here's Gino Spocchia on one way he's handling the presssure: griping about China as his re-election team crank up their efforts to associate Joe Biden with Beijing to turn the Sinophobic sentiments Trump and Mike Pompeo have whipped up to their advantage.
The president certainly seems rattled by the polling these days.
There's that Parscale story doing the rounds and his intense obsession with the media:
Here's Gino Spocchia on one way he's handling the presssure: griping about China as his re-election team crank up their efforts to associate Joe Biden with Beijing to turn the Sinophobic sentiments Trump and Mike Pompeo have whipped up to their advantage.
'White House Gift Shop' selling Covid-19 commemorative coins for $100
Senator Bernie Sanders was among the many to be caught out by this story, assuming it to be an outrageous grift from the Trump administration.
It's still an appalling con, just not an official one.
Greg Evans has this for Indy100.
Senator Bernie Sanders was among the many to be caught out by this story, assuming it to be an outrageous grift from the Trump administration.
It's still an appalling con, just not an official one.
Greg Evans has this for Indy100.
'For once in his life, Trump scared himself at a coronavirus briefing gone wrong'
For Indy Premium, here's Phil Thomas on the president's wayward public perfomance since that ludicrous disinfectants gaffe last week.
Is his titanic ego capable of humouring self-doubt and is this what it looks like?
For Indy Premium, here's Phil Thomas on the president's wayward public perfomance since that ludicrous disinfectants gaffe last week.
Is his titanic ego capable of humouring self-doubt and is this what it looks like?
