Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has moved here.
The American Farm Bureau applauded the USDA Friday for the $19 billion in coronavirus aide that will go to America’s farmers.
Farmers will receive the $16 billion in funding in the form of direct payment, while the additional $3 billion will be to use to purchase meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables.
Earlier this week, the American Farm Bureau, in partnership with Feeding America, sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue proposing a USDA run voucher program that would send farm products to food banks while helping farmers and ranchers recoup costs from lost markets, such as restaurants and tourism businesses shuttered by the pandemic. It would also help get farm-fresh products quickly to families in need.
The new aide package provides about $850 million for food bank administrative costs and USDA food purchases, of which a minimum of $600 million will be designated for food purchases, according to USDA.
President Trump said Friday that he’s “not happy with China,” suggesting that the country has not been forthcoming in warning the world about the coronavirus.
Asked whether China should be stripped of the privilege of hosting the 2022 Olympics, Trump referenced the US-China trade deal.
“I want to see what’s happening with China. I want to see how they’re doing on it. Are they fulfilling the deal, the transaction?” Trump said.
“I spoke to them and this could have been shut down a long time ago. They knew it. And we couldn’t get it. To all fairness, World Health (Organization) couldn’t get in,” he continued.
Speaking about WHO, which he suggested got into China earlier than other groups, he said they “didn’t report what was happening.”
Trump’s announced on Tuesday that his administration was pausing funding to the WHO while reviewing the group’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
President Trump said he would back a deal in Congress that would couple money for hospitals with more emergency loans for small businesses, after days of deadlocked talks about whether to approve a clean influx of cash for the Paycheck Protection Program.
“Hospitals — hospitals have been decimated by this,” Trump said during the coronavirus task force briefing.
On adding payments to hospitals into a PPP boost – something Democrats have pushed, along with other items, to be included alongside money for small business loans – Trump said, “I’m with that all the way.”
“We could also add in to Phase four. Phase four would be hopefully infrastructure,” Trump said.
He was referring to the expected next stimulus bill, which Trump has pushed to include money for rebuilding roads and bridges.
Talks on Capitol Hill about adding more than $250 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program, which ran out of funding this week after small businesses rushed to secure emergency loans through the Small Business Administration. Republicans have pushed for a clean funding boost, while Democrats have wanted money for hospitals, states and local governments to be included alongside the funding for the SBA program.
Trump also demanded Democrats return to Washington to approve the money, although House Republicans, and the Republican led Senate are also absent from Washington due to the pandemic.
He accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of being “on vacation.”
Lawmakers from both parties are following guidelines that suggest they shelter in place with their families in their homes around the country and both the House and Senate are holding pro-forma sessions where legislation can be passed by unanimous consent if all members agree.
Hundreds of protesters gathered Friday in Huntington Beach, a coastal community in California, to demand the reopening of the state’s economy, according to the event’s Facebook page.
Many protesters ignored the state’s social distancing guidelines as they hugged and took selfies in an effort to show their opposition to the state’s stay-at-home orders.
A large number of people in the crowd waved “Trump 2020” flags and other signage in support for the President’s campaign.
The demonstration included a stream of motorists honking and shouting in support for the protest. Only a handful in the crowd were wearing masks during the gathering.
Approximately two dozen mask-wearing police officers patrolled the event.
Similar protests have garnered attention around the country in other states.
Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina and Utah — states led by both Republican and Democratic governors — have all seen protests in recent days as people grow more concerned about the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday morning, President Trump said in a series of tweets that states should be liberated.
Trump later defended his tweets, saying the governors are being “too tough.”
President Trump addressed his recent tweets calling to “liberate” Virginia, Minnesota and Michigan — three political swing states that have Democratic governors.
He said the governors who are implementing federal guidelines for stay-at-home orders to deal with the coronavirus are being “too tough.”
On Virginia, he said, “What they’ve done is very powerful. You know you could get the same result with doing a little bit less.”
He then went off on a tangent about the Second Amendment and claimed without proof that, “They want to take their guns away.” Virginia has declared that gun stores are not essential businesses during the pandemic.
“I think some things are too tough,” Trump said during Friday’s White House press briefing.
Asked whether these states should lift their stay-at-home orders, Trump said, “No, but I think elements of what they’ve done are too much. It’s just too much.”
The President said he wasn’t concerned about protesters spreading the coronavirus among participants attending demonstrations calling for states to reopen.
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Live Nation, one of the nation’s top concert promoters, is unveiling its plan to accommodate fans with tickets to canceled and postponed shows.
Venues hosting concerts will offer fans 150% of their ticket value as “concert cash,” and those going to postponed shows will get “concert cash” once they attend.
The program is also offering an option to donate tickets to health care workers.
Dr. Deborah Birx said during Friday’s briefing that it’s unclear whether the US currently has enough coronavirus testing capacity for phase two of the administration’s guidelines for opening states.
Vice President Mike Pence said the administration is going to continue to scale testing as needed, calling on states to manage testing.
Vice President Mike Pence claimed Friday that there are enough tests for states looking to reopen under phase one guidelines.
He reiterated, “Let me say that again: Given the guidance in the President’s new guidelines for opening up America again, states that meet the criteria for going into phase one and then are preparing the testing that is contemplated by going to phase one – our best scientists and health experts assess that today, we have a sufficient amount of testing to meet the requirements of phase one reopening if state governors choose to do that.”
Earlier CNN reported that while some labs say testing capacity is not an issue, others are still reporting shortages.
While delays in testing – and shortages of testing supplies – have been reported across the country, it’s also possible that a slowdown in the pandemic is responsible for the reported decline in tests.
Currently in the United States, testing is primarily done on those who are symptomatic. While the US is still seeing an increasing number of cases, social distancing measures do seem to be working, limiting transmission of the virus.
Assuming there are enough tests available, that slowdown could explain why fewer people are needing tests at hospitals, doctors’ offices and other sites. Or, doctors may just be ordering fewer tests, perhaps reserving them for only the sickest patients.
If there isn’t widespread availability of testing, though, then the reported decline in cases may be misleading.
In a statement on Wednesday, the American Clinical Laboratory Association – which represents commercial labs such as LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics – said that testing capacity was not an issue.
“ACLA members have now eliminated testing backlogs, and have considerable capacity that is not being used,” the group said.
“We stand ready to perform more testing and are in close communication with public health partners about ways we can support additional needs.”
Other groups, though, have reported problems. In a Monday letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, the Association of American Medical Colleges said labs are facing critical shortages.
It added that “laboratories across the country are working day and night to expand testing capacity but are severely hampered by shortages of needed reagents, swabs for testing, PPE, and specialized equipment designed by companies to be used with their own machines.”
Hawaii Gov. David Ige ordered all state-owned beaches closed Friday as part of the effort to combat coronavirus.
Residents will still be allowed to swim and surf with social distancing, but cannot sunbathe, picnic, or play games on the sand.
Ige’s order also said recreational boating is limited to two people per boat, and that watercraft should maintain a distance of at least 20 feet. Hiking and fishing trips also are limited to two people at a time, except for relatives who live together.
The new rules are in effect until April 30.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he tried to speak with President Trump after the President tweeted “LIBERATE MINNESOTA” on Friday but he didn’t get a call in return.
Speaking at a news conference Friday, Walz said he called to ask, “What are we doing differently about moving towards getting as many people back into the workforce without compromising the health of Minnesotans or the providers?
He added that it “will probably take longer than a two-word tweet.”
Protesters have gathered in front of the governor’s residence for two days in a row to demonstrate against his statewide stay-at-home. Walz urged protesters to follow social distancing guidelines.
On Friday, Trump tweeted “LIBERATE MINNESOTA,” one day after saying he was leaving the reopening decisions up to the governors.
Vice President Mike Pence on Friday described how the federal government is working with states to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
Pence said that a recent disaster declaration for American Samoa marked the first time in American history that all states and territories had been under a disaster declaration.
“We’re continuing to bring, at the President’s direction, full resources of the federal government to bear. Today, the President approved a major disaster declaration for American Samoa, and now all 50 states and all territories are under major disaster declarations for the first time in American history,” Pence said.
Pence also said there would be an additional call with governors on Monday on the topic of supplies.
“Today we issued a letter to our nation’s governors summarizing all the medical equipment and supplies that have been distributed to their state from FEMA between the first of this month and April 14 through Project Airbridge and through the commercial supply network,” Pence said.
He continued: “We’ll be speaking with our nation’s governors on Monday and detailing that information at that time.”
Pence said the group will also discuss testing capacity and lab activation “very specifically” during the Monday call.
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President Trump laid out the administration’s swab testing efforts during Friday’s briefing.
In the next few weeks, he said, the federal government will “be sending out 5.5 million testing swabs to the states.”
The swabs, he said, “can be done easily by the governors themselves. Mostly it’s cotton. It’s not a big deal, you can get cotton easily, but if they can’t get it, we will take care of it.”
People might soon be able to perform their own test swabs for Covid-19 at home with a newly designed, Q-tip-style swab, the FDA said Thursday.
CNN reported the FDA said it had worked with US Cotton to design the swabs, which are shorter than the swabs used by technicians, doctors or nurses to collect samples to test people for Covid-19 infection. The FDA also said US Cotton plans to manufacture large quantities of these swabs.
President Trump announced Friday that the Department of Agriculture will be implementing a new multi-billion dollar relief program to deal with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Today I’m also announcing that … the Department of Agriculture will be implementing a $19 billion relief program for our great farmers and ranchers as they cope with the fallout of the global pandemic,” Trump said during Friday’s White House press briefing.
The coronavirus food assistance program will have two main missions: to issue direct payments to farmers and to purchase food to be distributed to food banks and community and faith-based organizations.
“The program will include direct payments to farmers as well as mass purchases of dairy, meat and agricultural produce to get that food to the people in need. The USDA will receive another $14 billion in July,” Trump said.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said, “American agriculture has been hard hit like most of America with the coronavirus and President Trump is standing with our farmers and all Americans to make sure we all get through this national emergency.”
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said there is no way his state could meet the standards set to reopen.
“Even the gating criteria (of two straight weeks with new cases slowing down) that the President put out yesterday — we haven’t met those criteria,” Bullock said at a news conference Friday.
During the news conference, Bullock focused on the phased-in plan released by the President’s task force.
“The President told us that we governors will call the shots in our own states,” Bullock said. “First I want to say thank you, Mr. President, for recognizing that every state is different.”
Montana’s statewide stay-at-home order is in effect until April 24.
“After April 24, we will move forward with a phased reopening,” he said.
There are at least 692,169 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 36,721 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally of cases.
On Friday, Johns Hopkins reported 21,018 new cases and 3,453 reported deaths.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as all repatriated cases.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state is not ready for a Phase 1 reopening and that there is still “work to do.”
Edwards, speaking at a news conference Friday, said the state has not reached the threshold that must be passed to get to the Phase 1 reopening — including not having 14 days where the number of cases, tests and deaths are moving in the right direction.
Speaking from Louisiana State University where he toured a personal protective equipment production center, Edwards said he hopes the state can get to Phase 1 within the next few weeks.
“I can’t tell you that we will get to Phase 1 by May 1st, but I hope we do,” he said.
“We aren’t going to be successful in opening the economy if we see a spike in cases and can’t deliver healthcare,” he added
The US Navy currently assesses that the first cases of coronavirus aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt originated with the aircraft carrier’s air wing and the Navy’s top doctor said the virus may have come aboard on routine “supply flights that come out to the ship.”
The Navy’s surgeon general Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham cautioned on Friday that the Navy doesn’t know for sure how the virus came aboard.
“We don’t know for sure how the virus got started,” Gillingham said.
Gillingham said there’s evidence to suggest that the first two sailors to test positive may have contracted the disease during a port visit.
“We also know that those sailors were from the aircrew portion of the crew,” he said.
Gillingham said it is “likely that it may have come aboard on the routine … supply flights that come out to the ship.”
While Gillingham later said that he did “not personally have knowledge about the initial individuals,” a Navy official later confirmed to CNN that the first two cases were among the ship’s air wing.
The air wing is responsible for operating the fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft on board the carrier.
The number of coronavirus cases aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt have skyrocketed in recent days, with 660 sailors testing positive as of Friday, and seven sailors have been hospitalized in Guam.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has moved the state’s 2020 presidential primary election to August 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This is the second time the governor has rescheduled the election.
The White House is helping provide data and feedback to the institute behind an influential coronavirus model, which currently predicts about 60,000 deaths in the United States by August.
Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, described the relationship Friday in a virtual press briefing.
Asked whether the White House had any input or influence on new tools from the model, Murray said, “We have very regular discussions with the task force at the White House.”
Murray’s institute on Friday released new projections saying that some states could begin reopening as early as May 4, so long as measures are in place to prevent a resurgence of the virus.
Murray said the White House has been “extremely helpful in helping get us better data, and by making contacts through different parts of the government, or with state governments, or in fact with networks of hospital providers, or providers of mobility data.”
Working with the task force has “been a very helpful route for us getting extra, or better data, and getting data faster,” Murray said. He pointed out that for his modeling approach, “the data is the most important thing.”
While the White House and others have often cited the model, Murray said that states should rely on a variety of projections when deciding when to reopen.
