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Updated
11:15
Coronavirus death toll surpasses that of 9/11
11:01
Trump calls on Congress to pass $2tn infrastructure bill
10:29
Fauci sees ‘glimmers’ of effects of social distancing
09:22
Pelosi emphasizes ‘testing, testing, testing’ to fight pandemic
11:15
Coronavirus death toll surpasses that of 9/11
Coronavirus has claimed more than 3,000 American lives, with yesterday becoming the deadliest day of the pandemic for the US yet.
Those figures mean the coronavirus death toll has now surpassed that of the September 11 attacks, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans.
Nearly half of the coronavirus deaths have occured in New York, although the state’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, has warned other states may soon see a similar rate of coronavirus cases and deaths.
11:01
Trump calls on Congress to pass $2tn infrastructure bill
Trump called on Congress to pay a $2tn infrastructure bill just days after the president signed a $2tn package meant to aid the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In his tweet suggesting an infrastructure bill, Trump mentioned “Phase 4,” an apparent reference to Democrats’ calls for another coronavirus bill after three others were signed into law.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday that the fourth coronavirus bill would focus on clean water, rural broadband and infrastructure, among other things.
But Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell expressed skepticism this morning about passing another piece of legislation amid the pandemic.
And of course, Trump’s talks of “infrastrucuture week” have become a running joke in Washington, considering his administration has repeatedly tried and failed to pivot to infrastructure as its main legislative focus.
Updated
10:55
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will hold a press briefing in about 30 minutes.
The governor will likely be asked about the rising coronavirus death toll in New York City, which has reported more than 900 fatalities connected to the virus.
10:43
Congressman Max Rose announced he would deploy to the National Guard to help with coronavirus response efforts.
Rose, a captain in the Army National Guard, will deploy tomorrow and serve as an operations officer at Staten Island facilities in the coming weeks, his office said in a statement.
“Over the past month I have seen acts of incredible bravery and sacrifice by our first responders, nurses, doctors, and essential workers who never thought they’d be on the frontlines of a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rose, a freshman Democrat, said in the statement.
“My activation and deployment is nothing compared to what our city, state, and country has asked of all them. And it’s certainly nothing compared to the other men and women serving in uniform both here at home and overseas. I am just trying to do my duty and my small part.”
Updated
10:29
Fauci sees ‘glimmers’ of effects of social distancing
Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said he believes the country is already starting to see the effects of social distancing restrictions.
“If you look now, we’re starting to see glimmers that [social distancing] is actually having some dampening effect,” Fauci told CNN.
Fauci’s comments come as officials in the San Francisco area are reporting they are seeing fewer coronavirus cases than expected two weeks after ordering residents to stay home.
But Fauci added that he is skeptical about some potential treatments for coronavirus, such as the anti-malaria drug chloroquine, which Trump has said could be a “game changer” in the fight against the virus.
“You have to hearken back to the facts,” Fauci said. “There is no definitive evidence that this works.”
10:10
Republican senator Rick Scott called for most testing to be done in his home state of Florida, where governor Ron DeSantis has not yet issued a statewide “stay at home” order.
DeSantis has faced some criticism over his response to the virus after footage circulated of spring breakers visiting Florida beaches earlier this month.
But Scott resisted criticism of DeSantis in a CNBC interview this morning. “I’m not going to second guess somebody in the middle of a crisis,” Scott said.
But the freshman senator added: “Here’s where I think Florida needs to step up: we have to get more testing done.”
Updated
10:02
House majority leader Steny Hoyer urged members to keep their schedules “very flexible” in the weeks and months to come.
Hoyer said yesterday that the House was not expected to reconvene until 20 April , but the Democratic leader warned the chamber will later have to make up for time lost because of the pandemic.
“I would urge you to keep your schedules very flexible,” Hoyer wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter to House members.
“In order to make up for time that has been lost, the House may meet during weeks that had previously been scheduled as District Work Periods, and four-day weeks may become five-day weeks.”
Updated
09:52
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine complained about the lack of “widespread testing” in a CNN interview this morning, echoing reported complaints from other governors.
DeWine, who has been widely praised for his aggressive response to the virus, said the state would see its peak number of cases sometime between mid-April and mid-May, but it is difficult to know for sure because of the current level of testing.
Montana Governor Steve Bullock reportedly complained to Trump yesterday that his state has struggled to identify and track coronavirus patients because of inadequate testing.
But DeWine said he believed the social distancing measures being practiced across the state are already having an effect and urged residents to continue respecting the guidelines.
“My message to my fellow Ohioans is that we can’t let up now,” DeWine said. “We’ve got to really, really stay at this.”
09:35
House speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats’ fourth coronavirus bill would help to serve state and local leaders grappling with the pandemic.
On a call yesterday with reporters, Pelosi said the legislation would include proposals on clean water, infrastructure and rural broadband.
However, in a separate interview this morning, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell downplayed the possibility of passing such legislation.
“I’m not going to allow this to be an opportunity for the Democrats to achieve unrelated policy items they wouldn’t otherwise be able to pass,” McConnell said.
09:32
House speaker Nancy Pelosi also commented on her tense relationship with the president amid the coronavirus pandemic. (The pair have not spoken in five months.)
“If it’s necessary, I’m sure we will speak,” Pelosi told MSNBC. But she added that she didn’t know what she would learn from speaking to Trump.
The House speaker said she mostly communicates with Trump through television interviews. “That is what he hears is what people say publicly – much more than in a call,” Pelosi said.
Updated
09:22
Pelosi emphasizes ‘testing, testing, testing’ to fight pandemic
House speaker Nancy Pelosi made an appearance on MSNBC this morning and called for more testing to fight the coronavirus crisis.
“Proper testing, that has been a problem since the start,” Pelosi said. “Testing, testing, testing.”
Governors reportedly complained to Trump yesterday that they have struggled to provide adequate testing in their states.
Pelosi, who has been extremely critical of the White House’s handling of the pandemic, also defended Congress’ handling of the crisis, saying she is “proud” of the work lawmakers have done.
Trump quickly weighed in on the Democratic speaker’s appearance over Twitter, saying she “wasn’t bad” despite her “usual complaining.”
08:44
Hello and welcome to our live blog coverage of the coronavirus emergency. New York governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday night that the peak number of concurrent cases in the state, still the country’s foremost hotspot, was expected to arrive in the coming six to 21 days.
As of Tuesday morning there were more than 164,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the United States and 3,161 had died, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. In New York state there were 67,384 confirmed cases and 1,342 deaths. Neighboring New Jersey had the second-most cases with 16,636 cases and 198 deaths.
In an animated conversation with CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, his younger brother, Andrew Cuomo, the governor, whose handling of the crisis has won strong approval, denied that he would respond to calls from some quarters that he run for president.
Cuomo also had nice words for Donald Trump, who has demanded praise from governors as a condition of their states receiving federal aid. Cuomo’s praise in this case found its mark, with Fox News picking up the comment and Trump tweeting about it.
Here’s a bit of the interview:
Source: Elections - theguardian.com