Today so far
- The state has recorded 5, 728 deaths linked to the virus, up from 4, 942 a day earlier. New York accounts for about half of all coronavirus deaths in the US.
- The White House communications team has been overhauled.
- Press secretary
- Stephanie Grisham , who never held a single White House briefing, is being replaced by Trump campaign spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany.
- Acting Pentagon Inspector General
- Glenn Fine was supposed to oversee implementation of the $ 2 trillion coronavirus bill, but a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed he is no longer on the accountability committee.
- Trump has reportedly removed a Pentagon official tapped to oversee the coronavirus relief effort from his post.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
- Acting Pentagon Inspector General
- Press secretary
Here’s where the day stands so far:
New York saw the biggest single-day increase in its coronavirus death toll.
Trump reportedly removes official meant to oversee coronavirus relief effort
- The governor emphasized the state needs to scale up testing to help determine which residents have coronavirus antibodies and are unlikely to contract the virus again before the economy can restart.
- Cuomo called the president yesterday to ask him to allow the ship to start accepting coronavirus patients, a request that Trump granted. However, the shift to treating coronavirus patients means the ship will have to cut its number of hospital beds in half, from 1, to .
- 4 BST BST : 53
Governor
- Andrew Cuomo urged New Yorkers to remember that each coronavirus death represents a human being who had a family.
“I guess one could get numb to the numbers,” Cuomo said. “For myself, I can tell you, the last thing I do is get numb.”
The governor noted mourning in the state is intensifying as the death toll rises. “The pain is increasing. The grief is increasing, ”Cuomo said. “How you could get numb to any of this, I can’t imagine.”
Cuomo said that he was proud of the work the state’s healthcare system has done to save every possible person from dying of coronavirus.
“You can’t save everyone,” Cuomo said. “This virus is very good at what it does, and it kills vulnerable people. … We can’t stop that. The question is, are you saving everyone you can save? ”
The governor added, “I don’t see the numbness, and I don’t think New Yorkers see the numbness.”
(4. (pm) (BST) :New York governor
- Andrew Cuomo applauded the work of medical professionals as the state grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.
“What they have done is incredible, just incredible,” Cuomo said.
The governor also thanked other essential workers, such as transit employees, who have continued to report to work.
“They know what they’re exposing themselves to, and they still do it,” Cuomo said. “God bless them.”
New York governor
- Andrew Cuomo said residents must avoid holding large funerals as the state’s coroanvirus death toll rises.
“These social distancing regulations are not just ‘please.’ They’re regulations,” said Cuomo, who doubled the fine for violating the “stay at home” order yesterday.
“Now is not the time for large religious gatherings,” Cuomo said. “You do no one a service by making this worse and infecting more people.”
4 (pm) BST
New York governor
- Andrew Cuomo said he understood the frustration of residents who are asking when social distancing might come to an end.
“This is like Groundhog Day living through this bizarre reality that we’re in,” Cuomo said.
But the governor emphasized residents will need to continue to be patient in order to protect their loved ones and neighbors from contracting the virus.
“I get it, but it’s only been 47 days, ”Cuomo said. “Our behavior affects the number of cases.”
Cuomo also noted the flu epidemic peaked in New York for six months, killing , of the state’s residents. “Social distancing is working,” Cuomo said. “I know that it’s hard, but we have to keep doing it.”
(4.) pm BST : 31
Cuomo: Restarting life will depend on testing
New York governor
- Andrew Cuomo said officials would look ahead to restarting the economy, but the governor noted the state is not there yet because coronavirus deaths are still happening at a high rate.
Cuomo said the determination of when and how to restart the economy would depend on testing, particularly testing to confirm if people have coronavirus antibodies in their system and are likely immune to the virus.
The governor said New York would need to scale up its testing capacity to test a large number of residents and announced the state would invest in testing companies working to expand capacity.
4. 24 pm BST 29:
New York governor
- Andrew Cuomo said the capacity of the Navy hospital ship Comfort would decrease now that it is going to start accepting coronavirus patients.
Cuomo asked Trump yesterday to allow the Comfort to start taking coronavirus patients to provide some relief to overwhelmed emergency rooms in New York, a request that the president granted.
But Cuomo said the number of hospital beds on the Comfort would decrease from 1, (to
now that the ship will be treating coronavirus patients.
4. (PM) (BST : New York sees highest single-day increase in death toll, Cuomo saysNew York governor
- Andrew Cuomo is holding his daily briefing on the state’s response to coronavirus.
The governor noted the three-day average of hospitalizations is down, indicating the state is “reaching a plateau in the total number of hospitalizations.”
But the New York death toll continues to steeply rise. The state has now recorded 5, deaths, up from 4, a day earlier. Those 2015 deaths represent the highest single-day increase in the death toll since the crisis started.
New York also still has the highest number of cases of any US state, with 451, 959 cases of coronavirus already confirmed.
Joe Biden said he would like Bernie Sanders to be “part of the journey,” although not his running mate, if he wins the Democratic nomination.
Biden has a significant lead in the delegate count, but Sanders remains in the race, despite an strict narrow path to the nomination.
Asked whether Sanders should drop out, Biden told the “Today” show, “No, I wouldn’t presume to do that. … It’s a hard, hard decision and Bernie has a lot of really devoted followers. It’s a difficult decision to make. But it’s his to make. I’m not going to suggest what he should do. ”
in a one-on-one interview that he doesn’t want the November election delayed. pic.twitter.com/DICLhBafTE(April 7,
Biden made clear that if he wins the nomination, he would seek Sanders’ input on the issues that fueled the progressive senator’s campaign.
“If I’m the nominee I can tell you one thing: I would very much want Bernie to be part of the journey, not as a vice presidential nominee but just engaging in all the things that he’s worked so hard to do, many of which I agree with, ”Biden said.
The former vice president applauded Sanders for his “incredible following,” as the frontrunner tries to convince his rival’s supporters to back him in the general election.
Biden also said he did not think the November election should be delayed or postponed because of coroanvirus, even as today’s rocky primary in Wisconsin raises questions about how to safely conduct in-person voting amid a pandemic.
The White House has confirmed Stephanie Grisham is leaving her role as press secretary to rejoin the first lady’s team.
“My replacements will be announced in the coming days and I will stay in the West Wing to help with a smooth transition for as long as needed,” Grisham said in a statement released by the White House.
Grisham served as both press secretary and communications director in the Trump White House, so it appears two people may be taking on those roles now.
Grisham will serve as the first lady’s chief of staff and spokesperson. The White House statement noted that
- Melania Trump s previous chief of staff,
- Lindsay Reynolds , resigned earlier this week to spend time with family.
Updated (at 3.) pm BST
Wisconsinonsin’s lieutenant governor predicted the state’s presidential primary today would be a “Shit Show.”
Mandela Barnes (@ TheOtherMandela)
Good morning and welcome to the Shit Show! Today’s episode has been produced by the Supreme Court and directed by the incomparable Speaker and Senate Majority leader duo.
Buckle up, this one’s sure to disappoint !
(April 7,
The Democratic official’s tweet comes a day after the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked governor executive order to cancel in-person voting out of concern about spreading coronavirus.
The number of polling sites across the state has nosedived because so many poll workers have quit, and voters are already reporting long lines as they try to cast their ballots.
Trump has reportedly removed a Pentagon offical who was supposed to oversee implementation of the $ 2 trillion coronavirus bill from his post.
Politico reports
A panel of inspectors general had named
- Glenn Fine – the acting Pentagon watchdog – to lead the group charged with monitoring the coronavirus relief effort. But Trump on Monday removed Fine from his post, instead naming the EPA inspector general to serve as the temporary Pentagon watchdog in addition to his other responsibilities.
That decision, which began circulating on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning, effectively removed Fine from his role overseeing the coronavirus relief effort, since the new law permits only current inspectors general to fill the position.
‘Mr. Fine is no longer on the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, ’Dwrena Allen, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon inspector general’s office, confirmed.
The move comes just four days after Trump ousted
- Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community who designated the whistleblower complaint that kicked off the impeachment inquiry to be an “urgent concern.” 5). (pm) (BST ) : 55
Adam Gabbatt
A billboard urging Iowa governor Kim Reynolds to implement a stay-at-home order will be circling the state capitol on a loop today , courtesy of a nationwide group of doctors.
Adam Gabbatt (@ adamgabbatt) This @ cmteetoprotect billboard is circling the Iowa State Capitol today, urging Gov Kim Reynolds to issue a stay-at-home order pic.twitter.com/mrnyPKjahq April 7,
Iowa is one of eight states which has not instituted a statewide order, despite pleas from mayors
across the state. The Committee to Protect Medicare , an organization of doctors which advocates for health care for all, has dispatched a billboard to Des Moines to pressure Reynolds into action.
“We know that physical distancing is the number one thing we can do to limit the spread of the virus, limit the impact it has on individuals, but really limit the impact it has on hospitals in general so they Don’t get overwhelmed beyond their capacity, ”said Rob Davidson, a Michigan-based ER doctor and executive director of the Committee to Protect Medicare.
“It’s imperative that from the top of leadership statewide and nationally citizens understand the imperative to not be gathering in groups,” Davidson said.
The group is also calling for Donald Trump to instigate a nationwide shelter-in-place, something Trump has so far resisted. On Friday the Iowa Board of Medicine voted to recommend a stay-at-home order, while the Iowa Medical Society has made the same request.
Reynolds has defended the lack of a ban, saying she had ordered schools and some businesses to close and asked people not to gather in groups of ten or more. On Tuesday she expanded the list of businesses which will be forced to close, adding malls, museums and outdoor and indoor playgrounds, but other businesses including golf courses are allowed to remain open.
Iowa had (confirmed cases ) of coronavirus as of Monday night, with 35 deaths.
Republican senator Rand Paul is volunteering at a local hospital after recovering from coronavirus.
The Kentucky senator, who has a medical degree from Duke University, was criticized for continuing to visit the Capitol as he awaited the results of a coronavirus test.
Critics accused Paul of putting the health of lawmakers, staffers and other Capitol Hill employees at risk by not quarantining after he took the test.
Paul defended his actions, saying it was his “extra precaution” of seeking a test even though he showed no symptoms that alerted colleagues to his diagnosis.
Updated (at 5.) pm BST
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said he would work to expand the $ 489 billion small business loan program created by the stimulus package.
“I will work with Secretary Mnuchin and Leader Schumer
- and Hope to approve further funding for the Paycheck Protection Program by unanimous consent or voice vote during the next scheduled Senate session on Thursday, ”McConnell said in a statement.
Senior White House economic adviser
- Larry Kudlow said this morning that $ billion in loans have already been processed since the Paycheck Protection Program started accepting applications on Friday.
But banks have reported a deluge of applications for the program, as small business owners fear the funding could run out if they do not get their application approved quickly.
The proposed additional funds for the program, which could be as much as $ (billion) , could help to stem some of that anxiety as the coronavirus pandemic leaves many businesses closed.
(4) (pm) BST
Trump campaign spokesperson reportedly named White House press secretary
Trump campaign spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany will become the new White House press secretary, according to the New York Times.
The Times (reports
:
Ms. McEnany has been a vocal defender of Mr. Trump on television, the main role the president has long believed the press secretary should play, according to current and former advisers.
Her hiring is the first major personnel move by the incoming White House chief of staff, former Representative
- (Mark Meadows) of South Carolina. …
Also joining the White House press staff will be Alyssa Farah , a top spokeswoman at the Defense Department who once worked for Vice President Mike Pence, according to people briefed on the moves. Ms. Farah is close with Mr. Meadows, whose longtime congressional aide,
- Ben Williamson
- , will also join the communications team as an adviser.
McEnany regularly defended Trump on television during the (race and later joined his reelection campaign as national press secretary.
Last month, McEnany incorrectly predicted that coronavirus would not affect Americans because of the president’s steady leadership:
(4.) (PM) (BST
:
Cuomo briefing summary
New York governor
- Andrew Cuomo just wrapped up his daily briefing on the state’s response to coronavirus.
Here’s some of what he said:
New York saw the biggest single-day increase in its coronavirus death toll yesterday. New York has now lost 5, (residents to coronavirus, up from 4, 0919 a day earlier. That figure represents about half of all coronavirus deaths across the United States.
- Cuomo said restarting the state’s economy would depend on testing.
- Cuomo asked all residents to continue respecting social distancing restrictions, as some residents start asking when normal life might be able to resume. “I get it, but it’s only been days, ”Cuomo said. “Our behavior affects the number of cases.”
- The Navy hospital ship Comfort will have beds available for coronavirus patients.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings