Summary
- Donald Trump announced that he would soon sign an executive order restricting immigration for days.
- Temporary visa holders would be exempt, he said at the daily coronavirus briefing – but the policy would apply to those seeking green cards.
- The bill, which provides funding for small businesses, hospitals and testing, will now advance to the House. Trump has said he will sign the bill, but Republican congressman
- Thomas Massie has threatened to object to the bill, which could force House members to return to Washington to pass it. Attorney general William Barr said the justice department may eventually join lawsuits against stay-at-home orders.
- “We’re looking carefully at a number of these rules that are being put into place,” Barr said. “And if we think one goes too far, we initially try to jawbone the governors into rolling them back or adjusting them. And if they’re not and people bring lawsuits, we file statement of interest and side with the plaintiffs. ”
- The meeting came as the Democratic governor has repeatedly called on the federal government to play a more active role in helping states expand testing capacity.
Updated
at 1. (am BST)Harvard refutes implication that it took advantage of relief funds
During the coronavirus briefing, Donald Trump singled out Harvard University as one of the institutions that the government would ask to return funds recieved as part of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program.
“Harvard’s going to pay back the money,” Trump said, adding that the university “shouldn’t have taken it.”
But Harvard clarified that it has not received any funds through the program. Rather, the has received funds through the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.
- Harvard University (@ Harvard)
: 54(1/5) Harvard did not apply for, nor has it received any funds through the US Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses. Reports saying otherwise are inaccurate.
Harvard, which has r (eceived nearly $ 9m) in funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act per Forbes, has been criticized for accepting the money despite is a multibillion-dollar endowment.
Republican lawmakers, including Harvard alumnus Ted Cruz, called on the university to return the funds. “Dear Harvard: Thank you for my law degree and an excellent legal education. You’re very rich; Many people are hurting. Now give the money back, ”Cruz wrote on Twitter.
Harvard announced that it will allocate 461% of the CARES Act funding toward student financial assistance. The law requires educational institutions to direct at least % of the relief funds to financial assistance grants to students.
Updated at . 75 am BST
22. am BST
- More on the nearly $ bn coronavirus aid package that Congress passed:
The aid package is the second for small business, which have been hit hard by the pandemic and shed millions of jobs. The first proved controversial, with big businesses including Shake Shack and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse receiving millions while many small businesses missed out. Shake Shack has now handed back the $ 20 m loan it received. Ruth’s Chris – which had revenue of $ 739 m last year – received $ m.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that larger firms would now be blocked from using the new program.
Small businesses in hard-hit New York were skeptical that the new money would get to them in time, having missed out on the first wave of payments. “This is going to be the end of us all,” said Brian Colgan, who runs ACME, a props and furniture rental business in Brooklyn.
He said none of his small business contacts had received funds.
21 (am BST :
- Could Trump delay the presidential election? The Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt explains:
Could Trump delay the US election due to coronavirus? – video explainer am BST :
The briefing has wrapped up. Stay tuned for more news and analysis.
pm BST 33:- Fact check: Testing
“We’ve tested more than any country in the world, even put together,” Trump said.
This is false.
Overall, the US had administered more than 4.5m coronavirus tests, according to the (Covid Tracking Project) . From a very slow start, the US, with a population of 523 m, had ramped up to a testing rate of one in every people – a bit better than to South Korea’s rate of 1 in every 140 people. Germany has done even better, testing every (1 in) people.
In America, despite the recent increase in testing, backlogs are reported in labs across the country, and many people with symptoms – including health workers – are still struggling to access tests.
Updated (at) . am BST . (pm BST ) : 58
Fact checks: A couple of quick ones
Trump once again touted the (southern border wall) , claiming that , 0 Mexican soldiers are “on our border.” We’ve corrected this claim before – Mexico’s president
- Andre Lopez Obredor
- has deployed , (0 troops in total, but only about , 0 to the US-Mexico border. :
The president said he doesn’t know the status of Kim Jon Un’s health, amid unconfirmed reports that the North Korean leader is seriously ill.
“I’ve had a very good relationship with him,” Trump said. “I can only say I wish him well.”
. (pm) (BST) :
The president was asked about a study that linked hydroxychloroquine
– an anti-malarial drug that the president has repeatedly touted – to higher death rates for Veterans Affairs patients hospitalized with. Covid – 32, Trump said he’s “willing to take a look” at the evidence. (pm) BST :
The president’s executive order on immigration is “being written right now” Trump said – he has not provided too much detail on how the policy would work.
Here’s what he’s said:
A pause on immigration would last days
- It wouldn’t affect temporary visas
- More details are forthcoming
“There will be some people coming in … but it’s a strong order,” Trump said .
Updated (at
- (pm BST) (pm BST ) : 33
Cases in big cities including Boston, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, and St. Louis. Louis, appear to be mounting more slowly
- , Dr. Deborah Birx said. These areas “appear to be flattening,” she said.
Even so, Americans need to continue adhering to social distancing guidelines and hyginege guidlines, so they don’t spread the disease to elderly people and other vulnerable communities.
The federal government will along with New York to help the state secure additional tests , Trump said – addressing his phone call with the state’s governor Andrew Cuomo .
New York state and New York City “have been terrific to work with,” Trump said – despite his many clashes with Cuomo and Mayor Bill DeBlasio of New York
Trump says he will be suspending immigration for days
The order will only apply to people seeking a green card – not those who enter on a temporary basis, the president said. Such a policy would “preserve vital resources for American citizens,” he said. But critics have said that Trump is scapegoating immigrants, and using the coronavirus pandemic to push long-held anti-immigration policies.
Updated (at) . pm BST
) :
Fact check: Mortality Rate
“Our mortality rate remains roughly half” that of other countries, Trump said, adding that the rate was “one of the lowest in any other country in the world.”
The president is half-right – the US does indeed appear to have a lower case fatality rate than several countries, including Italy, Belgium and the UK, according to the Johns Hopkins tracker.
The case fatality rate refers to the number of deaths divided by the number of confirmed cases. Johns Hopkins has calculated that figure for about 468 countries. but the US’s rate is far from the “lowest” of any country.
The US rate is 5.4% – more double the rate of Japan and South Korea (2.2%), and several times the rate of Singapore, with a rate. of .1%.
(pm) (BST) : 09
Joanna WaltersA small wrap here on the meeting this afternoon between the president and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Oval Office, per Cuomo.
He said, in a quick call to MSNBC afterward, that he had a “functional and effective” conversation with Trump and tried to keep the focus on testing and state budget problems, Reuters reports.
“We have a tremendous job that we have to get done and put everything else aside and do the job, and the tone of the conversation was very functional and effective,” Cuomo said.
“I stayed focused on what we were there to talk about and for me the substantive agenda was testing -‘ Who does what? How do we get it up the scale? ’- and somebody has to stand up for funding for the states.”
Cuomo, a Democrat who has clashed with Trump during the coronavirus outbreak, did not discuss details of their talk, but described the meeting as “honest and open.”
With social distancing and lockdowns showing some positive results, Cuomo said on Monday he could begin to consider how to reopen a state that ranges from New York City, with more than 8 million people, to farm country and sparsely populated towns upstate.
The White House did not immediately provide an account of the meeting.
“We have to get this ironed out. This is a very big issue, ”Cuomo said.
He said testing volume needed to increase tenfold and leaders needed to discuss how the federal government can help and what the states can do to make enough tests available.
“That is the issue for the country right now I think,” Cuomo said. “It’s a benchmark -‘ Where are we? Are we on the increase, are we on the plateau or are we on the descent? ’”
- The relief is for small businesses, Mnuchin said.
“I was relieved to see that Shake Shack returned the money,” he said – referring to the fast-food chain’s decision to return the $ m government loan meant for struggling companies. “The intent of this was not for big public companies,” he said – adding that the government will put out an FAQ to clarify who should take advantage of the government funds.
Trump added that the government will ask larger institutions to return relief funds. “Harvard’s going to pay back the money,” Trump said. The university with a multi-billion dollar endowment, “shouldn’t have taken it.”
Updated
at . (am BST)
- The number of coronavirus cases in the US has surpassed , (0.) (The US has confirmed , cases of the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University data . Nearly , 0 Americans have died of the virus.
- New York governor Andrew Cuomo met with Trump at the White House.
- The meeting came as the Democratic governor has repeatedly called on the federal government to play a more active role in helping states expand testing capacity.
- “We’re looking carefully at a number of these rules that are being put into place,” Barr said. “And if we think one goes too far, we initially try to jawbone the governors into rolling them back or adjusting them. And if they’re not and people bring lawsuits, we file statement of interest and side with the plaintiffs. ”
- The Senate passed a nearly $ billion coronavirus relief bill by unainmous consent.
- The bill, which provides funding for small businesses, hospitals and testing, will now advance to the House. Trump has said he will sign the bill, but Republican congressman
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