1 Trump Says His Tone Hasn't Changed On Coronavirus
President Trump doesn't think his tone has changed about the growing coronavirus threat. Speaking at a briefing, Trump said that he recognized the severity of the threat “fairly quickly” when the outbreak started in China. And while reporters have documented otherwise, Trump said he “thought it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.” In earlier remarks, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump was "far too slow in waking up to the scale of the challenges" facing the U.S. On a related note, Mr. Trump says distribution of coronavirus test kits is being stepped-up as much as possible. Trump called the coronavirus “an invisible enemy.” He called the coronavirus an invisible enemy, adding, “We are getting to know it a lot better." Trump noted that he spoke earlier with restaurant industry CEOs. More than a dozen states have ordered restaurants and bars to close their dining areas. Trump also predicted that economy will "come back very rapidly." He said, "It's going to pop."
2 Senate To Vote On Coronavirus Aid Package Today
The Senate looks likely to vote on the House-passed coronavirus relief package today. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cancelled this week's scheduled recess to focus on passing funding for the outbreak. In a press conference, McConnell told reporters he is advising his members to "gag and vote for it anyway." He also said they would pass the bill as-is, and they will not add any provisions. What’s in that bill? The House bill provides up to ten days of paid leave for some workers and bolsters unemployment insurance. But that may well not be enough – and the White House is looking to push through a stimulus plan totally nearly $1-trillion. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says the White House thinks the solution is to flood the struggling economy with money. As in, he says the administration is "looking at sending checks to Americans immediately." Mnuchin said the House and Senate should move on the plan right away – which would reportedly include $1-thousand checks for just about everyone. Bernie Sanders thinks it should be $2-thousand.
3 Election 2020: A Big Night For Biden
No one’s officially called the thing overall, but former Vice President Joe Biden is enjoying another clean sweep in the latest round of Democratic presidential primaries. Biden is projected as the winner in Florida, Illinois and Arizona. What does that mean for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders? That his delegate count of 817 isn’t anywhere near the 1,991 needed to secure the Democratic nomination. And Biden? He’s now racked up 1,132. Biden broadcast brief remarks from his home state of Delaware. “Let me say especially to the young voters who have been inspired by Senator Sanders: I hear you. I know what’s at stake. I know what we have to do,” he offered. “Our goal as a campaign and my goal as a candidate for president was to unify this party and then to unify the nation.”