1 Trump: U.S. On-Track To Start Re-Opening
President Trump says the U.S. is on-track to start re-opening. During a White House event, Trump called it “very exciting” and said the U.S. will be better than ever once the deadly crisis passes. He also defended the levels of coronavirus testing in the U.S. and criticized media coverage of testing availability. Trump also repeated an argument that the coronavirus outbreak should have been contained in China and should never have become a global pandemic. Still, states are beginning to reopen, albeit to varying degrees, as the coronavirus pandemic pushes into a fifth month. Many states are taking a very cautious approach with no changes planned until leaders are confident their outbreak is easing. Others are more ambitious, such as Missouri, where all businesses will have state approval to reopen next Monday. A number of states allowed religious services to resume this past Sunday, with social distancing requirements and some costumer-oriented businesses opened this week in a few states, including Georgia, Montana, and Kentucky.
2 Drug Could Get Fast-Track Approval For Coronavirus Treatment
A drug that's showing promise in treating the coronavirus will reportedly be fast-tracked for approval. The F-D-A is likely to issue an emergency approval for Remdesivir. This would be the first drug approved to treat COVID-19. At a meeting with industry executives, President Trump said he wants the FDA to act as quickly as possible. And while Dr. Anthony Fauci initially referred to the reports of treatment success as “anecdotal,” he’s on board now. Early results of a federal trial of the drug showed it may hasten the recovery from the respiratory illness. Both the President and Dr. Fauci said they are very hopeful – and Fauci said the news coming out of Gilead Sciences, who’s behind Remdesivir, is “very promising.” Fauci noted that it is a treatment and not a prospective vaccine and said it appears that "a drug can block this virus.”
3 Senate Dems Introduce Bill to Use Defense Production Act for COVID-19 Testing
Senate Democrats are introducing a new piece of legislation that will use the full authority of the Defense Production Act to manufacture COVID-19 tests. That’s the legal authority President Trump used to keep meat plants open. In this case, the bill will also use the DPA to identify manufacturers and produce personal protective equipment for frontline workers. Speaking on a conference call, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said it is "unacceptable" that America can't give these frontline heroes the necessary supplies to fight this pandemic. He added that Democrats are calling on President Trump to appoint a civilian to lead this effort and coordinate with the federal government. Schumer says currently the Trump Administration has "failed to effectively marshal the full power of the federal government" to fight this global health crisis. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Chris Murphy are sponsoring the legislation.