The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Trump pivots on state power, freezes US WHO funds

                            Presented by Facebook

 

 

Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. It’s Wednesday. We get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the daily co-creators, so find us @asimendinger and @alweaver22 on Twitter and recommend the Morning Report to your friends. CLICK HERE to subscribe!

Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: Monday, 22,109; Tuesday, 23,649. Wednesday, 26,057.

 

Note: New York City revised its tally of coronavirus fatalities on Tuesday to include deaths assumed to be caused by coronavirus but without test results. The new figures drove up the number of people killed in New York City to more than 10,000, and the nationwide fatality rate rose 17 percent to more than 26,000 (The New York Times).

President Trump on Tuesday eased his assertion of federal authority to reopen state economies, some before the end of the month. He also placed a hold on U.S. funding for the world’s major global health organization because he believes China’s coronavirus data early this year was wrongly accepted “at face value.”

 

“So much death has been caused by their mistakes,” Trump said of the World Health Organization (WHO). He again blamed international public health experts for being too “China-centric” to the detriment of “thousands of lives,” a view not shared by many international disease fighters who insist WHO is powerless to compel any nation to accept the organization’s help or turn over its data during a disease outbreak.

 

The hostility toward the WHO and vilification of China have gained traction among some conservative lawmakers and Fox News commentators. Hours before the president said he froze U.S. contributions, his reelection campaign solicited donations from his supporters on Tuesday while applauding Trump’s action to “hold China accountable for their lies and deceptions during the Coronavirus pandemic.”

 

U.S. international funding to the WHO is $893 million during the current two-year funding period, according to the State Department (The Washington Post). The temporary freeze to permit “an investigation” will continue for two or three months, Trump added during a nearly 90-minute event in the Rose Garden.

 

Reuters: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that it is “not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus.”

 

On Capitol Hill, the fallout from the coronavirus has shaken U.S.-China relations. Some GOP senators embrace a more aggressive stance toward Beijing and want congressional investigations and legislation that would shift U.S. dependence on China for some imported goods (The Hill).

 

Trump continued to hail President Xi Jinping as a trusted partner and predicted that a framework trade deal with China announced early this year will eventually be signed and implemented.

 

Via email, however, the president’s reelection team told his base a different story: “China has been lying and doing everything they can to cover up the spread of COVID-19 in their country. It’s absolutely disgraceful and we can’t stand by and do nothing,” the campaign wrote in an email on Tuesday. “President Trump has always been tough on China, but he can’t hold them accountable on his own.”

 

The Hill: WHO “needs to do its job,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says.

 

The Associated Press: China did not warn the public of a likely pandemic from the new virus for six key days before Jan. 20. China’s controls on information, bureaucratic hurdles and a reluctance to send bad news up the chain of command muffled early warnings.

 

 

 

 

Despite the blame Trump heaped on the WHO for the global coronavirus contagion, he sought to cast the more than 600,000 confirmed cases of infection and 26,057 deaths in the United States as a better-than-expected outcome that is reaching a plateau sufficient to allow millions of Americans to return to offices and schools.

 

Although the president announced a new economic advisory council on Tuesday made up of representatives of a cross section of business sectors and industry groups, he suggested his mind was all but made up that as many as 20 states with low numbers of confirmed cases of coronavirus can get back to business, perhaps before May 1, which was the extended deadline he set to slow the spread of the disease through social distancing, hand-washing and stay-at-home recommendations.

 

A day after declaring “total” authority over states to restart the economy on his say-so, Trump said he will “authorize” them this week to reopen at a future date and in a manner “that’s appropriate,” beginning with some select states this month.

 

The New York Times: Backing off an earlier, combative stance, the president said he would not pressure any governor to reopen before they were comfortable with that decision.

 

The Hill: Trump eases back on his assertion of power over governors.

 

The Hill: Governors rebuke Trump for claiming “total” authority.

 

The Associated Press: Governors grapple with relaxing virus restrictions.

 

A draft plan created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Emergency Management Agency calls for a “phased” restart, according to The Washington Post.

 

Public health experts say reopening the economy in most states where COVID-19 is still raging, even as hospital admissions begin to decline, requires national disease management focused on testing, contact tracing, quarantine and an army of public health workers to treat the inevitable flare-ups of the virus (Kaiser Health News). 

 

In an interview on Tuesday, Anthony Fauci, director of the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said “we’re not there yet” when it comes to conditions nationwide to revive an idled American economy (The Associated Press). In the Rose Garden, Trump did not call on Fauci to speak to reporters.

 

Laboratories warn that funding shortfalls jeopardize the ability to increase coronavirus testing capacity (The Hill). More complications: Scientists continue to research the circumstances under which immunity to COVID-19 is a reality for people, the accuracy of antibody testing and an explanation for the variance in fatality rates seen in those who become infected (The Hill). In Italy, some asymptomatic people repeatedly test positive for COVID-19, leading to quarantines of nearly a month. Experts cannot say with certainty how long people will remain positive, or how long they are contagious, which complicates any country’s ambition to end shelter-in-place orders without risking new outbreaks (The Daily Beast).

 

The president’s pivot on Tuesday to lean on governors following brinkmanship and irate tweets about “mutiny” was not a surprise in many state capitals. But governors on the front lines of outbreaks and agonizing state death tolls since March insist that a national plan that includes federal assistance to ramp up widespread testing is a must.

 

New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Trump will not goad him into battle, even as he disputed the president’s assertion of “total” authority over state actions tied to the coronavirus.“That is not an accurate statement, in my opinion,” he said when discussing the president’s role during his daily press briefing.

 

The number of fatalities rose again in New York on Tuesday but the number of new hospitalizations continued to show a downward trend. Cuomo said New Yorkers have seen the apex of the virus, but he warned that if the state does not manage the next steps correctly, its gains could be erased within a matter of days.

 

California: On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who also says a plateauing of the disease has begun in his state, announced elements of a plan to return to work, in coordination with neighboring states (The Hill and Reuters).

 

The Associated Press: States confront practical dilemmas in reopening the economy.

 

The Hill: Evidence suggests COVID-19 developed through nature, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told reporters on Tuesday in response to questions about concerns that it may have escaped from a Chinese research lab studying coronaviruses present in cave-dwelling horseshoe bats (The Washington Post and Scientific American).

   

Bloomberg News: Trump on Tuesday eased the U.S. ban on exports of personal protective equipment, with exemptions.

 

CNBC: The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) top economist, Gita Gopinath, on Tuesday projected as part of a new report that “this year the global economy will experience its worst recession since the Great Depression, surpassing that seen during the global financial crisis a decade ago.” The IMF expects the global economy to contract by 3 percent this year because of the coronavirus.

 

The grim IMF report sent global stocks and oil prices tumbling today (The Associated Press).

SPONSORED CONTENT — FACEBOOK

$100M grant program for small businesses impacted by COVID-19

 

Know a small business in need of extra support right now?

 

We are offering $100 million to provide businesses with resources they need during COVID-19.

 

Get started: Learn more.

LEADING THE DAY

POLITICS: Former Vice President Joe Biden scored a major boost to his campaign on Tuesday as former President Obama officially endorsed his second-in-command of eight years, giving him a shot in the arm as the presumptive Democratic nominee turns his attention to the general election. 

 

Obama made the announcement in a 12-minute video in which he lauded Biden as the best person to lead the U.S. out of the coronavirus pandemic and to unite the country (The Hill).

 

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned as a country from moments of great crisis, it’s that the spirit of looking out for one another can’t be restricted to our homes or our workplaces or our neighborhoods or houses of worship. It also has to be reflected in our national government,” Obama said. 

 

“The kind of leadership that’s guided by knowledge and experience, honesty and humility, empathy and grace. That kind of leadership doesn’t just belong in our state capitols and legislatures. It belongs in the White House, and that’s why I’m so proud to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States,” he said of Biden.

 

While Obama’s endorsement was not unexpected, it is nevertheless a big (f—ing) deal for the Biden campaign. Obama is expected to work on behalf of his former vice president immediately as the campaign’s top surrogate. Shortly after rolling out the endorsement, Obama sent out a fundraising appeal — the first of many to come. 

 

Sources with knowledge of internal campaign deliberations told The Hill’s Amie Parnes and Jonathan Easley that there are discussions underway to have Obama take part in virtual fundraisers with major donors. The 44th president is also expected to appear for side-by-side joint television appearances with Biden. Former first lady Michelle Obama is also expected to get involved with fundraising, voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, according to aides. 

 

“Obviously that’s a really big deal,” said one source familiar with the internal discussions, adding that it should all come together “pretty quickly.”

 

Obama’s involvement also has Democrats giddy after he laid low throughout the Democratic primary battle. They expect him to inject energy in the effort to make Trump a one-term president.

 

“Where it really will help is later in the summer and fall when Obama is campaigning for Joe. He’s still damn effective at persuading people,” Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), an early Biden supporter, told the Morning Report.

 

The Washington Post: Biden’s endorsement rollout has one goal: To show him as the leader of a newly unified party.

 

The New York Times: “Accelerate the endgame”: Obama’s role in wrapping up the primary.

 

The Hill: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) says it is “legitimate to talk about” allegations of sexual assault raised against Biden by a former Senate aide.

 

Politico: Biden moves to lock down Dems. Next up: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

 

 

 

 

News of Obama’s endorsement came roughly 24 hours after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) threw his weight behind the former VP as the Biden campaign looks to unify the party. 

 

In an interview with The Associated Press, Sanders impressed upon his supporters to follow suit and support Biden as the party’s nominee, saying that it would be “irresponsible” for them not to. 

 

“I believe that it’s irresponsible for anybody to say, ‘Well, I disagree with Joe Biden — I disagree with Joe Biden! — and therefore I’m not going to be involved,’” Sanders told the AP’s Steve Peoples, arguing that the choice facing his supporters is binary. 

 

“Do we be as active as we can in electing Joe Biden and doing everything we can to move Joe and his campaign in a more progressive direction? Or do we choose to sit it out and allow the most dangerous president in modern American history to get reelected?” Sanders said. 

 

While Obama’s endorsement was the big news of Tuesday, some Democrats believe that Sanders’s support could prove more consequential as Biden looks to marry the progressive and moderate lanes behind him.

 

“The bigger endorsement for right now is Bernie’s,” Boyle said. “Not just that he endorsed, but you can tell he’s pretty sincere about it too.”

 

The Wall Street Journal: Sanders to boost Biden online, but doesn’t plan to raise money for him.

 

The Hill: Obama praises Sanders in Biden endorsement.

 

The Hill: Progressive leaders skeptical of Biden despite Sanders endorsement.

 

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.): Trump votes by mail. Why can’t everyone?

 

***

 

CONGRESS: Today, 80 million people are expected to receive federal stimulus checks via direct deposit worth up to $1,200 per individual and more for qualifying families as part of major legislation approved last month. Those with annual incomes of $99,000 or less who do not receive federal funds in their bank accounts can go to IRS.gov later this week to seek the money (The Washington Post). In an unprecedented decision reached on Monday, the Treasury Department ordered that the president’s name appear on printed stimulus checks (The Washington Post).

 

***

A Trump tweet on Tuesday: “The Democrats don’t want to approve more money for our great workers under the incredibly successful ‘Paycheck’ plan. Replenish Account Now!”

 

Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are trying to corner Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) by striking a deal with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trump to provide $250 billion for small businesses and at least $250 billion for hospitals and state governments. The Small Business Emergency Disaster Relief program runs out of money this week, amplifying the administration’s insistence that there is no time to waste. But any deal with the Democrats will be tough without risking a single senator’s objection among 53 Republicans. They may face a potential unanimous consent request for another significant stimulus compromise, and the Senate says it will not return to Washington until May 4 (The Hill).

 

Economic forecasters, who are watching Congress jawbone about additional relief legislation and believe every institution but the Federal Reserve is moving too slowly, affirm that the gargantuan $2.2 trillion relief law enacted in March is likely just a starting point as the nation simultaneously confronts economic freefall and COVID-19 hazards in the absence of a vaccine. A pending short-term relief add-on has a price tag that could be $500 billion, while Pelosi and Mnuchin look beyond that measure to another mammoth recovery package that could amount to more than $1 trillion as joblessness soars, state budgets plunge into the red and millions of businesses remain closed (The Hill).

 

The Hill: House Democrats on Tuesday introduced a measure that would allow workers to remain on their employer-provided health insurance with expanded premium support beyond the Consolidated Budget Reconciliation Act if they lose their jobs or are furloughed during the coronavirus emergency.

 

 

 

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

CORONAVIRUS & INTERNATIONAL: The president will hold a video teleconference with Group of Seven (G7) leaders on Thursday as nations continue to combat the novel coronavirus. 

 

Around the world this morning, the coronavirus has infected at least 1,988,143 people and killed at least 126,859.

 

Trump will lead the video call with the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan, all of which have been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the White House, the group will discuss the international response to the virus.

 

“Working together, the G7 is taking a whole-of-society approach to tackle the crisis across multiple areas, including health, finance, humanitarian assistance, and science and technology,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

 

The virtual format will be hosted by Trump, who planned to hold this year’s summit of leading industrial nations at Camp David (Reuters).

 

The Hill: G7 finance ministers are open to suspending debt payments to needy countries.

 

> United Kingdom: The British parliament is expected to return to work next week in a virtual setting, according to the speaker of the House of Commons on Tuesday, after four weeks of being out of session. 

 

“Planning for certain parts of House business to be taken virtually is progressing well,” said Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the lower chamber, in a letter to lawmakers. She said that ministerial statements and the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session, among other items, will take place via videolink and be broadcast live.

 

“The scale of the challenge means there are bound to be bumps along the way, but once these proceedings have been judged to be delivered in a satisfactory and sustainable way … then the House can consider extending the model to other proceedings,” Hoyle said.

 

As of Tuesday, the U.K. has 94,845 confirmed cases of the virus while the death toll eclipsed 12,000. Included in the positive cases are a number of lawmakers and top officials, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who recently left the hospital after a lengthy stay, including three days in the intensive care unit (Reuters). 

 

 

 

 

> France: French officials announced that the death toll eclipsed 15,000 on Tuesday, making France the fourth country to eclipse the mark due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

While the daily number of confirmed cases and deaths increased on Tuesday, the total number of individuals in intensive care units dropped by nearly 100 patients over 24 hours. The figure marked the sixth straight day of a decline in ICU patients (Reuters).

 

> South Korea: Millions of voters went to the polls today to participate in parliamentary elections that will serve as a midterm judgment of President Moon Jae-in’s administration and a response to the pandemic that South Korea is recovering from. Voters showed up at the polls donning masks while maintaining their distance from one another, with recent polls showing support for Moon’s and his actions to stem the spread of the virus as South Korea has incurred far lower rates of death and a lower curve than the U.S. and nations across Europe (The Associated Press). 

 

> European Union: The E.U. warned its 27 nations against easing lockdown restrictions right away and urged them to be cautious in the return to day-to-day life over fears of a spike in the spread of the virus. While some nations are lifting some lockdown measures, the E.U. is pressing for members to make decisions in the name of health and not for business purposes. According to a draft of the roadmap obtained by The Associated Press, the E.U. commission says the sudden decision to rollback restrictions will “unavoidably lead to a corresponding increase in new cases,” adding that the national actions “should be gradual.” As of this morning, Europe has eclipsed 1 million confirmed cases of the virus (Agence France-Presse).

The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@digital-staging.thehill.com and aweaver@digital-staging.thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE!

OPINION

A coronavirus vaccine is our only escape, by David Von Drehle, columnist and COVID-19 survivor, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/2Kb1WTH 

 

Trump flunks Federalism 101, by William A. Galston, columnist, The Wall Street Journal. https://on.wsj.com/3abh1zs 

SPONSORED CONTENT — FACEBOOK

If you need help, or can offer it.

 

In response to COVID-19, people around the world are coming together to help one another in a show of solidarity and resilience.

 

Facebook’s Community Help is a place where you can offer or request help from your local community.

 

Request or offer help.

WHERE AND WHEN

The House will hold a pro forma session on Thursday at 3 p.m.

 

The Senate will convene in a pro forma session on Thursday at 3 p.m.

 

The president hosts a phone call related to the coronavirus and the economy at 10 a.m. with banking, financial services, food and beverage, hospitality and retail industry groups. Trump hosts a call at noon with healthcare, technology, telecommunications and transportation industry groups. He plans a third call at 2 p.m. with agriculture, construction, defense, energy, manufacturing industry groups and thought leaders. At 3:30 p.m., Trump will speak with sports industry groups via phone from the Oval Office.  

 

Vice President Pence will lead a daily meeting of the coronavirus task force and participate in an evening press briefing.

 

Mnuchin will participate in a video conference with finance ministers from Group of 20 nations, plus central bank governors.

 

Economic indicator: The Census Bureau will release a report on retail sales in March, which is expected to show a steep plunge as U.S. businesses shut down in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

The Coronavirus Report, helmed by The Hill’s Editor-at-Large Steve Clemons, has updates and exclusive video interviews with policymakers emailed each day. Sign up HERE!

 

Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://digital-staging.thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. ET at Rising on YouTube. 

ELSEWHERE

➔ $tranded: Americans stuck abroad howl that airlines overcharge on repatriation flights, with desperate citizens shelling out thousands of dollars for the only available one-way tickets. The flight costs are worrying travelers already under stress just as the State Department is beginning to shift its strategy toward putting commercial airlines in charge of remaining repatriation efforts, with little oversight on the price of flights. Airlines say their tickets are the cost of operation (The Hill). Meanwhile, U.S. airlines agreed on Tuesday to the terms of a $25 billion federal bailout. Participating: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, SkyWest Airlines and Southwest Airlines (The New York Times).

 

➔ Cannabis lobby: Groups and cannabis advocates are asking Congress for assistance in the next coronavirus relief package and pushing for legal marijuana markets in states to be open during the pandemic. Not so fast, say anti-marijuana lobbyists, who want to block taxpayer funds from going to such businesses during a public health emergency (The Hill).

 

➔ Sports: The Tour de France has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with the race expected to start on August 29 in Nice and end on Sept. 20 in Paris, according to multiple French news outlets. The race was slated to start on June 27, but French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that all events and festivals featuring mass gatherings are banned until mid-July (Yahoo!). … The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) had another setback on Tuesday: The league is not expected to restart until at least July. The CBA was initially scheduled to start today, but was delayed in late March after many players were unable to enter the country due to travel restrictions. The league’s ability to resume is being watched closely by leagues across the globe, including the NBA, which is postponed indefinitely (ESPN). … In Florida, the World Wrestling Entertainment was changed to a designation of “essential service” during a pandemic after discussions with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) (The New York Times).

 

➔ In The Know: Which popular host is releasing a memoir? Who is Alex Trebek. The longtime “Jeopardy!” host, who was diagnosed last year with stage 4 pancreatic cancer will release a memoir, “The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life,” on July 21, the eve of his 80th birthday. Simon & Schuster made the announcement on Tuesday, saying that Trebek will share “illuminating personal anecdotes” and thoughts on myriad issues. “I want people to know a little more about the person they have been cheering on for the past year,” Trebek says in his book (The Associated Press).

THE CLOSER

And finally … The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Earth Observatory has been hosting weekly rounds of an inspirational photography contest since late March called “Tournament Earth” to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which is April 22. 

 

Public balloting has already whittled NASA’s impressive choice of 32 photos of Earth taken from space down to four spectacular images, each of which tells a story about life and conditions on the blue marble. Now it’s time to winnow that field to two contenders by April 20 at 9 a.m. ET, before this year’s winning image comes into focus. 

 

Give it a go! (NASA).