E3: US coronavirus live: Trump says federal stockpile of protective equipment nearly empty

Mike Pence, defending the decision not to open up Obamacare exchanges during the crisis, said that “we have Medicaid for underprivileged Americans.”

Trump approved. “That was one of the greatest answers I’ve ever heard,” he said. “Because Mike was able to talk for 5 minutes and not answer your question.”

Trump said the healthcare workers walking into hospitals are “like warriors... People are screaming, they’re clapping, they’re like heroes.”

“We’re going to be doing something for them,” he said, alluding to maybe bonuses or “something”.

Trump said he’s considering ending domestic flights between hotspots. “That is a calculation that we’re looking at right now,” he said.

Fact check: Florida cases

Asked why the federal government hasn’t declared a national shelter-in-place order, leaving it instead to governors, Trump emphasized that flexibility.

Fact check: economy

“We had the greatest economy that we’ve ever had,” Trump said.

Mike Pence, Dr Deborah Birx, and Dr Anthony Fauci have now joined the conference.

They – unlike the military officials who attended the earlier portion of the briefing – have fanned out a bit to distance themselves.

Trump said that the federal stockpile of personal protective equipment is nearly empty. “It is,” he said. “Because we’re sending it directly to hospitals.”

Earlier, CNN reported that the “Strategic National Stockpile is deploying the last round of shipments in its inventory, depleting the bulk of its protective gear.”

The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports a federal judge in Wisconsin appears unlikely to delay the state’s 7 April election.

Wisconsin election officials are scrambling to prepare for the election amid severe poll worker shortages and an unprecedented request for absentee ballots. During a lengthy hearing in federal court in Madison on Wednesday afternoon, U.S. District Judge William Conley expressed skepticism that a federal judge could step in and delay the election. The governor and legislature, he said, have that power and should use it.

The briefing so far has featured zero public health experts. Trump is fielding all the coronavirus questions, flanked by attorney general William Barr and defense secretary Mark Esper.

The president has returned to some of his favorite campaign rally lines, mentioning the “many families” that have been “wiped out” by drug addiction, boasting about the southern border wall, and reminiscing about “All of the caravans coming up, with 10,000, 15,000 people coming up...marching through Mexico.”

Fact check: early warnings

Trump is now back to addressing the coronavirus crisis. “Nobody could’ve known a thing like this would happen,” he said.

The wisdom of the mission now is complicated by an outbreak of coronavirus on a US aircraft carrier docked in the western pacific.

From the AP:

Fewer 100 of the nearly 5,000 sailors assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt, now docked in Guam, have tested positive for the virus, but the Navy is moving sailors into various facilities and probably will begin using hotel rooms in the coming days. Navy leaders are talking with government officials in the U.S. territory to identify rooms for the crew members.

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, however, made it clear that while several thousand will leave the ship, other sailors will remain on board in order to continue to protect the ship and run critical systems.

The mission that officials are describing now is in-line with the country’s previously announced commitment to enhancing anti-drug operations. But it has likely taken on greater urgency following the indictment of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s socialist leader, last week.

Maduro and his military have been accused of leading a narcoterrorist conspiracy, and snuggling up to 250 metric tons of cocaine a year into the US.

General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US has intelligence that that shows drug cartels are exploiting the coronavirus outbreak ramp up operations. “We will defend our country regardless of the cost,” he said. “We’re at war with Covid-19, we’re at war with terrorists. And we are at war with the drug cartels, as well. This is the United States military. You will not penetrate this country. You will not get past Jump Street.”

“This is a particularly important time for this operation to begin,” said defense secretary Mark Esper. According to Esper, as other countries work to protect their populations from the coronavirus threat, they’re getting lax on drug traffickers.

The coronavirus briefing has begun with an overview of the administration’s new “enhanced counter-narcotics operations”. Officials are deploying additional Navy combat ships, aircraft and Coast Guard to the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

According to Trump, the forces fighting drug traffickers will also have equipment to protect them from contracting coronavirus.

Donald Trump is joined by attorney general William Barr, and several other officials — none of whom are practicing physical distancing on stage.

Georgia has reported 4,638 cases and 139 deaths. Mississippi has reported 1,073 cases and 22 deaths.

The Guardian has been tracking coronavirus statistics across the US:

Related: Coronavirus map of the US: latest cases state by state

Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia has also ordered a statewide shelter-in-place mandate. At a press briefing, he also announced that schools would be closed through the end of the year.

BREAKING: Governor Kemp is signing a statewide shelter-in-place order for Georgia. It starts this Friday and lasts through April 13th. He is also cancelling all k-12 public school through the rest of this school year. pic.twitter.com/OGdBaFgnaV

“We believe this is the right tool, at the right time, to save lives,” said Governor Tate Reeves said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference. The shelter-in-place will take effect on Friday at 5pm.

More than 280m people in at least 36 states, as well in several dozen counties the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are being told to stay home.

That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague Maanvi Singh will take over for the next few hours.

Here’s where the day stands:

House homeland security committee chairman Bennie Thompson is proposing a bill to establish a committee to review the US coronavirus response.

Thompson said the commission would be modeled off the 9/11 commission and try to identify lessons from the US coronavirus response to prepare for future crises.

The Guardian’s Vivian Ho reports:

California’s early and stringent shelter-in-place orders have flattened the curve, but the state is still on track to run out of hospital beds in May, state officials said Wednesday.

The Dow closed down 973 points, or 4.4%, as the economy continues to suffer from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also closed down 4.4%, marking a generally dismal day for the US markets.

Connecticut reported its first pediatric fatality linked to coronavirus, governor Ned Lamont announced in a tweet.

It is with heartbreaking sadness today that we can confirm the first pediatric fatality in Connecticut linked to #COVID19. A 6-week-old newborn from the Hartford area was brought unresponsive to a hospital late last week and could not be revived. (1/3)

Trump is “sympathetic” to the idea of asking all Americans to wear face masks, according to Republican senator Pat Toomey, who has pushed for the idea.

#Masks4All is simple: when in public, wear a cotton t-shirt/bandanna over your mouth/nose to protect those around you from possible infection. Save N95 masks for HC providers. Glad to partner w/@SenatorBennet on this initiative and see @Suntimes support: https://t.co/l1kryDHXu7

Dr Anthony Fauci declined to commit to a timeline for when Americans will be able to return to work.

Earlier today, Vice President Mike Pence raised the possibility that Americans would be able to go back to work in early June if they closely adhere to social distancing guidelines.

QUESTION: The vice president suggested today that Americans will be able to get back to work in early June, if we follow the federal guidelines. Do you agree with that assessment?

DR. FAUCI: "The virus determines what the timetable is, not us."

More tonight on @CBSEveningNews pic.twitter.com/6RfWljp90R

Today, the second coronavirus stimulus package’s provisions for paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave went into effect.

The US is the only wealthy country in the world which does not require employers to give workers paid sick days.

Joe Biden said he was “ready to debate President Trump on Zoom or Skype anytime he wants,” underscoring how the coronavirus pandemic has upended campaigning during a presidential election year.

Biden’s comments come after Trump suggested Monday that New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been widely praised for his response to the pandemic, would be a “better candidate than Sleepy Joe.”

The nation’s strategic stockpile of personal protective equipment is nearly depleted, a Department of Homeland Security official has told the Washington Post.

An official anonymously told the Post, “The stockpile was designed to respond to handful of cities. It was never built or designed to fight a 50-state pandemic.”

Nancy Pelosi criticized Trump and Mitch McConnell for suggesting impeachment distracted the government from responding earlier to coronavirus.

“I think that’s an admission that perhaps the president and the majority leader cannot handle the job,” Pelosi told CNN.

Less than half of Americans approve of how Trump has responded to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll.

The AP/NORC poll found that 44% of Americans support Trump’s handling of the pandemic, which mirrors his 43% approval rating.

The Guardian’s Vivian Ho reports from California:

California schools will be unable to reopen for the rest of the school year because of coronavirus, the state superintendent said Tuesday.

Trump said he believes Iran is “planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq.”

Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!

The state of Florida has bent to widespread pressure from Washington and beyond to order all residents to stay at home, as cases of coronavirus have soared there.

It had been a rough week for Republican Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and fervent Donald Trump ally who shares the president’s reluctance to use widespread lockdowns as a tool to help contain coronavirus.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo has just wrapped up his daily briefing on the state’s response to coronavirus.

Here’s where the day stands:

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the New York Police Department will have to “get more aggressive” about enforcing social distancing guidelines.

The governor has already announced New York City playgrounds will be closed because residents have failed to observe social distancing guidelines there.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said his brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, is doing well after being diagnosed with coronavirus.

Cuomo said his brother’s diagnosis showed that anyone can get the virus, even those who are young and generally healthy.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said he thought Americans would be living with the consequences of the pandemic for a long time to come.

“I don’t think we get back to normal,” Cuomo said. “I think we get to a new normal.”

New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced New York City playgrounds would be closed due to lack of compliance to social distancing guidelines.

“Compliance is still not where it should be,” Cuomo said. Officials had hoped to keep the playgrounds open, but it became untenable, the governor said.

If America sees 100,000 deaths in the coronavirus pandemic, projections show New York could lose 16,000 of its residents, governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said yesterday that Americans should prepare for 100,000 fatalities across the country.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo noted there are several different projections on when the state will hit the peak of this crisis.

Some projections say the apex of the crisis will come in seven days, and others say it will come in six weeks.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the coronavirus crisis is expected to hit its peak in the state at the end of April.

That would mean at least another month of rising coronavirus cases and deaths, but the governor noted the projection model shifts as more data is received.

New York has confirmed 83,712 cases of coronavirus, marking an increase of 7,917 since yesterday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced.

The virus has now claimed 1,941 lives in New York state, up from 1,550 yesterday.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders called on Wisconsin to delay its presidential primary, scheduled for next week, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“People should not be forced to put their lives on the line to vote, which is why 15 states are now following the advice of public health experts and delaying their elections,” Sanders said in a statement. “We urge Wisconsin to join them.”

Vice President Mike Pence closed his CNN interview by emphasizing that Americans’ daily actions can make a real difference in the pandemic.

“There are challenging days ahead, but your future is in your hands,” Pence said.

Vice President Mike Pence said the White House is looking at recommending more widespread use of face masks.

Health officials had previously said face masks should be reserved for medical professionals, but that stance is now being reconsidered.

Vice President Mike Pence emphasized Americans should remember that coronavirus cases represent individual human lives.

“I want everybody to know that we are taking this one American at a time,” Pence said.

Vice President Mike Pence dubiously argued that Trump has consistently emphasized the seriousness of coronavirus.

“I don’t believe the president has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus,” Pence told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

Vice President Mike Pence blamed the delayed US response to coronavirus on China’s reporting about the outbreak.

“We could’ve been better off if China had been more forthcoming,” Pence said in a CNN interview.

Vice President Mike Pence compared the United States to Italy in terms of the effects of coronavirus on the two countries.

“We think Italy may be the most comparable area to the United States at this point,” Pence told CNN in response to a question about death toll projections. Italy has seen the highest number of coronavirus deaths, already losing more than 12,000 residents to the pandemic.

The US intelligence community has reportedly concluded that China underreported its numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths.

Bloomberg News reports:

China has concealed the extent of the coronavirus outbreak in its country, under-reporting both total cases and deaths it’s suffered from the disease, the U.S. intelligence community concluded in a classified report to the White House, according to three U.S. officials.

The officials asked not to be identified because the report is secret and declined to detail its contents. But the thrust, they said, is that China’s public reporting on cases and deaths is intentionally incomplete. Two of the officials said the report concludes that China’s numbers are fake.

The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:

Wisconsin will use the Army National Guard to work the polls next week for the state’s presidential primary.

Vice President Mike Pence toured a Walmart distribution center in Gordonsville, Virginia, and thanked the workers there for helping in the coronavirus response.

“Thank you for doing a great job and keeping food on the table for the American people,” the vice president said over an intercom, according to the pool report. “We’re grateful for our farmers. We’re grateful for our grocery store operators. We’re grateful for Walmart.”

New York governor Andrew Cuomo will hold his daily briefing on the state’s coronavirus response at 12 pm ET.

I will be giving my daily #Coronavirus briefing at 12:00PM. Stay tuned.

Congressman Adam Schiff is calling for the creation of a commission to later review the government’s response to coronavirus.

The California Democrat, who was the lead impeachment manager during Trump’s Senate trial, said such a commission could help the country prepare for future pandemics.

After Pearl Harbor and 9/11, we looked at what went wrong to learn from our mistakes.

Once we've recovered, we need a nonpartisan commission to review our response and how we can better prepare for the next pandemic.

I’m working on a bill to do that.https://t.co/uqO3BwVldN

The White House coronavirus task force is reportedly leaning toward recommending more widespread use of face masks.

CNN reports:

Most members of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force have come to agree that Americans should begin wearing face coverings in public and could issue formal guidance on the matter soon, people familiar with the matter said. ...

Previously, some members of the task force -- including Dr. Deborah Birx -- cautioned in meetings against recommending Americans wear masks because of a fear it could lull them into a false sense of protection and prevent them from socially distancing.

Alexandra Villareal in New York reports for the Guardian:

Deaths from coronavirus have exceeded 1,000 in New York City, while officials continue to warn that the worst is yet to come.

The city’s Health Department reported late Tuesday that at least 1,096 people have died of the virus in the city. There had been almost 42,000 confirmed cases as of Tuesday evening, an increase of more than 1,000 over the previous day. Statewide, there were more than 75,000 people who have tested positive for the disease, and more than 1500 people have died.

Here are the other major developments in New York:

Maryland now has nearly 2,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to state officials.

The state is reporting 1,985 cases as of this morning, marking an increase of 325 since yesterday. Maryland has lost 31 residents to the pandemic.

As of this morning, the @MDHealthDept is reporting 1,985 confirmed cases of #COVIDー19 in Maryland.

We have added 325 cases since yesterday.

Negative tests: 17,233

Maryland has 31 deaths, and 69 patients have been released from isolation.https://t.co/1RfN0kNmTz

In spite of efforts to obtain more personal protective equipment for frontline health workers, many are still reporting anxiety-inducing shortages.

In just the latest example, an anonymous doctor posted a picture of a Yankees rain poncho she was given as personal protective equipment.

I’m a physician at a hospital in NYC and THIS IS THE “PPE” I WAS JUST HANDED for my shift. Our federal government has completely failed its health care workers. #GetUsPPE pic.twitter.com/bEh11ra7Ee

PHOTOS: Nurses at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx borough of New York gather in front of the hospital's ER entrance to demand adequate supplies of personal protective equipment to safely treat coronavirus patients. New York leads the US in the highest cases of COVID-19. (AP) pic.twitter.com/Xfomj7Hyj7

Joe Biden released a video comparing his words about the coronavirus pandemic to Trump’s.

The words of a president matter. pic.twitter.com/OteNK4CWbU

The surgeon general was asked this morning about governors, like Florida’s Ron DeSantis, who have not yet issued statewide “stay at home” orders.

"My advice to America would be that these guidelines are a national stay-at-home order."— U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams pic.twitter.com/UWGtO2BpJO

Trump’s criticism of New York and New Jersey for their responses to coronavirus has already sparked pushback.

The president said yesterday that the two states, which have been hit hardest by the virus, “got off to a very late start” with their responses to the pandemic.

This is not the time to debate but the states were not slow to respond – the federal government was absent. https://t.co/Q8v7kWJxmM

In case you missed it: Trump said yesterday that Americans should brace for a “very, very painful two weeks.”

Related: Trump warns of 'painful two weeks' as officials predict up to 240,000 US coronavirus deaths

Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden acknowledged last night that the party will likely have to hold a virutal nominating convention to avoid spreading coronavirus.

On the Democratic National Convention going forward in July

Brian Williams: Can you really envision every prominent Democrat in this country from all 50 states inside a hot arena 104 days from now?

Joe Biden: It's hard to envision that. pic.twitter.com/9eHP6LDdRw

Good morning, live blog readers!

The White House is reconsidering its previous guidance against widespread usage of face masks as the country’s coronavirus death toll continues to rise.

Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!

They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!
https://t.co/UxZRwxxKL9

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