Trump Administration

Yahoo News reports: Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the leading medical experts on President Trump’s coronavirus task force, tried to reconcile the controversial order by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp reopening some businesses across the state with the task force recommendations that call for continued social distancing. Among the businesses that Kemp, a Republican and a strong supporter of President Trump, …

The New York Times reports: President Trump’s signature hotel in the nation’s capital wants a break on its rent. The landlord determining the fate of the request is Mr. Trump’s own administration. Trump International Hotel, just a few blocks from the White House, had been a favored gathering place for lobbyists, foreign dignitaries and others hoping to score points with …

Bloomberg News reports: The Justice Department will consider taking legal action against governors who continue to impose stringent rules for dealing with the coronavirus that infringe on constitutional rights even after the crisis subsides in their states, Attorney General William Barr said. Blunt means to deal with the pandemic, such as stay-at-home orders and directives shutting down businesses, are justified …

CBS News reports: Most Americans said they do not expect it will be safe to have social gatherings until at least June, according to a new poll. Sixty-five percent of Americans said they expect the coronavirus pandemic to be controlled enough to allow for gatherings of more than 10 people by the end of June or later, according to a …

Bloomberg News reports: The U.S. budget deficit may quadruple this year to almost $4 trillion. Projections from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) say that by 2023 U.S. debt held by the public will surpass records set in the post-World War II years. And these projections only include spending enacted so far—in a three-month-old crisis that has seen …

CBS News reports: Facing political pressure to ease stay-at-home restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Democratic governors asked the White House on Monday for help encouraging Americans to adhere to these local guidelines. On the call, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said her state is using the White House guidelines to implement “what we …

The Washington Post reports: The federal government gave national hotel and restaurant chains millions of dollars in grants before the $349 billion program ran out of money Thursday, leading to a backlash that prompted one company to give the money back and a Republican senator to say that “millions of dollars are being wasted.” Ruth’s Chris Steak House, a chain …

Raw Story reports: Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday defended President Donald Trump for inciting protests in the middle of a pandemic. During an interview on Fox New Sunday, host Chris Wallace noted that demonstrators calling for the economy to reopen were seen violating social distancing guidelines. “But Mr. Vice President,” Wallace said. “In a number of these cases, these …

Mediaite reports: Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin in an interview on State of the Union With Jake Tapper touted that it was, in fact, his idea to print President Donald Trump’s name on coronavirus stimulus checks, billing the move as a “terrific symbol to the American public.” “Stimulus checks for $1,200 are being mailed out to many Americans, some …

The Huffington Post reports: The largely white protesters who oppose social distancing measures to protect the public from COVID-19 are like Rosa Parks, who waged a historic battle for racial equality, right-wing economic commentator and White House adviser Stephen Moore repeatedly insisted Friday. “I call these people modern-day Rosa Parks. They are protesting against injustice and a loss of liberties,” …

The Washington Post reports: The failure by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to quickly produce a test kit for detecting the novel coronavirus was triggered by a glaring scientific breakdown at the CDC’s central laboratory complex in Atlanta, according to scientists with knowledge of the matter and a determination by federal regulators. The CDC facilities that assembled the …

The Washington Post reports: The White House released new guidance late Thursday afternoon for states to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, leaving the decisions up to governors to make on a statewide or county-by-county level. The guidance, which will be formally announced during a 6 p.m. news conference, doesn’t lay out a specific timeline for relaxing social distancing restrictions. It …

Business Insider reports: President Donald Trump’s appointed head of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, is under fire for comments he made Wednesday in which he appeared to suggest the $1,200 stimulus payments could last people up to 10 weeks. “I think the entire package provides economic relief overall for about 10 weeks,” Mnuchin told CBS’ Face the Nation. “Hopefully we will …

Roll Call reports: The Homeland Security Department, reacting to what it called an “unprecedented crisis,” will allow farmers facing delays in getting approval for petitions for foreign agricultural labor to hire farmworkers holding H-2A visas and already in the United States. How many farmers this will help is unknown. The temporary final rule announced Wednesday comes after mounting pressure from …

CNN reports: US intelligence and national security officials say the United States government is looking into the possibility that the novel coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory rather than a market, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter who caution it is premature to draw any conclusions. The theory has been pushed by supporters of the President, including some …

The New York Times reports: Ivanka Trump, President Trump’s eldest daughter and a senior White House adviser, has positioned herself as one of the leaders of the administration’s economic relief efforts and one of its most vocal advocates of social distancing. But Ms. Trump herself has not followed the federal guidelines advising against discretionary travel, leaving Washington for another one …

The Washington Post reports: In mid-March, a National Security Council team rushed to fix what they saw as a threat to the U.S. government’s ability to function amid the advancing pandemic: a lack of masks to protect enough staff on the White House complex. Alarmed by the small cache and the growing signs of an acute shortage of protective gear …

Raw Story reports: In defending the president’s controversial move, Kellyanne Conway blamed the group for not being more on the ball when it came to handling the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have every right to know because of what’s happened here in this global pandemic, but there’s another reason, some of the scientists and doctors say that there could be other …

From opinion columnist Dana Milbank: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) have insisted that Congress spend another $250 billion on small businesses devastated by the pandemic, but they refuse to “renegotiate unrelated programs” from last month’s emergency coronavirus bill. What are they afraid of? Well, maybe it’s this: As the dust settles on …

The Hill reports: Major U.S. airlines have reached an agreement with the Treasury Department to accept billions of dollars in coronavirus stimulus funds, the department announced Tuesday. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement that he and the department “welcome the news” that 10 airlines have agreed to participate in the program. The airlines applied for parts of $25 …