Thursday, April 16, 2020
8:26 pm ET: House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy Points Finger at China for Coronavirus Woes
Public health experts and elected officials have encouraged Americans to think about what our world will look like after the coronavirus crisis subsides.
Masks may be worn in public for a long time after. We could even see the end of the handshake.
For House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, that post-pandemic world would also see the end of China taking part in global supply chains.
In an interview with Cheddar, the California Republican pointed to China as a major contributor to the woes the world has experienced during the outbreak. “America and the rest of the world needs to wake up,” he said. “No longer should China be able to control a supply chain. To our medicine, to our PPE, to our critical minerals or otherwise. This is a place that we have to change the course of history.” Read more...
— Ben Deeter
7:46 pm ET: Trump Gives Governors 3-Phase Plan to Reopen Economy
President Donald Trump gave governors a road map Thursday for recovering from the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic, laying out “a phased and deliberate approach” to restoring normal activity in places that have strong testing and are seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases.
“We’re starting our life again,” Trump said during his daily press briefing. “We’re starting rejuvenation of our economy again.”
He added, “This is a gradual process.”
The new guidelines are aimed at easing restrictions in areas with low transmission of the coronavirus, while holding the line in harder-hit locations. They make clear that the return to normalcy will be a far longer process than Trump initially envisioned, with federal officials warning that some social distancing measures may need to remain in place through the end of the year to prevent a new outbreak. And they largely reinforce the plans already under development by governors, who have the primary responsibility for public health in their states.
“You’re going to call your own shots,” Trump told the governors Thursday afternoon in a conference call, according to an audio recording obtained by The Associated Press. “We’re going to be standing alongside of you.”
Places with declining infections and strong testing would begin a three-phase gradual reopening of businesses and schools.
In phase one, for instance, the plan recommends strict social distancing for all people in public. Gatherings larger than 10 people are to be avoided and nonessential travel is discouraged.
In phase two, people are encouraged to maximize social distancing where possible and limit gatherings to no more than 50 people unless precautionary measures are taken. Travel could resume.
Phase three envisions a return to normalcy for most Americans, with a focus on identification and isolation of any new infections. Read more...
— Associated Press
6:17 pm ET: Bennigan's CEO Says Restaurant Chain Hit Hard
Restaurant chain Bennigan's has had to lay off or furlough up to 70 percent of its staff because of the coronavirus crisis, and Paul Mangiamele, Bennigan's chairman and CEO, told Cheddar Thursday that the decision was 'heartbreaking.'
"We've been around 44 years now… we've been hit hard," Mangiamele said. "In fact, we got sucker punched." Read more...
— Taylor Craig
5:19 pm ET: Seven Midwest States to Partner on Reopening the Economy
Seven Midwestern governors announced Thursday that they will coordinate on reopening their state economies amid the coronavirus pandemic after similar pacts were made in the Northeast and on the West Coast.
The latest agreement includes Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Kentucky.
"We look forward to working with experts and taking a fact-based, data-driven approach to reopening our economy in a way that protects families from the spread of COVID-19," the governors said. "Our No. 1 priority when analyzing when (is) best to reopen our economy is the health and safety of our citizens."
— The Associated Press
3:47 pm ET: Harvard Researcher: Ending Quarantine Means Massively Scaling Up Testing
Harvard University's Safra Center for Ethics has launched a research initiative to help answer the question looming on most people's minds: when will the coronavirus quarantines end?
Danielle Allen, director of the center, told Cheddar that ending quarantine will require a robust social effort involving potentially thousands of workers and brand new technology solutions.
In the past, best practices for a quarantine order included setting a deadline to protect individual rights and set expectations, but COVID-19 presented too many unknown variables for lawmakers to come out of the gate with a set date for letting people return to normal. Read more...
— Alex Vuocolo
3:06 pm ET: TikTok Star: #WerkItFromHome Encourages Young People to Stay Safe
Students are out of school, businesses are closed, and millions are stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. One app many people are turning to for entertainment is TikTok, so a viral campaign is trying to remind the platform's many young users "there are still plenty of good times to be had."
Truth, the youth smoking prevention campaign, kicked off a TikTok challenge called #WerkItFromHome where users are encouraged to strut their stuff to RuPaul's hit song, Supermodel. Ariana Lee, who has over eight million followers on the platform, told Cheddar Thursday that the campaign is a creative way to tell people to stay at home. Read more...
— McKenzie Marshall
2:08 pm ET: Recycling Industry Deploys Robots to Help Workers Social Distance
The recycling industry is seeing a boom in demand for paper products at the same time that the coronavirus pandemic has made it critical for workers to maintain social distance. Now some cities and municipalities are debating whether recycling should be considered an essential service amid the outbreak.
This presents an opportunity for robotics to help fill in the gaps left — literally — between human workers, Matanya Horowitz, founder AMP Robotics, told Cheddar.
"It gives the facilities different options for what they want to automate and what they want to keep manual," Horowitz said. "What a lot of facilities are doing right now is they are using robots to basically space out their workers." Read more...
— Alex Vuocolo
1:31 pm ET: New York Home Restrictions Extended Another Month
New York state will extend its stay-at-home restrictions at least through May 15. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that transmission rates still need to be tamed as he prolonged the restrictions that have left most New Yorkers housebound. Meanwhile New York City is getting ready to use 11,000 empty hotel rooms for coronavirus quarantines. City officials also are grappling with a projected $7.4 billion loss in tax revenue because of the crisis. New York state recorded 606 COVID-19-related deaths Wednesday, the lowest daily number in two weeks. Read more...
— The Associated Press
12:34 pm ET: Around the World in 90 Seconds
South Korea holds in-person parliamentary elections, Emirates becomes the first airline to test passengers for COVID-19, and a 106-year-old coronavirus survivor checks out of the hospital. Here are headlines from around the world.
11:22 am ET: Small Business Loan Program on Hold After Reaching Lending Limit
The government’s paycheck protection loan program for small businesses is on hold. The Small Business Administration said Thursday that it reached the $349 billion lending limit for the program.
Thousands of small business owners whose loans have not yet been processed must now wait for Congress to approve a Trump administration request for another $250 billion for the program. Read more...
— The Associated Press
11:05 am ET: Chris Cuomo on Wife Coming Down With COVID-19 Too
Chris Cuomo, who late last month revealed he had tested positive for the coronavirus, said his wife Cristina has now also been infected.
The CNN anchor made the announcement on the network Wednesday night during an interview with his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“Cristina now has COVID(-19). She is now positive. And it just breaks my heart,” Chris Cuomo said. “It is the one thing I was hoping wouldn't happen, and now it has.”
Cuomo has continued to appear on air and has documented his health struggles with the coronavirus. He had quarantined himself at home in Long Island, New York, and said he was staying in the basement to make sure his wife and children did not get it
— The Associated Press
9:15 am ET: Markets Open Higher Despite Bleak Jobs Report
Stock markets opened slightly higher Thursday, even as the Department of Labor reported another 5.2 million jobless claims in the week ending April 11.
In other economic news, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve reported that its business conditions index hit its lowest level since 1980.
Housing starts also slid 22 percent in March, the biggest monthly decline since 1984.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 90 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq increased under 1 percent. Read more...
— Alex Vuocolo
9:15 am ET: Another 5.2 million File for Unemployment in One Week
Another 5.2 million people filed for unemployment in the week ending April 11, according to a U.S. Department of Labor report released Thursday morning.
In any other year, that would be a historic jump, but this is the third consecutive week of jobless claims reaching well into the millions. The previous week saw 6.6 million claims, and the week before that saw an all-time high of 6.9 million claims.
The decrease of 1.4 million from the prior week could suggest that the U.S. has seen its worst one-week bump in jobless claims. Some analysts believe that the number will steadily drop in the coming weeks, even as we continue to see relatively high numbers. Read more...
— Alex Vuocolo
8:00 am ET: NY Mask Rule, Anti-Lockdown Protests & New iPhones
Get your news over easy every morning by listening to the Need 2 Know podcast (Stitcher, iTunes) and signing up for our morning newsletter.
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: President Trump said the data suggests the U.S. has “passed the peak” of the outbreak, but warned Americans to remain vigilant. He will discuss guidelines for “reopening” the country today, though a growing list of health officials say the U.S. is still not doing nearly enough testing for that to be safe. NY Gov. Cuomo ordered all New Yorkers to wear masks or face coverings when out in public in situations where social distancing isn’t possible, like the grocery store. The L.A. Times reports that the mayor is considering banning large gatherings in Los Angeles until next year. And in Germany, businesses will take the first steps toward reopening in phases next week. UPDATES
ANTI-LOCKDOWN PROTESTS: Protesters gathered on the steps of Michigan’s state capitol in Lansing, demonstrating against the state’s restrictive lockdown measures and chanting “Open up Michigan!” and “Lock her up!” in reference to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. She has been taking heat for what many Michiganders say is a confusing stay-home order that makes seemingly arbitrary distinctions between what is and what is not considered essential services. For instance, Home Depots in Michigan can sell drywall but not paint. NBC NEWS
WARREN ENDORSEMENT: The most important endorsements in the Democratic primary keep rolling in for Joe Biden. First, it was Bernie, then Obama, now Elizabeth Warren has added her stamp of approval. Warren released a video message endorsing the former VP, saying he will “restore Americans’ faith in good, effective government.” WATCH
STIMULUS CHECKS IN THE MAIL: More than 80 million Americans got a direct deposit from the federal government this week, according to the Treasury Dept. If you filed a tax return for 2018 or 2019 and got a refund via direct deposit, that bank account should now show the amount of your stimulus check. If the government doesn’t have your bank information, a paper check is on the way, but it could take months. The process has reportedly been delayed a few extra days after the Trump administration ordered that the president’s name be printed on the checks. NPR
RETAIL SALES: The monthly retail sales report for March showed an 8.7 percent plunge, the biggest decline ever and a sign of how many consumers shut their wallets when the coronavirus spread started gaining steam in the U.S. last month. Analysts were expecting it to be bad, but the final numbers came in even worse. And because most cities and states didn’t shut nonessential businesses until the back half of the month, April is likely to be much worse. CNBC
NEW IPHONES: Apple unveiled a smaller, cheaper iPhone to add to its lineup, betting that even in an economic downturn, people will still shell out for a new device. The new iPhone SE will be available April 24 for $399. It will look like models from a few years ago, with smaller screens and home buttons, but under the hood it has the computing speed of the latest devices. CNET
COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON: College football in springtime?! It could be in the cards. The idea of the 2020 college football season being played from February to May 2021 is reportedly “gaining momentum” as colleges and universities worry that not all students will be back on campus this fall. There would be major challenges to pulling off a delayed season, but there is a growing sense among college sports officials that it’s going to be hard to fill massive football stadiums in late August, assuming schools are even back open. PROFOOTBALLTALK
CO-STAR WITH LEO: Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro are offering fans an opportunity to win a walk-on role in their next Martin Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon. The pair announced the contest on Leo’s Instagram. Fans can donate to his charity for a chance to win. Those funds will go to providing meals for people affected by the pandemic. The winner will get to go to the premiere, too. VARIETY
SPOTTED…Kanye West in some kind of tank on his Wyoming ranch, for the cover of the new GQ. In the accompanying interview, West says he’s voting for Trump in November and no one can stop him: SEE PIC
LEFTOVERS: RELAX WITH SHEEP: What could be better than a six-hour looped 4K video of dozens of sheep grazing a California vineyard? The NY Times restaurant critic, left without any new restaurants to review, instead did an appraisal of the YouTube video he’s calling the coronavirus-era version of the yule log. And he’s not wrong: it makes for an oddly soothing addition to the work-from-home lifestyle. WATCH
