Trump news: President rages at reporter during coronavirus press conference and insists there will be no national lockdown
Chaotic week at White House as president scrambles to support Americans during worsening crisis
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Donald Trump has closed the US-Mexico border, put a hold on student loan repayments, suspended elementary school testing, extended the deadline for Americans to file their tax returns and cancelled June's G7 summit with world leaders as part of his administration’s bid to make up for lost time following the coronavirus outbreak.
A number of US senators, notably Republicans Richard Burr and Kelly Loeffler, are meanwhile facing calls to resign after being accused of “insider trading” after it emerged they dumped stock options in response to a briefing on the outbreak on 24 January, with even Fox News host Tucker Carlson joining in the outrage and demanding Burr step down.
The president has said that he was "not aware" of those reports but called the senators "very honourable people."
In California, 40m citizens are being ordered to stay indoors as the crisis deepens, while in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered the closure of non-essential businesses across the state.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warns that the city could run out of medical supplies within three weeks without "radical" action from the federal government as the mayor prepares the possibility of a "shelter-in-place" order.
Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden also has attacked the president's response, after he berated a reporter and has waffled on an emergency order that could mandate companies rush the manufacturing of critically needed medical supplies.
Susan Rice, who also served under the Obama administration, dismissed claims by the president that his predecessor was ill-equipped to respond to a pandemic and pointed to Mr Trump's dismissal of his own pandemic response team among his national security advisers.
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Republican senator causes outrage with 'racist rant' about Chinese people amid pandemic
Trump isn't the only one turning to xenophobia in these difficult times.
Step forward Texas GOP senator John Cornyn, who says China has a “culture where people eat bats and snakes and dogs and things like that.”
‘These viruses are transmitted from the animal to the people and that’s why China has been the source of a lot of these viruses like SARS, like MERS, the Swine flu, and now the coronavirus, so I think they have a fundamental problem.”
James Crump has this report.
‘Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick’: Anger grows over celebrities receiving coronavirus care first
Celebrities, politicians and professional athletes faced a backlash this week as many revealed that they had been tested for the coronavirus, even when they didn't have a fever or other tell-tale symptoms.
That's fuelling a perception that the wealthy and famous have been able to jump to the head of the line to get tested while others have been turned away or met with long delays.
The concerns over preferential treatment underscore a fundamental truth about inequalities baked into the American health care system - those with the financial means can often receive a different level of service.
Asked about the issue Wednesday, Trump said the well-to-do and well-connected shouldn't get priority for coronavirus tests. But the wealthy former reality star conceded that the rich and famous sometimes get perks.
"Perhaps that's been the story of life," the president said during a briefing at the White House. "That does happen on occasion. And I've noticed where some people have been tested fairly quickly."
Spike Lee criticises Trump for ‘putting Asian Americans in danger’
The celebrated Black KkKlansman director has taken the president to task for his racist rhetoric on coronavirus, accusing of placing American citizens in harm's way.
Louis Chilton has this report.
'Don’t waste time debating whether Trump’s "Chinese Virus" tweets are racist – get wise to why he’s doing it'
For Indy Voices, Ben Chu makes the counerpoint to Lee, saying that arguing whether or not a man with Trump's record for bigotry has just said something racist is "one of the most pointless debates since mediaeval scholastics squabbled about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin."
Trump to close US-Mexico border to all but cargo and essential travel today
The Trump administration will announce on Friday that the US is closing its southern border with Mexico in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
"We're looking at both our northern and our southern border," said Chad Wolf, the head of homeland security.
He said that the new measures would restrict "non-essential" travel, and that an announcement would be made on Friday.
The US has already closed its northern border with Canada.
Here's our breaking story.
Isolation could last for several more weeks, warns Dr Fauci
America's top infectious disease expert was on NBC's Today Show this morning and delivered the bad news that he thinks Americans will need to be in isolation for several more weeks to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“If you look at the trajectory of the curves of outbreaks in other areas, it’s at least going to be several weeks,” Doc Fauci said on Friday. “I cannot see that all of a sudden, next week or two weeks from, it’s going to be over. I don’t think there’s a chance of that, I think it’s going to be several weeks.”
He also discussed the spread of the novel coronavirus with host Savannah Guthrie and said the best thing the US can do now is delay any non-urgent surgeries to keep hospital beds and equipment free.
Guthrie asked him if Trump should invoke the Defense Production Act. The president “is very serious about doing everything we could possibly do,” he answered, adding that he is meeting with Trump again today.
The host also asked if doctors being forced to improvise their own medical equipment is considered the worst-case scenario.
“Obviously we are in a very difficult situation and we should be doing everything we can to mitigate that,” Dr Fauci responded.
Regarding the anti-malaria drug Trump said could treat Covid-19, Dr Fauci said they have heard anecdotally that the drugs work, but they have not been tested in controlled trials.
“So what we’re saying is that we want to make them more available, but in the context of a protocol of some sort, that would not only make them available but that we can get some information as to whether they’re safe and whether they really work,” he said.
Here's the redoubtable Andrew Naughtie again.
US tax filing deadline pushed back by three months, says Steve Mnuchin
The US government is moving its tax filing day from 15 April to 15 July, treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Friday amid the coronavirus crisis afflicting the country.
"All taxpayers and businesses will have this additional time to file and make payments without interest and penalties," Mnuchin said in a Twitter post.
He encouraged all taxpayers who may have refunds to file now.
Richard Burr refers himself to Senate Ethics Committee over coronavirus 'insider trading' furore
Here's the North Carolina senator's statement on the outrage:
Four state governors close all barbershops and beauty salons
A few more US coronavirus lines to pull together here:
- Georgia Republican Party gatherings to go ahead in defiance of social distancing advice
- A member of ICE's medical staff has tested positive for Covid-19 at a New Jersey detention centre
- "Tens of thousands" of National Guardsmen could be deployed nationwide, says bureau chief
But perhaps the most mundane development is the most striking in this case.
The governors of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania have come together to direct the temporary closure of all barbershops, nail and hair salons by 8pm EST tomorrow night.
"All barbershops, hair salons, tattoo or piercing parlors, nail salons, hair removal services, and related personal care services will be closed to members," they said said in a joint statement.
"These services cannot be provided while maintaining social distance."
Get ready for the coronabeard everybody.
We're all going to look like Kurt Russell in The Thing when this all blows over.
Kellyanne Conway's husband releases advert comparing Trump to coronavirus
George Conway, one half of the weirdest couple in Washington, has been at it again.
Andrew Naughtie reports.
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