Coronavirus live updates: Trump marks National Nurses Day; April jobs report could be worst ever; New York may hold Democratic primary
President Donald Trump was scheduled to mark National Nurses Day on Wednesday with a proclamation honoring thousands of nurses who have been on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis that has now killed more than 71,000 Americans.
The Oval Office ceremony comes one day after Vice President Mike Pence announced plans to wind down administration's coronavirus task force as early as this,
month, despite little indication the pandemic is easing nationwide. Only 12 states are currently showing a sustained case reduction while 15 have experienced sustained increases.
U.S. stocks continued their recent surge Wednesday, but the economy is in crisis, with an April jobs report due Friday expected to reflect the worst month ever for the nation's workers.
There were more than 1.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. early Wednesday, according to the John Hopkins University data dashboard.
Worldwide, the virus has killed over 257,000 people and infected more than 3.6 million.
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Here are some of the most important developments to start Wednesday
- Starbucks plans to reopen 85% of its stores in the U.S. this week while following new protocols.
- Despite social distancing restrictions, only a dozen states are showing reduction in coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, influential models are predicting higher death tolls that surpass 110,000 by the end of June and 130,000 by August.
- The coronavirus is mutating as it spreads across the planet, with a strain that may first have appeared in Europe becoming dominant in many areas. The still unanswered question is how the strains differ and whether they cause additional, and more severe, illnesses.
What we're talking about:
The New York City health department says children have presented symptoms of the mysterious Kawasaki disease, raising concerns about a COVID-19 link. Here's what we know about the rare inflammatory condition.
April jobs report expected to be worst in history
The April jobs report due out Friday will likely reveal the highest U.S. unemployment rate on record at 15% to 20%, but even that figure will probably understate the scale of j,
oblessness across the nation. Some economists reckon that one-third or more of Americans who were laid off in the,
weeks leading up to the Labor Department’s April jobs survey aren't even looking for work and so aren’t counted as unemployed.
A silver lining: Jacob Oubina, senior economist at RBC Capital Markets, foresees unemployment tumbling to 4% by December if the country manages to dodge a second virus wave. And all those layoffs?
“I think it’s all temporary,” he says.
– Paul Davidson
Trump to mark National Nurses Day with proclamation
President Donald Trump will honor the nation's nurses Tuesday, signing a proclamation in the Oval Office marking National Nurses Day. Perhaps more,relevant to nurses are a long list of freebies and great deals offered by businesses across the nation. Dunkin’ is offering a medium hot or iced coffee and a free,
doughnut to all health care workers who stop by. Chipotle is offering free burritos.
Many deals are available all week – it's also National Nurses Week, which ends May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale (in 1820). These superheroes may not wear capes – but they do wear masks.
US stocks open higher on post-coronavirus hopes
Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq stocks opened all solidly higher Wednesday, building on Tuesday gains. Asian stock markets were mixed Wednesday as hopes,for a global economic recovery rose after more governments eased anti-coronavirus controls.
Investors are increasingly optimistic as European countries and some U.S. states allow businesses to reopen despite,
warnings that coronavirus infections are still rising in areas such as Brazil and that economic recovery could be some way off.
President Donald Trump, running for reelection in the midst of a slump that has thrown more than 30 million Americans,
out of work, was asked in an interview with ABC News whether there might be fatalities as curbs are eased. Trump acknowledged that "it's possible there will be some.”
New York may hold Democratic primary after all
New York must hold its Democratic primary on June 23, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled late Tuesday. Judge Analisa Torres ruled that canceling it would be,unconstitutional and take away the ability of the candidates to receive delegates for the party's convention in August. The,
lawsuit was brought on behalf of former presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang, who argued in a lawsuit April 28 that it was illegal for New York to cancel the primary. The state's Democratic,.
election commissioners argued it was best to end the presidential primary due to the coronavirus pandemic. No decision on a possible appeal of the ruling had been
