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Coronavirus US updates: Trump closing Canada border for 'non-essential traffic' – live Coronavirus US updates: Trump closing Canada border for 'non-essential traffic' – live
(32 minutes later)
US president says US-Canada border is being closed ‘by mutual consent’ and that trade will not be affectedUS president says US-Canada border is being closed ‘by mutual consent’ and that trade will not be affected
Trump has denied he is being racist by continually referring to the coronavirus as the “China virus”.
At the White House press conference, Trump was asked why he insisted on using the term even as there have been reports of bias against Chinese and Asian people due to the coronavirus. Experts have warned against labelling the coronavirus based on geography as it could stigmatise ethnic groups.
Trump said he used the term: “Because it comes from China.”
“It’s not racist at all,” Trump said. (He called Covid-19 “China virus” again in the press conference today.)
Trump also said he does not believe his own Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin’s assessment that unemployment could skyrocket to 20% due to the coronavirus.
“I don’t agree with that,” Trump said at a White House press conference.
“That’s an absolute total worst case scenario.”
Donald Trump will invoke the Defense Production Act, he said, to expand production of hospital masks and protective gear.
Trump was speaking at the White House press conference.
The White House is also recommending that medical professionals “eliminate non-essential surgical procedures” during the coronvirus crisis, Seema Verma administrator of the Centers for medicare and medicaid services, said.
Deborah Birx, the White House, coronavirus response coordinator, has warned that there may be a “disproportional number of infections” among millennials.
Speaking during a press conference at the White House, Birx warned that social distancing needs to be practiced across th US.
“We cannot have these large gatherings that continue to occur,” Birx said.
Should someone contract coronavirus at such a gathering, Birx said: “You have the potential then to spread it to someone who does have a [pre-existing] condition.
Trump is holding a press conference at the White House right now.
The government is readying two hospital ships, Trump said – “big white ships with the cross on the sides” – named Mercy and Comfort. Andrew Cuomo said in a press conference earlier that the Comfort was heading for New York City.
Working on a new, simpler method of testing for Covid-19, Trump said. Health professionals are working on whether people can do a “self-swab” test. The current testing procedure is more complicated, Trump said.
The department of housing and urban development will “suspend all foreclosures and evictions until the end of April”.
“It’s the invisible enemy, that’s always the toughest enemy,” Trump said.
He said the virus would be defeated, adding: “I think we’re going to do it even faster than we thought.”
The federal government is sending the USNS Comfort “hospital ship” to New York, as the state continues to grapple with the coronavirus crisis.The federal government is sending the USNS Comfort “hospital ship” to New York, as the state continues to grapple with the coronavirus crisis.
Andrew Cuomo announced that the ship, which has a total patient capacity of 1,000, had been dispatched to New York City’s harbor.Andrew Cuomo announced that the ship, which has a total patient capacity of 1,000, had been dispatched to New York City’s harbor.
Cuomo also said he was issuing a “mandatory statewide requirement”, that no business “can have more than 50% of their workforce report for work outside of the home”.Cuomo also said he was issuing a “mandatory statewide requirement”, that no business “can have more than 50% of their workforce report for work outside of the home”.
The order exempts essential services including food delivery, food stores and healthcare.The order exempts essential services including food delivery, food stores and healthcare.
New York is the hardest hit state by Covid-19, with 2,382 confirmed cases in New York state – 1,339 of which are in New York City.New York is the hardest hit state by Covid-19, with 2,382 confirmed cases in New York state – 1,339 of which are in New York City.
“We’re responding to science and data, there’s no politics here,” Cuomo said.“We’re responding to science and data, there’s no politics here,” Cuomo said.
The White House is working with Congress on a financial plan that would issue two checks for $1000 to many Americans, according to the Washington Post.The White House is working with Congress on a financial plan that would issue two checks for $1000 to many Americans, according to the Washington Post.
The Post has obtained a memo from the Treasury department outlining a potential package to combat the economic impact of the coronavirus, which would also include $300bn for small businesses.The Post has obtained a memo from the Treasury department outlining a potential package to combat the economic impact of the coronavirus, which would also include $300bn for small businesses.
According to the Washington Post the $1tn package would “send two $1,000 checks to many Americans”.According to the Washington Post the $1tn package would “send two $1,000 checks to many Americans”.
The Treasury department says the first payment would be made on April 6 and another on May 18.The Treasury department says the first payment would be made on April 6 and another on May 18.
The payments, which would total $500bn, would be “tiered based on income level and family size”, according to the document.The payments, which would total $500bn, would be “tiered based on income level and family size”, according to the document.
The Treasury department also suggests funneling $50bn to the airline industry, and $150bn to other “severely distressed sectors of the US economy”.The Treasury department also suggests funneling $50bn to the airline industry, and $150bn to other “severely distressed sectors of the US economy”.
New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo has warned the state’s hospital system is likely to be overwhelmed by the coronavirus crisis.New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo has warned the state’s hospital system is likely to be overwhelmed by the coronavirus crisis.
Appearing on the New York Times’ podcast, Cuomo said it was not the time for concern over the financial implications of the virus response.Appearing on the New York Times’ podcast, Cuomo said it was not the time for concern over the financial implications of the virus response.
“You are past the time of monetizing these decisions,” Cuomo told the Times.“You are past the time of monetizing these decisions,” Cuomo told the Times.
“You are at a point of deciding: how many people are going to live, how many people are going to die?”“You are at a point of deciding: how many people are going to live, how many people are going to die?”
From the Times:From the Times:
It’s the “usual suspects” that are dragging the Dow Jones down today.It’s the “usual suspects” that are dragging the Dow Jones down today.
Boeing has lost another 16%, American Express are down 10% and Home Depot have lost 9%, reflecting the slump in travel and consumer spending, my colleague Graeme Wearden reports.Boeing has lost another 16%, American Express are down 10% and Home Depot have lost 9%, reflecting the slump in travel and consumer spending, my colleague Graeme Wearden reports.
In (slightly) better news, however, pharmacy firm Walgreens Boots are up 4%, though, with Walmart up 3.7% and Procter & Gamble 1.2% higher.In (slightly) better news, however, pharmacy firm Walgreens Boots are up 4%, though, with Walmart up 3.7% and Procter & Gamble 1.2% higher.
Bernie Sanders will return to Vermont today, his campaign manager said, where he will “begin holding conversations with supporters to get input and assess the path forward for our campaign”.Bernie Sanders will return to Vermont today, his campaign manager said, where he will “begin holding conversations with supporters to get input and assess the path forward for our campaign”.
“No sugarcoating it, last night did not go the way we wanted,” Faiz Shakir said in an email to supporters.“No sugarcoating it, last night did not go the way we wanted,” Faiz Shakir said in an email to supporters.
“And while our campaign has won the battle of ideas, we are losing the battle over electability to Joe Biden.”“And while our campaign has won the battle of ideas, we are losing the battle over electability to Joe Biden.”
Shakir said:Shakir said:
A shutdown of the United States-Canada border, barring all non-essential travel, is likely to be met with strong approval in Canada, as health officials grapple with a surge in coronavirus cases originating in the United States.When prime minister Justin Trudeau previously announced the closure of Canada’s border to international travelers earlier this week, he made a large exception: American citizens could still travel north.But a growing number of coronavirus cases has likely shifted the government’s calculations in recent days.“We have 32 new [cases] in the last 24 hours,” Dr Barbara Yaffe, Ontario’s associate chief medical officer of health, said Monday. “And a significant number of those were exposed [to the virus] in the United States.”A shutdown of the United States-Canada border, barring all non-essential travel, is likely to be met with strong approval in Canada, as health officials grapple with a surge in coronavirus cases originating in the United States.When prime minister Justin Trudeau previously announced the closure of Canada’s border to international travelers earlier this week, he made a large exception: American citizens could still travel north.But a growing number of coronavirus cases has likely shifted the government’s calculations in recent days.“We have 32 new [cases] in the last 24 hours,” Dr Barbara Yaffe, Ontario’s associate chief medical officer of health, said Monday. “And a significant number of those were exposed [to the virus] in the United States.”
British Columbia’s health minister has been the most vocal of critic of Americans still having permission to travel into Canada. The westernmost province has been hit hard in recent days by a surge in cases, many of which are suspected of have originated in northern Washington state, one of the deadliest locations in the country for the virus.“It’s our strong view and it’s our strong message that visitors from the United States not come to British Columbia,” said minister Adrian Dix at a press conference Tuesday night, as health officials announced a surge in cases- and three more deaths. “Don’t come. Because at this moment that is the wrong thing to do.”British Columbia’s health minister has been the most vocal of critic of Americans still having permission to travel into Canada. The westernmost province has been hit hard in recent days by a surge in cases, many of which are suspected of have originated in northern Washington state, one of the deadliest locations in the country for the virus.“It’s our strong view and it’s our strong message that visitors from the United States not come to British Columbia,” said minister Adrian Dix at a press conference Tuesday night, as health officials announced a surge in cases- and three more deaths. “Don’t come. Because at this moment that is the wrong thing to do.”
Not even the prospect of a $1.2 trillion stimulus package could prevent the New York stock market from sliding.Not even the prospect of a $1.2 trillion stimulus package could prevent the New York stock market from sliding.
Wall Street slumped roughly 5% as soon as the opening bell rang, wiping out most of yesterday’s rally.Wall Street slumped roughly 5% as soon as the opening bell rang, wiping out most of yesterday’s rally.
Dow: down 1,267 points or 6% at 19,970 pointsDow: down 1,267 points or 6% at 19,970 points
S&P 500: down 132 points or 5.24% at 2,396 pointsS&P 500: down 132 points or 5.24% at 2,396 points
Nasdaq: down 304 points of 4% at 7,030.21 pointsNasdaq: down 304 points of 4% at 7,030.21 points
You can follow the Guardian’s business-specific live blog here:You can follow the Guardian’s business-specific live blog here:
Donald Trump has announced the border with Canada will be closed to “non-essential traffic”. It comes after the US restricted travel from much of Europe and other countries impacted by the coronavirus.
We’ll post more details as they emerge.
News of Bernie Sanders assessing his campaign comes after Joe Biden made an overture to Sanders supporters last night.
In a video following Biden’s wins, Biden said he and Sanders shared common goals on regarding healthcare, inequality and the climate crisis.
“Senator Sanders and his supporters have brought remarkable passion and tenacity to these issues, and together, they have shifted the fundamental conversation in the country,” Biden said.
The Sanders’s campaign has just issued the following statement via campaign manager Faiz Shakir:
More to follow…
As promised, here’s a round-up of some reaction to those Joe Biden victories last night.
Jim Newell at Slate said it was the night that Biden put it all together, even as the primaries fell apart
Read it here - Slate: Joe Biden Puts It All Together as Primary Season Falls Apart
Rebecca Morin and Jeanine Santucci were putting together the takeaways for USA Today, and they made a key point about what the demographics from last night are telling us
Read it here - USA Today: Biden stays in the driver’s seat, coronavirus changes our elections
For the New York Times, Giovanni Russonello highlighted how unusual Sanders’ speech was last night, considering it was an election day.
Read it here - NYT: Biden Gets Out the Broom
Among our panel verdict on the primaries, Art Cullen was unequivocal:
Read it here - Biden dominated again – is it time for Sanders to quit?
Trump has been tweeting, and once again been calling Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, “the Chinese virus”. It is one of the things that is ramping up tension between the two nations. It doesn’t look like Trump is going to be dialling that rhetoric down any time soon.
Trump is also claiming, without offering any evidence, that he took the coronavirus outbreak seriously from the start, suggesting it is a false media narrative that he did not.
Just as a reminder, at the end of February, Trump said “When you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done.”
The number of confirmed cases in the US is currently at 6,496, and every state is affected.
I’ll be posting some links to reaction around the media to Biden’s primary victories shortly, but it is not just election politics that is being affected by coronavirus. Day-to-day on Capitol Hill is going to change too.
The Associated Press are reporting this morning on how Congressional leaders are resisting calls to let lawmakers vote remotely, with it being described as a dispute which is pitting coronavirus against two centuries of tradition.
Advocates of the voting change cite the health perils of air travel at a time when health experts want people to avoid crowds. They argue that as infections spread, it may become all but impossible for many lawmakers to make the journey because of the growing risk of getting the virus.
“There was a time when physical presence was the only way to make sure that a person was present and voting,” No. 2 Senate Democratic leader Dick Durbin said on Tuesday. “I think that technology gives us other options and we better exercise them.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was not having it. “We’ll not be doing that,” McConnell he told reporters. He suggested his chamber might extend roll call votes beyond the traditional 15 minutes and allow senators to vote in small groups, rather than all at once. “We will deal with the social distancing issue without fundamentally changing Senate rules,” McConnell said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose hometown of San Francisco is among many Bay Area communities whose residents have been ordered to stay home, has also opposed the idea, according to lawmakers who’ve spoken to her.
Whether these objections continue to be sustainable if the coronavirus crisis lasts for several months remains to be seen.
US Surgeon General Jerome Adams has been on the TV this morning. Challenged on whether people are getting the administration’s message, he said: “I think we are starting to turn a corner and people really are, because it is starting to affect people who they see or know.”
He joked that his sons at home don’t care what dad says about staying home, even if their dad is the surgeon general, but “by golly they know that Kevin Durant just got diagnosed with the coronavirus”
You can watch it here:
The global pandemic is straining ties between the United States and China further. Matthew Lee, diplomatic writer at Associated Press, has been looking at how coronavirus became the latest flashpoint between the two nations:
Since the virus has spread, he reports, Trump and his top aides have stepped up their criticism of China, noting consistently that the outbreak was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan. They have referred to Covid-19 as the “Wuhan virus” or the “Chinese virus” on multiple occasions, disregarding World Health Organization terminology that avoids identifying the virus by geography.
On Tuesday alone, Trump discussed the Chinese source of virus outbreak during at least two events. At a State Department news conference, Mike Pompeo referred six times to Covid-19 as the “Wuhan virus”, and suggested the Chinese are attempting to distract the world from the shortcomings of its initial response.
In a meeting with hotel executives at the White House, Trump took pains to make clear that the virus originated in China, asking pointed questions of Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson about where the impact was first felt.
“And this all started in China? That’s where you first saw the problem and where you first got hit?” Trump asked.
“Absolutely,” Sorenson replied.
“Hopefully, you all heard that,” Trump told reporters.
Having already been targeted by Trump in a trade war and by Pompeo and others for repression of Muslim and other religious and ethnic minorities in western Xinjiang Province, the Chinese have taken particular offence to the constant repetition, complaining vociferously and suggesting that the US military may have actually introduced the virus to Wuhan.
“Recently, some American politicians have linked the new coronavirus with China to stigmatize China. We express strong indignation and opposition to it,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday. “We urge the US to immediately correct its mistakes and stop unwarranted accusations against China.”
That, in turn, has prompted angry US protests with the State Department hauling in China’s ambassador to the United States to complain and Pompeo calling the top Chinese diplomat to re-register the anger.
“The disinformation campaign that they are waging is designed to shift responsibility,” Pompeo said, before quickly adding that “now is not the time for recriminations.”
Yet recriminations seem to be the order of the day.
“China was putting out information which was false that our military gave this to them,” Trump said. “That was false. And rather than having an argument I said I have to call it where it came from. It did come from China. So I think it’s a very accurate term. But no, I didn’t appreciate the fact that China was saying that our military gave it to them.”
Shortly after Trump’s comments, the Chinese foreign ministry announced the expulsion of American reporters from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.
Pompeo responded to that news: “I regret China’s decision today to further foreclose the world’s ability to conduct free press operations that frankly, would be really good, really good for the Chinese people in these incredibly challenging global times. Where more information, more transparency are what will save lives. This is unfortunate,” he said. “I hope they will reconsider.”
Another thing we can expect today is further fall-out from the Chinese decision yesterday to expel American journalists.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing had been “compelled” to take countermeasures after Washington imposed restrictions on staff at Chinese state media outlets in the US.
“We urge the US to take off its ideological prejudice, abandon cold war mentality,” Geng said. “China is not one to start trouble, but it will not blink if trouble comes. We urge the US side to immediately stop suppressing Chinese media, otherwise the US side will lose even more.”
At least 13 journalists will be expelled in what is an unprecedented retaliation against foreign media working in the country. An announcement made just after midnight said all US journalists working for the New York Times, Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal whose credentials were up for renewal this year would have 10 days to turn in their press cards, a measure that effectively bans them from reporting in the country.
Good morning. Last night Joe Biden swept to victory in three primaries held in unprecedented circumstances. Biden has now racked up 1,147 pledged delegates to Bernie Sanders’ 861 - a lead of 286 that surely looks to be insurmountable. Is it time for Bernie to quit the race in the interest of unifying the party during a national emergency?
Ohio cancelled its primary planned for yesterday due to the coronavirus. But with Florida, Illinois and Arizona running their primaries yesterday, predictably voters faced confusion, a shortage of poll workers, and shifting or closed polling stations. It’s clear that the way the rest of the campaign is going to be deeply affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The DNC is already urging a shift to vote-by-mail.
With bars, shops, and restaurants ordered shut across parts of the nation, it is impossible to see politics being business-as-usual for some time to come.
Yesterday Donald Trump was proclaiming that he knew it was a pandemic all along - just weeks after the president promised that the 15 cases of coronavirus in the US would soon go down to zero. There’s currently - as recorded by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering - 6,496 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US, and the death toll has now exceeded 100.
It is understandably dominating today’s White House agenda. Trump has calls and meetings with the aerospace industry, physicians, nurses, and a quarterly business roundtable. The Coronavirus Task Force will be doing a morning briefing.
We’ll be tracking the responses to Biden’s win last night and political developments around the country here. There’s also our rolling live coverage of the global coronavirus outbreak over here with my colleague Alexandra Topping in London.