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| Coronavirus US live: Trump to visit Michigan amid tensions with Democratic governor | Coronavirus US live: Trump to visit Michigan amid tensions with Democratic governor |
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| President to visit Ford plant day after threatening to withhold state funding over plan to mail voters absentee ballot applications | President to visit Ford plant day after threatening to withhold state funding over plan to mail voters absentee ballot applications |
| Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime lawyer and fixer, is expected to be released from prison today to serve out the remainder of his sentence at home. | |
| The AP reports: | |
| A number of prison inmates have been released to home confinement out of concern about coronavirus outbreaks at prisons. Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was also released from prison last week. | |
| Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer sent a letter to Trump asking him to lower flags to half staff when the US coronavirus death toll surpasses 100,000. | |
| According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, 93,439 Americans have died from coronavirus, and the death toll is expected to reach 100,000 in the coming days. | |
| “Our hearts are broken over this great loss and our prayers are with their families,” the Democratic congressional leaders wrote in their letter to Trump. | |
| “Respectful of them and the loss to our country, we are writing to request that you order flags to be flown at half staff on all public buildings in our country on the sad day of reckoning when we reach 100,000 deaths. It would serve as a national expression of grief so needed by everyone in our country.” | |
| The request should be rather straightforward, but it will be interesting to see how the president, who has insisted the country is already “transitioning to greatness” even as the death toll continues to climb, will respond. | |
| Even as nearly 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment beneifts, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly said he does not want the next coronavirus relief bill to include money for additional unemployment benefits. | |
| Politico reports: | |
| McConnell and House minority leader Kevin McCarthy have seemed comfortable with slow-walking the next relief bill, while House speaker Nancy Pelosi has insisted Americans need more economic relief now to help offset the business closures caused by the pandemic. | |
| A majority of Americans appear to agree with Pelosi. A poll released earlier this month showed that 74% of likely voters in battleground states supported sustained government payments during the pandemic, which should get the president’s attention. | |
| Another 2.4 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance last week even as states across the US began opening up for business again, betting that the coronavirus pandemic is now under control. | Another 2.4 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance last week even as states across the US began opening up for business again, betting that the coronavirus pandemic is now under control. |
| The latest figures from the Department of Labor mean close to 39 million Americans have lost their jobs in just nine weeks. The rate of weekly losses has slowed sharply from its peak of 6.6m at the start of April but remains at levels unseen since the 1930s Great Depression. | The latest figures from the Department of Labor mean close to 39 million Americans have lost their jobs in just nine weeks. The rate of weekly losses has slowed sharply from its peak of 6.6m at the start of April but remains at levels unseen since the 1930s Great Depression. |
| This week the treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said he expects unemployment to continue to rise as the pandemic takes its toll but warned of “permanent damage” to the economy if the lockdowns continue too long. | This week the treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said he expects unemployment to continue to rise as the pandemic takes its toll but warned of “permanent damage” to the economy if the lockdowns continue too long. |
| The weekly jobless claims are seen as a proxy for layoffs but they do not necessarily give the most accurate picture of the unemployment situation. A claim is an application for unemployment benefits and not every person who is laid off immediately applies for benefits. The weekly unemployment claims are also still being impacted by a backlog collapse of claims that overwhelmed many state systems. | The weekly jobless claims are seen as a proxy for layoffs but they do not necessarily give the most accurate picture of the unemployment situation. A claim is an application for unemployment benefits and not every person who is laid off immediately applies for benefits. The weekly unemployment claims are also still being impacted by a backlog collapse of claims that overwhelmed many state systems. |
| Good morning, live blog readers. | Good morning, live blog readers. |
| Donald Trump is set to visit a Ford manufacturing plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, today, which has been repurposed to produce ventilators for coronavirus patients. | Donald Trump is set to visit a Ford manufacturing plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, today, which has been repurposed to produce ventilators for coronavirus patients. |
| The visit comes amid tensions between the president and the state’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who Trump has nicknamed “Half Whitmer”. The president has expressed support for protesters who have repeatedly gathered at the Michigan state capitol to protest Whitmer’s response to the coronavirus crisis. | The visit comes amid tensions between the president and the state’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who Trump has nicknamed “Half Whitmer”. The president has expressed support for protesters who have repeatedly gathered at the Michigan state capitol to protest Whitmer’s response to the coronavirus crisis. |
| The president even threatened to withhold funding from Michigan yesterday after the Democratic secretary of state announced she would send absentee ballot applications to every registered voter. | The president even threatened to withhold funding from Michigan yesterday after the Democratic secretary of state announced she would send absentee ballot applications to every registered voter. |
| The Michigan attorney general has also sent Trump an open letter saying he has a “legal responsibility” to wear a mask during the Ford tour because the plant has a policy mandating face coverings. | The Michigan attorney general has also sent Trump an open letter saying he has a “legal responsibility” to wear a mask during the Ford tour because the plant has a policy mandating face coverings. |
| The president has been resistant to wearing a mask during other recent trips, despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance that Americans should cover their faces to limit the spread of the virus. | The president has been resistant to wearing a mask during other recent trips, despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance that Americans should cover their faces to limit the spread of the virus. |
| All of this comes as Trump looks ahead to the general election in November, when he will almost certainly need to carry Michigan (which he narrowly won in 2016) to secure a second term. | All of this comes as Trump looks ahead to the general election in November, when he will almost certainly need to carry Michigan (which he narrowly won in 2016) to secure a second term. |
| It should make for an interesting and tense day for the president, not to mention his Michigan hosts. Stay tuned. | It should make for an interesting and tense day for the president, not to mention his Michigan hosts. Stay tuned. |