With an urgency unseen since the Great Recession, Congress is rushing to develop a sweeping economic lifeline for American households and businesses suddenly capsized by the coronavirus outbreak.
Two weeks ago, Italy had 1,700 cases of coronavirus and had reported 34 deaths. Now, Italy is reporting an estimated 25,000 cases and more than 1,800 deaths.
Trump also told reporters at a White House briefing that he had his temperature taken before stepping into the room and it was “totally normal.”
Agreement calls for spending tens of billions of dollars on sick leave, unemployment insurance, food stamps and other measures to address the unfolding COVID-19 crisis.
Investors have been clamoring for strong action from the U.S. government to combat the economic impact of the virus outbreak.
Speaking from the Rose Garden, Trump said, “I am officially declaring a national emergency.” He said the emergency would open up $50 billion for state and local governments to respond to the outbreak.
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday night that he will instruct the Treasury Department to allow individuals and businesses negatively affected by the coronavirus to defer their tax payments beyond the April 15 filing deadline.
President Donald Trump said he is suspending all travel between the United States and Europe beginning Friday as he seeks to combat the viral pandemic. The move was one of several executive actions he announced to the nation Wednesday night.
The president also said he was seeking to provide assistance to the airline, hotel and cruise industries, which are all suffering as Americans rapidly cancel travel plans.
A resurgent Joe Biden scored sweeping victories across the country with the backing of a diverse coalition, but progressive rival Bernie Sanders seized Super Tuesday’s biggest prize, California. Meanwhile, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg called it quits.
The legislation came together unusually quickly, a rarity in a deeply polarized Washington. It triples the $2.5 billion plan unveiled by President Donald Trump just last week.
The bill would place new restrictions on the marketing of e-cigarettes and ban flavors in tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. It also would place a new excise tax on nicotine.
The heated battle for the Democratic nomination for president is raising the prospect that Indiana could have a contested primary on May 5. That could pack a punch for the state’s economy, thanks to campaign events, advertisements and staffing.
President Donald Trump’s choice of Vice President Mike Pence to oversee the nation’s response to the new coronavirus threat is bringing renewed scrutiny to Pence’s handling of an HIV outbreak in southern Indiana when he was governor.
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is bracing his supporters for a difficult stretch, with the sobering assertion that front-runner Bernie Sanders will likely emerge from next week’s Super Tuesday contests well ahead in the race for delegates.
With first lady Melania Trump largely avoiding the political scene, the campaign sees Karen Pence as an asset in one of the areas where it most needs help—with suburban woman.
Political strategists say it could be impossible to blunt Bernie Sanders as long as a trio of moderate candidates—former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Joe Biden and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar—stay in the race.
The primary gives new clarity to a Democratic contest shaping as a battle between two men separated by four decades in age and clashing political ideologies. Meanwhile, Amy Klobuchar scored a strong third-place finish that gives her campaign needed juice.
The Trump administration has announced it would allow states to add eligibility requirements, benefit changes and drug-coverage limits, which could limit what the government will spend for certain enrollees.
Democrats said the bill would help reverse a decades-long trend of declining union membership. Republicans dismissed the bill as a “political gift to union bosses” that would diminish the rights of workers and employers alike while harming the economy.
