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Coronavirus Live Updates: Doctor Says He Was Removed After Questioning Drug Promoted by Trump Coronavirus Live Updates: Doctor Says He Was Removed After Questioning Drug Promoted by Trump
(about 1 hour later)
The doctor who led the federal agency involved in developing a coronavirus vaccine said on Wednesday that he was removed from his post after he pressed for a rigorous vetting of a coronavirus treatment embraced by President Trump. The doctor said that science, not “politics and cronyism,” must lead the way. The doctor who led the federal agency involved in developing a coronavirus vaccine said on Wednesday that he was removed from his post after he pressed for rigorous vetting of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug embraced by President Trump as a coronavirus treatment, and that the administration has put “politics and cronyism ahead of science.”
Dr. Rick Bright was abruptly dismissed this week as the director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, and as the deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response. Dr. Rick Bright was abruptly dismissed this week as the director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, and removed as the deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response. He was given a narrower job at the National Institutes of Health.
Instead, he was given a narrower job at the National Institutes of Health. “I believe this transfer was in response to my insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to address the Covid-19 pandemic into safe and scientifically vetted solutions, and not in drugs, vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit,” he said in a statement to The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman. In a scorching statement, Dr. Bright assailed the leadership at the health department, saying he was pressured to direct money toward hydroxychloroquine, one of several “potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections” and repeatedly described by the president as a potential “game changer” in the fight against the virus.
“I am speaking out because to combat this deadly virus, science — not politics or cronyism — has to lead the way,” he said. “I believe this transfer was in response to my insistence that the government invest the billions of dollars allocated by Congress to address the Covid-19 pandemic into safe and scientifically vetted solutions, and not in drugs, vaccines and other technologies that lack scientific merit,” he said in his statement. “I am speaking out because to combat this deadly virus, science — not politics or cronyism — has to lead the way.”
Asked at his daily briefing if Dr. Bright had been forced out, Mr. Trump said, “Maybe he was and maybe he wasn’t; I don’t know who he is.” A spokeswoman for Alex Azar, the health and human services secretary, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The medical publication Stat reported on Tuesday that Dr. Bright had clashed with Bob Kadlec, the assistant health secretary for preparedness and response. Doubts about the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus and the lack of evidence about the drug’s effectiveness — including some small studies that indicated patients could be harmed — appear to have dampened Mr. Trump’s enthusiasm for it.
Dr. Bright, who noted that his entire career had been spent in vaccine development both in and outside of government, has led BARDA since 2016. But as the seriousness of the pandemic became clear in mid-March, the president seized on anecdotal reports about victims of the coronavirus who recovered quickly after using the drug. Desperate for good news as he watched the death toll climb and the stock market plummet, Mr. Trump could hardly contain his excitement.
In the statement, he said: “My professional background has prepared me for a moment like this — to confront and defeat a deadly virus that threatens Americans and people around the globe. To this point, I have led the government’s efforts to invest in the best science available to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. In a post on Twitter on March 21, the president urged federal officials to quickly approve the use of hydroxychloroquine with an antibiotic called azithromycin — a combination that he believed could work on the coronavirus.
“Unfortunately, this resulted in clashes with H.H.S. political leadership, including criticism for my proactive efforts to invest early into vaccines and supplies critical to saving American lives,” he said. “I also resisted efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections.” By then, Mr. Trump’s favorite Fox News hosts were echoing his optimism that hydroxychloroquine could be a magic bullet against the virus. A day after meeting in the Oval Office with Laura Ingraham and two doctors promoting the drug as a cure-all, Mr. Trump promoted it from the White House briefing room.
Dr. Bright, who is a career official, pointed specifically to the initial efforts to make chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine widely available before it was scientifically tested for efficacy with the coronavirus. “I’ll say it again: What do you have to lose?” Mr. Trump said on April 4, carefully pronouncing the drug, hydroxychloroquine. His presidential prescription: “Take it.”
“Specifically, and contrary to misguided directives, I limited the broad use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, promoted by the administration as a panacea, but which clearly lack scientific merit,” he said. Trials, however, suggested the drug might not be as effective as the president hoped. In mid-April, a small trial in Brazil was halted after some patients developed irregular heart rates. Then a study this week of 368 Veterans Affairs patients, which has not been peer-reviewed, found that it did not help patients avoid the need for ventilators, and that the use of the drug alone was associated with an increased risk of death. And this week, a panel of the government’s own experts at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said there was “insufficient data” to recommend taking it to treat symptoms from the virus.
“While I am prepared to look at all options and to think ‘outside the box’ for effective treatments, I rightly resisted efforts to provide an unproven drug on demand to the American public,” Dr. Bright said, describing what ultimately happened. “I insisted that these drugs be provided only to hospitalized patients with confirmed Covid-19 while under the supervision of a physician. The president no longer talks much about hydroxychloroquine.
“These drugs have potentially serious risks associated with them, including increased mortality observed in some recent studies in patients with Covid-19. Asked at his daily briefing if Dr. Bright had been forced out because he challenged the president’s support for an unproven drug, Mr. Trump said, “Maybe he was and maybe he wasn’t; I don’t know who he is.”
“Sidelining me in the middle of this pandemic and placing politics and cronyism ahead of science puts lives at risk and stunts national efforts to safely and effectively address this urgent public health crisis,” Dr. Bright said.
“I will request that the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services investigate the manner in which this administration has politicized the work of BARDA and has pressured me and other conscientious scientists to fund companies with political connections and efforts that lack scientific merit,” he said. “Rushing blindly towards unproven drugs can be disastrous and result in countless more deaths. Science, in service to the health and safety of the American people, must always trump politics.”
Dr. Bright has hired the lawyers Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, who have a whistle-blower practice and are known in part for representing Christine Blasey Ford, who, during the nomination process of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, accused him of engaging in sexual misconduct decades earlier, a claim he denied.
In a statement, the lawyers called Dr. Bright’s change in position “retaliation plain and simple,” and said that they planned to ask the Office of Special Counsel to seek a stay of his termination from the position and that he eventually be restored to it after investigations.
On Tuesday, a panel of experts convened by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the federal agency led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, issued guidelines stating that experts had collected insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of any antiviral drug or medication that affects the immune system in patients with Covid-19.
The panel did specifically advise against several treatments unless they were given in clinical trials. One was the combination of hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, which Mr. Trump has repeatedly promoted despite the lack of evidence that they work. Those drugs should be used only in clinical trials “because of the potential for toxicities,” the experts said.
The panel also had cautionary advice about hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, even when given without azithromycin, saying that patients receiving them should be monitored for adverse effects, particularly an abnormality in heart rhythm.
California’s quest to retrace the early steps of the coronavirus entered a new phase Wednesday after officials linked the death of a 57-year-old woman in early February to the virus.
The woman’s case, weeks before any other known death, had piqued the interest of a local coroner in Santa Clara County. After further examination, local officials sent tissue samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing in mid-March, but the results, confirming a coronavirus diagnosis, did not come back until Tuesday.
Friends and family said the woman had developed symptoms on Feb. 2 and died four days later, on Feb. 6, while working from home. The woman worked at a Silicon Valley semiconductor manufacturing company with offices worldwide, including in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began.
The case suggests that the virus was in California as early as January, even though officials, hampered by limited testing capacity, did not identify cases of community spread until late February.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said Wednesday that there could be “subsequent announcements” as investigations across California further examine the early origins of the virus. He said investigators were looking at coroner and autopsy reports going back to December in some counties.
Another previously unconnected death in Santa Clara County, on Feb. 17, has also now been linked to the coronavirus.
The revelation that a coronavirus death took place in the United States in early February shifts the understanding of its arrival and changes the picture of what the nation was contending with by the time government officials began taking action.
The first Covid-19 death in the United States had previously been believed to be on Feb. 26 in Seattle, one of the worst-hit cities in the country.
Dr. Sara Cody, the chief health officer of Santa Clara County, south of San Francisco, said the newly diagnosed cases underlined that the virus was spreading undetected for weeks in the country in January and February.
Dr. Cody led the effort to issue the nation’s first stay-at-home orders on March 16. But she said she would have issued the orders even earlier had she known about the February deaths.
“I think if we had had widespread testing earlier and if we had been able to document the level of transmission in the county, if we had understood then that people were already dying, we probably would have acted earlier than we did,” Dr. Cody said.
President Trump has made clear that he is impatient for businesses to reopen — and egged on protesters who were urging some states to ease restrictions — but he said Wednesday evening that he thought that Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia had gone too far by allowing barbershops, nail salons and other businesses to open later this week.President Trump has made clear that he is impatient for businesses to reopen — and egged on protesters who were urging some states to ease restrictions — but he said Wednesday evening that he thought that Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia had gone too far by allowing barbershops, nail salons and other businesses to open later this week.
“I think it’s too soon,” Mr. Trump said, adding that he had shared his disagreement with Mr. Kemp, a fellow Republican and a political ally.“I think it’s too soon,” Mr. Trump said, adding that he had shared his disagreement with Mr. Kemp, a fellow Republican and a political ally.
In Georgia, Mr. Kemp’s call to let gyms, hair salons and tattoo parlors reopen Friday and restaurants and theaters reopen Monday has drawn rebukes from mayors and public health experts, who fear it will lead to more infections and death. On Wednesday night, Mr. Trump added his voice to the mix.In Georgia, Mr. Kemp’s call to let gyms, hair salons and tattoo parlors reopen Friday and restaurants and theaters reopen Monday has drawn rebukes from mayors and public health experts, who fear it will lead to more infections and death. On Wednesday night, Mr. Trump added his voice to the mix.
“I love those people that use all of those things, the spas, the beauty parlors, barbershops, tattoo parlors, I love them,” Mr. Trump said. “But they can wait a little bit longer. Just a little bit, not much, because safety has to predominate.”“I love those people that use all of those things, the spas, the beauty parlors, barbershops, tattoo parlors, I love them,” Mr. Trump said. “But they can wait a little bit longer. Just a little bit, not much, because safety has to predominate.”
But Mr. Trump added that in most cases he would defer to governors: “At the same time, he must do what he thinks is right,” he said, referring to Mr. Kemp.But Mr. Trump added that in most cases he would defer to governors: “At the same time, he must do what he thinks is right,” he said, referring to Mr. Kemp.
Mr. Kemp acknowledged speaking with Mr. Trump in a series of Twitter posts after the president’s briefing. And while he praised Mr. Trump for his “bold leadership and insight,” he gave no indication he was reconsidering his decision. “Our next measured step is driven by data and guided by state public health officials,” he wrote.Mr. Kemp acknowledged speaking with Mr. Trump in a series of Twitter posts after the president’s briefing. And while he praised Mr. Trump for his “bold leadership and insight,” he gave no indication he was reconsidering his decision. “Our next measured step is driven by data and guided by state public health officials,” he wrote.
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported on Wednesday that the state had 20,740 known cases and 836 deaths.The Georgia Department of Public Health reported on Wednesday that the state had 20,740 known cases and 836 deaths.
Mr. Trump has swerved from one message to another in the weeks since the coronavirus crisis consumed the United States: He first claimed he had total authority over the states, then said governors should “call your own shots” to determine when to reopen even as he openly encouraged right-wing protests of social distancing restrictions.Mr. Trump has swerved from one message to another in the weeks since the coronavirus crisis consumed the United States: He first claimed he had total authority over the states, then said governors should “call your own shots” to determine when to reopen even as he openly encouraged right-wing protests of social distancing restrictions.
Oklahoma is also planning to let barbershops, nail salons, spas and pet groomers open for business by appointment only starting Friday, Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, said at a news conference on Wednesday.Oklahoma is also planning to let barbershops, nail salons, spas and pet groomers open for business by appointment only starting Friday, Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Starting May 1, he said, Oklahoma restaurants will be able to open their dining rooms. Movie theaters, churches, gyms and sporting venues can also open, as long as they adhere to social distancing guidelines. Bars will remain closed.
“This is a careful and measured approach designed to protect our most vulnerable while safely easing Oklahomans back to work,” Mr. Stitt said.
States around the nation have been trying to balance combating a public health crisis with the need to ameliorate a growing economic crisis. In some states, small protests — with the support of some conservative groups — have urged governors to ease restrictions. But polls have found Americans are more fearful of easing restrictions too early than too late, some business leaders have cautioned against moving too quickly to reopen. The tensions are playing out across the nation in different ways.States around the nation have been trying to balance combating a public health crisis with the need to ameliorate a growing economic crisis. In some states, small protests — with the support of some conservative groups — have urged governors to ease restrictions. But polls have found Americans are more fearful of easing restrictions too early than too late, some business leaders have cautioned against moving too quickly to reopen. The tensions are playing out across the nation in different ways.
In South Dakota, two dirt tracks plan to hold auto races this weekend, opening their gates to hundreds of spectators despite the state’s governor, Kristi Noem, urging people to stay away. In South Carolina, where Gov. Henry McMaster allowed many stores to reopen Tuesday, consumers were slow to return: the streets of downtown Charleston were mostly empty, bereft of the residents, tourists and students who typically crowd into its picturesque galleries and shops. In South Dakota, two dirt tracks plan to hold auto races this weekend, opening their gates to hundreds of spectators despite the state’s governor, Kristi Noem, urging people to stay away. In South Carolina, where Gov. Henry McMaster allowed many stores to reopen Tuesday, consumers were slow to return: the streets of downtown Charleston were mostly empty, bereft of the residents, tourists and students who typically crowd into its picturesque galleries and shops.
In South Dakota, the organizers of the races at the two tracks near Jefferson said that they would limit the number of fans to avoid crowding: The Park Jefferson International Speedway will allow a maximum of 700 people in its 4,000-seat venue on Saturday night, while Raceway Park will let 500 fans in for its Sunday races.
“We intend to go overboard on following C.D.C. guidelines,” the Speedway’s owner, Adam Adamson, told The Argus Leader.
While there is no stay-at-home order in South Dakota, Ms. Noem said she did not agree with the decision to carry out the races. “I can encourage people not to go. I don’t think it’s a good idea for them to attend,” she said at a news conference on Tuesday.
South Dakota is one of the few states, including Iowa and North Dakota, without a stay-at-home order; it also does not have enforceable restrictions against large gatherings. The state has recorded 1,755 cases of the virus and eight Covid-related deaths.South Dakota is one of the few states, including Iowa and North Dakota, without a stay-at-home order; it also does not have enforceable restrictions against large gatherings. The state has recorded 1,755 cases of the virus and eight Covid-related deaths.
California’s quest to retrace the early steps of the coronavirus entered a new phase Wednesday after officials linked the death of a 57-year-old woman in early February to the virus.
The woman’s case, weeks before any other known death, had piqued the interest of a local coroner in Santa Clara County. After further examination, local officials sent tissue samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing in mid-March, but the results, confirming a coronavirus diagnosis, did not come back until Tuesday.
Friends and family said the woman had developed symptoms on Feb. 2 and died four days later, on Feb. 6, while working from home. The woman worked at a Silicon Valley semiconductor manufacturing company with offices worldwide, including in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began.
The case suggests that the virus was in California as early as January, even though officials, hampered by limited testing capacity, did not identify cases of community spread until late February.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said Wednesday that there could be “subsequent announcements” as investigations across California further examine the early origins of the virus. He said investigators were looking at coroner and autopsy reports going back to December in some counties.
Another previously unconnected death in Santa Clara County, on Feb. 17, has also now been linked to the coronavirus.
The revelation that a coronavirus death took place in the United States in early February shifts the understanding of its arrival and changes the picture of what the nation was contending with by the time government officials began taking action.
The first Covid-19 death in the United States had previously been believed to be on Feb. 26 in Seattle, one of the worst-hit cities in the country.
Dr. Sara Cody, the chief health officer of Santa Clara County, south of San Francisco, said the newly diagnosed cases underlined that the virus was spreading undetected for weeks in the country in January and February.
Dr. Cody led the effort to issue the nation’s first stay-at-home orders on March 16. But she said she would have issued the orders even earlier had she known about the February deaths.
“I think if we had had widespread testing earlier and if we had been able to document the level of transmission in the county, if we had understood then that people were already dying, we probably would have acted earlier than we did,” Dr. Cody said.
Could the United States face two epidemics at the same time next fall, flu and the coronavirus?
That frightening idea was raised by Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in an interview Tuesday with The Washington Post. He suggested that a new surge in coronavirus cases could coincide with the next flu season, causing an even more difficult crisis than the one the nation is facing now.
At Wednesday’s White House briefing, President Trump contended that Dr. Redfield had been misquoted. But when pressed by reporters, Dr. Redfield said that The Post had reported his answers accurately, even as he tried to dial back the alarm his comments had provoked.
“I didn’t say that this was going to be worse,” he said. “I said that this was going to be more difficult.”
Taking the lectern, Mr. Trump said Dr. Redfield didn’t actually know if “the corona” would come back, and said “it might not come back at all.”
“If it does come back, and I’ve spoken to 10 different people, it’s not going to be like it was,” Mr. Trump added, without citing any evidence.
When pressed by reporters, Dr. Deborah Birx, the head of Mr. Trump’s coronavirus task force, did not directly support the president’s assertion. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, clashed with the president’s forecast more directly.
“We will have coronavirus in the fall,” he said. “I am convinced of that.”
The Education Department will prohibit colleges from granting emergency assistance to undocumented students, even those currently under federal protection, according to guidance issued to colleges and universities on Tuesday.The Education Department will prohibit colleges from granting emergency assistance to undocumented students, even those currently under federal protection, according to guidance issued to colleges and universities on Tuesday.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos ordered higher education institutions to distribute more than $6 billion in emergency relief only to students who are eligible for federal financial aid, including U.S. citizens or legal residents. The directive effectively excluded the hundreds of thousands of students who attend college under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — or DACA — program, an Obama-era policy that protects hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. The funding is part of about $12 billion allocated for colleges and universities under a $2 trillion coronavirus stabilization law that Congress passed last month. Half of those funds are supposed to go directly to students affected by campus closures. In the coming weeks, schools are expected to award emergency relief grants to students to pay for expenses like food, housing, child care and technology.
Mr. Trump has moved to end the program, but that effort is awaiting Supreme Court review.
The funding is part of about $12 billion allocated for colleges and universities under a $2 trillion coronavirus stabilization law that Congress passed last month to help them recoup financial damages caused by pandemic. Half of those funds are supposed to go directly to students affected by campus closures. In the coming weeks, schools are expected to award emergency relief grants to students to pay for expenses like food, housing, child care and technology.
The stimulus law, titled the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, did not explicitly define which students qualified for the funds. The Education Department defended its choice to do so. “The CARES Act makes clear that this taxpayer-funded relief fund should be targeted to U.S. citizens, which is consistently echoed throughout the law,” a spokeswoman said in statements to reporters.The stimulus law, titled the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, did not explicitly define which students qualified for the funds. The Education Department defended its choice to do so. “The CARES Act makes clear that this taxpayer-funded relief fund should be targeted to U.S. citizens, which is consistently echoed throughout the law,” a spokeswoman said in statements to reporters.
The department’s guidance alarmed higher education advocates and policy experts, who said it ran counter to what Ms. DeVos told them when she announced the funding was coming.The department’s guidance alarmed higher education advocates and policy experts, who said it ran counter to what Ms. DeVos told them when she announced the funding was coming.
The announcement came as Mr. Trump, whose administration has faced intense criticism in recent months for his handling of the pandemic, sought to change the subject this week by resuming his assault on immigration, which animated his 2016 campaign and became one of the defining issues of his presidency.
Mr. Trump signed the executive order on Wednesday mandating a 60-day halt in issuing green cards to prevent people from immigrating to the United States. He backed away from plans to suspend guest worker programs after business groups complained of losing access to foreign labor.
The president’s new policy would close the doors to thousands of people hoping to enter the United States or to lay down permanent roots in the country through long-term work or family connections — at least temporarily.
President Trump castigated The Washington Post on Wednesday over an interview it conducted with Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In that interview, Dr. Redfield warned that the fall and winter seasons would be taxing on Americans because influenza and the coronavirus would be circulating at the same time. “He was misquoted,” Mr. Trump said at the start of his daily news briefing on Wednesday. “His whole purpose in making the statement was to get a flu shot so that next fall we don’t have such a big season of flu.”
But when pressed by reporters, Dr. Redfield said that he had been accurately quoted. “There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,” Dr. Redfield said in that interview, published on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, directed by the president to take the stage, Dr. Redfield said, “When I commented yesterday that there was a possibility of next fall and winter, it could be more difficult, more complicated when we had two respiratory illnesses circulate at the same time.”
He added, “I didn’t say that this was going to be worse, I said that this was going to be more difficult.” Taking the lectern to quibble with reporters over the article, Mr. Trump said that Dr. Redfield didn’t actually know if “the corona” would come back.
Asked how he could repeatedly assert that the coronavirus would come back in pockets or not at all by the winter, Mr. Trump said multiple times that there was reason to believe it might not. Health experts — including Dr. Redfield — have stressed that Americans need to be prepared either way.
“If it does come back, and I’ve spoken to 10 different people, it’s not going to be like it was,” Mr. Trump said, citing improved containment and mitigation efforts.
Epidemiologists and infectious disease experts interviewed before the Wednesday briefing doubted that the virus would go away and did not rule out the prospect of a worse crisis in the fall if the two diseases struck at the same time.
“When flu season comes, there is the possibility that we will be dealing with two respiratory viruses at the same time — flu and Covid,” Dr. Thomas Frieden, the former head of the C.D.C. and now the president of Resolve to Save Lives, a nonprofit focused on disease prevention, said in an email. “This could be a double challenge for our health care systems.”
Harvard announced Wednesday that it would not accept $8.6 million in taxpayer money that the university was set to receive as part of an emergency relief package for higher education, whose losses have been mounting during the pandemic.Harvard announced Wednesday that it would not accept $8.6 million in taxpayer money that the university was set to receive as part of an emergency relief package for higher education, whose losses have been mounting during the pandemic.
The school’s decision came a day after President Trump criticized Harvard for receiving federal relief funds despite its large endowment, valued at $41 billion before the pandemic. “Harvard’s going to pay back the money,” he said.The school’s decision came a day after President Trump criticized Harvard for receiving federal relief funds despite its large endowment, valued at $41 billion before the pandemic. “Harvard’s going to pay back the money,” he said.
Harvard said on Wednesday that there had been a lot of confusion surrounding the emergency fund, and that Harvard “did not apply for this support, nor has it requested, received or accessed these funds.” Mr. Trump had criticized the university in response to a reporter’s question about an entirely different relief fund meant for small businesses.Harvard said on Wednesday that there had been a lot of confusion surrounding the emergency fund, and that Harvard “did not apply for this support, nor has it requested, received or accessed these funds.” Mr. Trump had criticized the university in response to a reporter’s question about an entirely different relief fund meant for small businesses.
Harvard, which had previously said it would use all of the federal money to support students in need, opted not to take it after Mr. Trump and others, including several Republican congressmen, complained that it was unseemly for the country’s richest university to receive taxpayer money during a crisis that has left millions of Americans without jobs.Harvard, which had previously said it would use all of the federal money to support students in need, opted not to take it after Mr. Trump and others, including several Republican congressmen, complained that it was unseemly for the country’s richest university to receive taxpayer money during a crisis that has left millions of Americans without jobs.
At least two other universities, Princeton and Stanford, also announced on Wednesday that they would not be taking the money allocated to them by Congress through a $14 billion federal aid package for some 5,000 American colleges, universities and trade schools.At least two other universities, Princeton and Stanford, also announced on Wednesday that they would not be taking the money allocated to them by Congress through a $14 billion federal aid package for some 5,000 American colleges, universities and trade schools.
Harvard said in a statement that it faced “significant financial challenges” because of the pandemic and the resulting economic crisis. Chief Jorge Colina of the Miami Police Department said violent crime had fallen sharply since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, including the city’s first six-week period without a homicide since 1956. He said that he worried, though, about underreported domestic violence and child abuse, and that the amount of car break-ins has started to creep up.
“We are also concerned, however,” it said, “that the intense focus by politicians and others on Harvard in connection with this program may undermine participation in a relief effort that Congress created and the president signed into law for the purpose of helping students and institutions whose financial challenges in the coming months may be most severe.” The chief has instructed officers to avoid giving tickets as much as possible.
“I literally told them, ‘I don’t care if we don’t issue a single ticket summons in the month of April,’” he said. “‘I don’t want you to unnecessarily interact with someone if you don’t have to, for your safety and theirs.’ And the amount of people who have been impacted financially is absolutely something that we should be mindful of.”
Chief Colina spoke from home as he recovers from the coronavirus. He fell ill a week ago and said he did not know how he got infected. He wore a mask at work. The department had been checking officers’ temperatures, and patrol cars are disinfected after each arrest.
Even so, 20 of the department’s nearly 1,400 officers are sick.
“A couple of days there I did not feel well at all,” Chief Colina said. “It was scary.”
Two Tennessee brothers who stockpiled 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer have avoided prosecution and a fine, but they will not recoup the thousands of dollars they spent on the supplies under the terms of a price-gouging settlement that the state attorney general announced this week.Two Tennessee brothers who stockpiled 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer have avoided prosecution and a fine, but they will not recoup the thousands of dollars they spent on the supplies under the terms of a price-gouging settlement that the state attorney general announced this week.
The brothers, Matt Colvin and Noah Colvin, donated the supplies last month to people in Tennessee and Kentucky, which the authorities said on Tuesday was acceptable as restitution and was a factor in the settlement terms in the highly publicized case.The brothers, Matt Colvin and Noah Colvin, donated the supplies last month to people in Tennessee and Kentucky, which the authorities said on Tuesday was acceptable as restitution and was a factor in the settlement terms in the highly publicized case.
The siblings, who live outside Chattanooga, were widely vilified after Matt Colvin 36, told The New York Times last month that he and his brother, who is 21, had canvassed dollar stores and other retailers for hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. The siblings, who live outside Chattanooga, were widely vilified after Matt Colvin, 36, told The New York Times last month that he and his brother, who is 21, had canvassed dollar stores and other retailers for hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Disrupting necessary supplies during an unprecedented pandemic is a serious offense,” Herbert H. Slatery III, Tennessee’s attorney general, said in a statement on Tuesday. “It became clear during our investigation that the Colvins realized this, and their prompt cooperation and donation led to an outcome that actually benefited some consumers.”
The first pets in the United States — two cats in New York State — have tested positive for the virus that is causing the pandemic, the Agriculture Department and the Centers for Disease Control announced Wednesday. The cats are showing only mild symptoms and are expected to be fine.The first pets in the United States — two cats in New York State — have tested positive for the virus that is causing the pandemic, the Agriculture Department and the Centers for Disease Control announced Wednesday. The cats are showing only mild symptoms and are expected to be fine.
Testing positive does not mean the cats have the same illness that people have, nor does it mean that the cats can pass the illness to people. And tests for pets are not the same as those for people, so no humans missed out on testing because of the cats.Testing positive does not mean the cats have the same illness that people have, nor does it mean that the cats can pass the illness to people. And tests for pets are not the same as those for people, so no humans missed out on testing because of the cats.
Veterinarians tested both cats because they showed symptoms of a respiratory infection. One owner had tested positive for the virus. No human in the other cat’s household tested positive.Veterinarians tested both cats because they showed symptoms of a respiratory infection. One owner had tested positive for the virus. No human in the other cat’s household tested positive.
Other cats have tested positive for the virus, including a pet in Belgium and five tigers and three African lions at the Bronx Zoo. Several other big cats showed the same mild respiratory symptoms. And in an experiment in China, cats were shown to be susceptible to infection with the coronavirus, showing mild symptoms.Other cats have tested positive for the virus, including a pet in Belgium and five tigers and three African lions at the Bronx Zoo. Several other big cats showed the same mild respiratory symptoms. And in an experiment in China, cats were shown to be susceptible to infection with the coronavirus, showing mild symptoms.
The Agriculture Department and the C.D.C. emphasized that there was “no evidence that pets play a role in spreading the virus in the United States.” For now, the C.D.C. recommends keeping cats indoors to prevent them from contact with other animals or people.
And for people who become sick, they recommend, as they have in the past, isolating from pets as much as possible, treating them as you would a human being in your family.
Dogs are less susceptible to infection with the virus, according to the same research paper on cats. Although there is some evidence that they may have low-level infections, they have not shown any symptoms. Nonetheless, the C.D.C. recommends keeping dogs on a six-foot leash when walking them (and to keep them away from other animals) and avoiding contact as much as possible if you are sick.
The federal government’s stimulus checks were meant to help people exactly like Krystle Phelps of Owasso, Okla.The federal government’s stimulus checks were meant to help people exactly like Krystle Phelps of Owasso, Okla.
She and her husband, Christopher, who have two children, recently lost their incomes after Oklahoma shut down the bars near Tulsa that she cleaned and that he supplied with vending machines. But when Ms. Phelps, 33, went to the I.R.S. website to check on the status of her family’s stimulus funds, she learned someone else had filed taxes on her husband’s behalf and used his identity to obtain their $3,400 payment.She and her husband, Christopher, who have two children, recently lost their incomes after Oklahoma shut down the bars near Tulsa that she cleaned and that he supplied with vending machines. But when Ms. Phelps, 33, went to the I.R.S. website to check on the status of her family’s stimulus funds, she learned someone else had filed taxes on her husband’s behalf and used his identity to obtain their $3,400 payment.
“I cried all day,” said Ms. Phelps, who is about a month away from being unable to pay her mortgage and has cut out everything but the basics, canceling cable and eliminating snacks for the children. “It is a little relief, and then you find out it isn’t happening.”“I cried all day,” said Ms. Phelps, who is about a month away from being unable to pay her mortgage and has cut out everything but the basics, canceling cable and eliminating snacks for the children. “It is a little relief, and then you find out it isn’t happening.”
With the government doling out trillions of dollars to blunt the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic, these are good times for thieves and dangerous times for those who actually need the money.With the government doling out trillions of dollars to blunt the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic, these are good times for thieves and dangerous times for those who actually need the money.
In recent weeks, criminals have used people’s Social Security numbers, home addresses and other personal information — much of which was available online from past data breaches — to assume their identities and bilk them out of their stimulus checks and unemployment benefits.In recent weeks, criminals have used people’s Social Security numbers, home addresses and other personal information — much of which was available online from past data breaches — to assume their identities and bilk them out of their stimulus checks and unemployment benefits.
The scale of the fraud has been enormous, fueled by the economic crisis and the confusion surrounding the $2 trillion stabilization plan that President Trump unveiled last month. That has been compounded by the government’s own lack of security measures for people claiming stimulus payments, with those going through the I.R.S. website to get their checks needing to input just a few pieces of information that scammers can readily obtain.
Stocks rallied on Wednesday and oil prices reversed some of their tremendous losses as investors regrouped after two days of turmoil in financial markets.Stocks rallied on Wednesday and oil prices reversed some of their tremendous losses as investors regrouped after two days of turmoil in financial markets.
The S&P 500 climbed more than 2 percent, and shares in Europe were also higher. The benchmark for American crude — which had been hammered out of concern that a glut in supply would soon overwhelm storage facilities — bounced back more than 20 percent.The S&P 500 climbed more than 2 percent, and shares in Europe were also higher. The benchmark for American crude — which had been hammered out of concern that a glut in supply would soon overwhelm storage facilities — bounced back more than 20 percent.
Investors also rallied behind a handful of earnings updates that showed companies had not done as poorly in the first three months of the year as some had expected. After Snap, the owner of Snapchat, reported a surge in revenue and user growth, its shares rallied along with those of Twitter and Facebook.Investors also rallied behind a handful of earnings updates that showed companies had not done as poorly in the first three months of the year as some had expected. After Snap, the owner of Snapchat, reported a surge in revenue and user growth, its shares rallied along with those of Twitter and Facebook.
Similarly, shares of some restaurant chains jumped after Chipotle Mexican Grill said on Tuesday that digital and delivery sales driven by the crisis soared. Executives at Chipotle also said the company was preparing to reopen stores, as states lift stay-at-home restrictions. Chipotle was the best performer in the S&P 500 on Wednesday, with a gain of 14 percent.Similarly, shares of some restaurant chains jumped after Chipotle Mexican Grill said on Tuesday that digital and delivery sales driven by the crisis soared. Executives at Chipotle also said the company was preparing to reopen stores, as states lift stay-at-home restrictions. Chipotle was the best performer in the S&P 500 on Wednesday, with a gain of 14 percent.
Investors had other news to consider. The Senate on Tuesday passed a bipartisan $484 billion relief package that would replenish a depleted loan program for distressed small businesses and provide funds for hospitals, states and coronavirus testing.
The gains came after the S&P 500 had fallen 3 percent on Tuesday, its sharpest decline in three weeks in a drop that had suggested a marked shift in sentiment among investors who had otherwise been buying stocks with every sign of progress in the fight against the coronavirus, effort to reopen the economy or indication that Washington would spend more to help. That optimism was briefly shattered on Monday when oil prices collapsed as energy traders panicked about disappearing demand for petroleum and the fact that there were few places left to store all the crude still being pumped.
But on Wednesday, some stability returned to the energy market, with the price of both West Texas Intermediate crude, the American benchmark. Shares of companies in the energy industry also rallied.
Lawmakers are making their way back to Washington ahead of an expected vote on Thursday to give final approval to a $484 billion package that would revive a loan program for distressed small businesses and provide additional aid for hospitals and testing.Lawmakers are making their way back to Washington ahead of an expected vote on Thursday to give final approval to a $484 billion package that would revive a loan program for distressed small businesses and provide additional aid for hospitals and testing.
The Senate approved the measure on Tuesday on a voice vote — a necessity since the chamber is on an extended recess amid the pandemic and most senators are outside of Washington. But that will not be possible in the House, where there is enough dissatisfaction in both parties about the bill that leaders have summoned lawmakers back to the Capitol for a vote. House Republicans have signaled that they would force a roll-call vote on the measure, while some of the most liberal Democrats are deeply opposed to a bill they argue provides far too little for the most urgent needs, omitting funding for struggling cities and localities.The Senate approved the measure on Tuesday on a voice vote — a necessity since the chamber is on an extended recess amid the pandemic and most senators are outside of Washington. But that will not be possible in the House, where there is enough dissatisfaction in both parties about the bill that leaders have summoned lawmakers back to the Capitol for a vote. House Republicans have signaled that they would force a roll-call vote on the measure, while some of the most liberal Democrats are deeply opposed to a bill they argue provides far too little for the most urgent needs, omitting funding for struggling cities and localities.
“It is insulting to think that we can pass such a small amount of money — in the context of not knowing when Congress is even going to reconvene — pass such a small amount of money, pat ourselves on the back and leave town again,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, said on Monday. “I need legislation that is going to save people’s lives.”“It is insulting to think that we can pass such a small amount of money — in the context of not knowing when Congress is even going to reconvene — pass such a small amount of money, pat ourselves on the back and leave town again,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, said on Monday. “I need legislation that is going to save people’s lives.”
The measure was the product of an intense round of negotiations between Democrats and the Trump administration that unfolded as the small-business loan program — created by the $2.2 trillion stimulus law — quickly ran out of funding, collapsing under a glut of applications from desperate companies struggling to stay afloat.The measure was the product of an intense round of negotiations between Democrats and the Trump administration that unfolded as the small-business loan program — created by the $2.2 trillion stimulus law — quickly ran out of funding, collapsing under a glut of applications from desperate companies struggling to stay afloat.
The measure would provide $320 billion to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program, $75 billion for hospitals, $25 billion for testing and a mandate that the Trump administration establish a national strategy to help states and localities, which are required to outline their own plans, deploy testing widely.The measure would provide $320 billion to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program, $75 billion for hospitals, $25 billion for testing and a mandate that the Trump administration establish a national strategy to help states and localities, which are required to outline their own plans, deploy testing widely.
While in Washington to pass it, House Democratic leaders are also planning to push through a measure to create a select committee to scrutinize the Trump administration’s coronavirus response and the management of the $2.2 trillion stimulus programs. Mr. Trump has dismissed the idea as a partisan “witch hunt” and Republicans are likely to oppose the move. Whether you are cooking meals from scratch, turning to your childhood comfort foods or don’t have much of an appetite, the lockdown has probably changed your eating habits. Here are some tips to ensure your diet is healthy and help you remember that moderation is key:
Democratic leaders on Wednesday backed away from a planned move to change the rules of the House of Representatives to allow lawmakers to cast votes remotely for the first time in history during the pandemic, scrapping a vote on the plan after Republicans registered sharp opposition.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Wednesday that his agency plans to pump another $40.4 billion into the health care economy to help hospitals and health care providers struggling to stay afloat amid a crush of uninsured coronavirus patients.
The money — $20 billion for health care providers; $10 billion for hospitals hard hit by the virus; $10 billion for rural hospitals and $400,000 for the Indian Health Service — comes from $100 billion that Congress already allocated to the agency and is in addition of $30 billion that has already been spent. Mr. Azar said his agency expects to receive an additional $75 billion when the next stimulus package, passed by the Senate on Tuesday, is approved by the House and signed into law by President Trump.
Whether you are cooking meals from scratch, turning to your childhood comfort foods or don’t have much of an appetite, the lockdown has probably changed your eating habits. Here are some tips to ensure your diet is healthy and help you remember that moderation is key.
Track the progress of the pandemic and stay abreast of the latest developments with our team of international correspondents.Track the progress of the pandemic and stay abreast of the latest developments with our team of international correspondents.
Reporting was contributed by Mike Baker, Karen Barrow, Alan Blinder, Michael Cooper, Monica Davey, Caitlin Dickerson, Catie Edmondson, Richard Fausset, Sheri Fink, Jacey Fortin, Thomas Fuller, James Gorman, Denise Grady, Erica L. Green, Maggie Haberman, Amy Harmon, Anemona Hartocollis, Nicole Hong, Tiffany Hsu, Shawn Hubler, Miriam Jordan, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Gina Kolata, Lisa Lerer, Sarah Mervosh, Alexandra E. Petri, Nathaniel Popper, Alan Rappeport, Katie Rogers, Rick Rojas, Marc Santora, Michael D. Shear, Knvul Sheikh, Natasha Singer, Eileen Sullivan, Vanessa Swales, Jim Tankersley, Katie Thomas, Neil Vigdor, Kenneth P. Vogel and Pete Wells. Reporting was contributed by Mike Baker, Karen Barrow, Alan Blinder, Michael Cooper, Monica Davey, Caitlin Dickerson, Catie Edmondson, Richard Fausset, Sheri Fink, Jacey Fortin, Thomas Fuller, James Gorman, Denise Grady, Erica L. Green, Maggie Haberman, Amy Harmon, Anemona Hartocollis, Nicole Hong, Tiffany Hsu, Shawn Hubler, Miriam Jordan, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Gina Kolata, Lisa Lerer, Patricia Mazzei, Sarah Mervosh, Alexandra E. Petri, Nathaniel Popper, Alan Rappeport, Katie Rogers, Rick Rojas, Marc Santora, Michael D. Shear, Knvul Sheikh, Natasha Singer, Eileen Sullivan, Vanessa Swales, Jim Tankersley, Katie Thomas, Neil Vigdor, Kenneth P. Vogel and Pete Wells.