US President Donald Trump signs the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 24. Oliver Douliery/AFP/Getty
President Trump Friday signed into a law a roughly $480 billion package to deliver aid to small businesses and hospitals and expand Covid-19 testing, the latest attempt by Washington to blunt the devastating impact of the pandemic.
The total price tag of the funding package is approximately $484 billion. It will add to the already historic levels of spending to deal with the pandemic by authorizing an additional $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, which was set up to help small businesses struggling from the economic deep freeze triggered by coronavirus.
Funding for the program ran dry earlier this month, prompting an outcry from the business community.
Watch the moment here:
1:04 p.m. ET, April 24, 2020
More than 400,000 Tennesseans have filed unemployment claims
From CNN’s Will Brown
More than 400,000 people in Tennessee have filed unemployment claims, Gov. Bill Lee announced at a news conference on Friday. The claims add up to about 15% of the state’s workforce.
Lee also said the state suffered an $870 million loss in revenue in March, and that state officials predict a $5 billion loss to Tennessee’s GDP in 2020.
Yesterday, the US Department of Labor announced that first-time claims for unemployment benefits totaled 4.4 million in the week ending April 18, after factoring in seasonal adjustments.
12:52 p.m. ET, April 24, 2020
Elective surgeries to resume and farmers market to reopen next week in Iowa
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds updates the state's response to the coronavirus outbreak during a news conference on April 23, in Johnston, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall/Pool/AP
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced plans to start reopening some sectors of the economy on Monday during the Covid-19 pandemic.
During Friday's news conference, Reynolds said the proclamation she is signing will allow for hospitals to resume elective surgeries in a phased approach. Farmers Markets will also be able to reopen with limited operations on Monday as well.
Iowa recorded 521 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the state total to 4,445, Reynolds said.
The state also reported 11 additional deaths, bringing the total to 107. The deaths include residents from long-term care facilities and those with pre-existing conditions, Reynolds said.
12:24 p.m. ET, April 24, 2020
Pelosi: Trump is "clearly" not listening to medical experts following disinfectant remarks
From CNN's Clare Foran and Haley Byrd
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on April 23. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at her weekly press conference criticized President Trump over his suggestion that sunlight and injecting disinfectants could help cure coronavirus and linked the comments to recent comments from Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell suggesting that he thinks that bankruptcy and not more federal money might be best for state and local governments.
“The President is asking people to inject Lysol into their lungs and Mitch is saying that states should go bankrupt. It’s a clear, visible, within 24 hours, of how the Republicans reject science and reject governance. If you don’t believe in science and you don’t believe in governance. That’s their approach … we know that governance has a role and we know that science as a role and without science in our decision making we are not going to be on a very successful path," she said.
She went on to say, “unfortunately we’re seeing Republicans make comments with zero connection to science and facts. Just put that behind us and let’s go forward in a way that gets the job done for the American people. I’ve mentioned the President and his, let’s say, we can kill the virus by injecting disinfectants like Lysol into the body. Clearly and sadly, the President is not listening to medical experts. I don’t know which ones he is listening to if any.”
Wearing a bandana around her neck, but not covering her face, Pelosi called the climbing coronavirus death count “staggering,” saying that “many people, as am I, are quite shaken by the fact that we have passed the 50,000 number of people who have died from the coronavirus mark.”
Pelosi noted that it has hit close to home for some members of Congress. “We heard Maxine’s sister is dying,” she said in a reference to Rep. Maxine Waters.
New York governor shares story of Kansas farmer who sent him a mask for health care workers
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
During his daily briefing, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he received a letter from a retired Kansas farmer, enclosed with one N95 mask. The farmer asked Cuomo to give it to a New York health care worker on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It's that love, that courage, that generosity of spirit that makes this country so beautiful … That generosity of spirit, for me, makes up for all the ugliness that you see,” Cuomo said.
The farmer, Dennis, said he and his wife, Sharon, are in their 70s, and she has only one lung, along with diabetes. While he is keeping four masks for his family, he wanted a doctor or nurse to have one of the masks left over from his farming days.
"How beautiful is that? I mean, how selfless is that? How giving is that?" Cuomo said, adding, "God bless America."
Watch:
12:06 p.m. ET, April 24, 2020
New York health official: We keep our kids away from disinfectants, so do not consume them
New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker speaks during a press conference at the State Capital in Albany, on April 24.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was just asked about President Trump’s comments yesterday, asking if it was possible to treat coronavirus with sunlight or a “injection” of disinfectants, such as Lysol.
Here's how Cuomo responded:
"I don't know much about UV rays. Not my job, not my business, not my education, not my background."
Cuomo then asked the state's Health Commissioner Howard Zucker to respond.
"These are chemicals you would not ingest," Zucker said of bleach and other disinfectants.
"We make sure our kids do not go into cabinets that have these chemicals in them, so we need to stay away from those products," Zucker added.
Remember: The maker of Lysol issued a statement today clarifying that under no circumstances should its products be administered into the human body.
"As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route)," the company said in a statement.
12:10 p.m. ET, April 24, 2020
Cuomo says New York will suffer a $13.3 billion shortfall
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at a press conference at the State Capital in Albany, on April 24. State of New York
New York will suffer a $13.3 billion shortfall due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at his daily news conference.
State revenues will decline by $61 billion from the 2021 fiscal year to the 2024 fiscal year, he said.
"New York state was not 'in trouble' before this happened. New York state was very, very strong before this happened. Our economy was growing, it was growing at a very high rate. Our government spending has been at record lows ... And then this economic tsunami hits, and you shut down all the businesses, everybody stays home, they're not getting a paycheck, they feel economic anxiety," Cuomo said.
"The consequence to the state is the revenue projections are way down," he added.
Watch:
11:53 a.m. ET, April 24, 2020
New York governor warns reopening too soon could erase progress
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned that reopening the state's economy too soon could have a devastating impact and could potentially erase any progress made.
The governor said while the number of cases is decreasing, state officials "have to be smart" about reopening businesses.
He warned: "All the progress we made is gone, and all experts, or virtually all experts, will say not only does the virus spread increase, but it increases to a higher point than we had increased the first time. Again, this is a remarkably effective virus at spreading and growing. So I know everyone is impatient. Let's just reopen. That's what happens if we just reopen."
Watch:
11:39 a.m. ET, April 24, 2020
At least 422 people died of coronavirus in New York yesterday, governor says
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
There were 422 deaths from coronavirus in New York state on Thursday, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“Again, this is at an unimaginable level, and it’s dropping somewhat but still devastating news,” Cuomo said.
The number is down slightly: There were 438 deaths in the state on Wednesday.
