By Meg Wagner, Elise Hammond and Mike Hayes, CNN
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that while the death rate is down, the toll is "still terrible."
At least 306 people died across New York state yesterday, he said. That's down from the 330 who died on Tuesday and the 335 who died on Monday.
"Number of lives lost, still terrible," Cuomo said.
Watch:
From CNN's Betsy Klein
Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett continued to project what his colleagues have referred to as “doom and gloom” regarding the economy following another release of unprecedented unemployment numbers today, continuing his comparison to the Great Depression.
“You know we’ve been pretty frank with the American people that shutting down of our economy was going to give us a few months of really, really startling data. And we’ve been out in front of the data releases, explaining, you know, exactly why the numbers are as bad as they look, and why you should expect that maybe things could turn around quick,” he said, adding, “The fact is that right now we have 30 million people have filed for unemployment insurance. The unemployment rate is probably up around 19%. And those numbers are as startling as anything we’ve seen since the Great Depression.”
Asked by CNN whether it’s realistic, as Jared Kushner said, that the economy could be normal by June and “rocking” by July, Hassett said it’s possible and depends on the virus, but he’s planning for every scenario.
“If the virus is mostly gone, then everybody will get back to their normal lives and the baseball stadiums will be filled with fans and so on. And if the virus is still lingering or even staying at about the level we see right now, then activity will stay lower. And my instructions, the economic team’s instructions from the President are to have a plan for every eventuality and that’s what we’re doing,” he said.
From CNN's Ted Barrett and Manu Raju
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected calls from some Senate Democrats not to return to session next week while the coronavirus epidemic is still on the rise in Washington and across the country.
McConnell said the Senate has essential constitutionally-mandated duties to carry out, including the confirmation of President Trump’s judicial nominees.
“I think we can conduct our business safely,” McConnell told Fox News in an interview Thursday. “We’ve got a whole lot of other people showing up for work during the pandemic. It’s time for the Senate to do that as well. We have many confirmations, for example. The Senate is in the personnel business, the House is not.”
The House will not return: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced Tuesday the Capitol attending physician Brian Monahan "forcefully" emphasized that the number of novel coronavirus infections in DC is still going up and that some surrounding areas in Maryland are hotspots.
"The House physician's view was that there was a risk to members that was one he would not recommend taking," said Hoyer.
When McConnell was asked if he had gotten different advice from Monahan, about whether the Senate – which has only 100 members compared to 435 in the House – should return to work, McConnell would not directly answer other than to say, “we can modify our routines in ways that are smart and safe.”
New York City this week will begin distributing free face coverings at parks around the city, with a focus on hard-hit communities and high-traffic parks, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday morning.
About 100,000 face coverings will be distributed this week, he said.
New Yorkers can visit this website for details on where they will be distributed.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the discovery of 60 bodies stored inside trucks outside a Brooklyn funeral home "absolutely unacceptable."
"Funerals are private organizations, private businesses. They have an obligation to the people they serve to treat them with dignity. I have no idea in the world how any funeral home can let this happen," de Blasio said today at a press briefing.
He continued:
"I don't understand in this case if the funeral home — I heard something that a driver didn't show up or something like that — why on earth did they not either alert the state who regulates them or go to their NYPD precinct and ask for something - do something rather than leave the bodies there. It's unconscionable to me."
The NYPD said their initial investigation determined there was no criminality. They said the state's Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Health are looking into this matter.
What happened: On Wednesday, the bodies were discovered after someone reported fluids dripping from four trucks parked outside the Andrew Cleckley Funeral Home in Brooklyn, a law enforcement official told CNN.
The home was overwhelmed and ran out of room for bodies, which were awaiting cremation, and used the trucks for storage, a second law enforcement source said Wednesday.
There has been at least 1,042,874 cases of coronavirus in the US, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
At least 61,123 people have died from the virus so far.
On Thursday, Johns Hopkins has reported 2,965 new cases and 157 reported deaths.
The totals includes cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
Vice President Pence is scheduled to leave Washington, DC, soon en route Indiana.
While there, he’ll tour a GM ventilator facility in Kokomo.
Earlier this week, Pence faced widespread criticism for not wearing a mask during a visit to the Mayo Clinic, which has a policy that everyone must wear masks.
Today, his wife, Karen Pence, claimed he only found out the Mayo Clinic’s policy after leaving – although it was reported his staff was aware.
From CNN's Elise Hammond
The majority of the US population has been under some kind of stay-at-home directive as state leaders work to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
But, some states are starting to make moves to reopen their economies. President Trump indicated many states can reopen by tomorrow, May 1, and shared federal guidelines for restarting the economy with governors.
Here are the states whose stay-home orders are expiring today:
These state's stay-at-home orders will end tomorrow, May 1:
Other states either did not impose a stay-at-home order, or are leaving it in place while opening some parts of their economy on May 1:
Go here to see where your state stands on reopening.
CORRECTION: This post has been updated to reflect that Arizona extended its stay-at-home order until May 15.
From CNN’s Anneken Tappe
US stocks opened lower on the last trading day of the month.
Some more bleak jobs data weighed on market sentiment, as another 3.8 million Americans filed for initial unemployment benefits last week. The total of first-time claims climbed above 30 million over the past six weeks.
Meanwhile in Europe, the European Central Bank said it would take no more action on its key policies, although it did inject some more stimulus into the European economy.
Here's what happened at the opening:
More context: Despite more bleak economic data hinting at the disruption the coronavirus pandemic is causing the economy, it was a historically good month for stocks.
The S&P 500 is on track for its best month since October 1974, and the Dow is looking at its best month since January 1987.
The Nasdaq is on track for its best monthly performance since June 2000.