Coronavirus pandemic in the US

The White House will forgo issuing economic projections that are traditionally released over the summer that would likely show the effects of the coronavirus downturn, according to two officials familiar with the matter.

The "mid-session review" usually comes over the summer after the winter release of the President's budget proposal. It includes updated projections on unemployment and growth.

The officials said the coronavirus had injected too much uncertainty into the economy to allow for accurate projections. Instead, the report will likely include a summary of the current economic conditions and information about relief legislation enacted by the Trump Administration.

The Washington Post first reported on the decision to forgo the traditional economic forecast this year.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that the city is getting to the point “very, very soon” where it can take the first step towards Phase 1 as it navigates reopening amid the pandemic.

The mayor said that he thinks "it’s time that New Yorkers see their hard work rewarded."

On New Yorkers' efforts during the pandemic, de Blasio said, “It hasn’t been easy for a single day."

“Despite that you’ve done it and you’ve done it to a remarkable degree,” he added.

De Blasio said that the city has put itself "in a position to start talking about opening things up, step by step, phase by phase.”

We are “getting to the point very, very soon where we can take the first step to restart in phase 1," the mayor said.

“You have earned it," he added.

President Trump for the first time weighed in on the United States surpassing 100,000 deaths from coronavirus calling it a “sad milestone” in a tweet this morning. 

Asked why the President had not spoken about the milestone earlier, deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere said, “President Trump’s prayers for comfort and strength are with all of those grieving the loss of a loved one or friend.”

A White House official also said the President has talked about the “grave loss of life” many times before and noted that the President referenced the losses Americans have suffered during his Memorial Day remarks.

"He lowered the flags over the weekend as a mark of tribute and honor to all those lost,” the official added.

US stocks kicked off mixed on Thursday, following more dire economic news.

Another 2.1 million Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total number of initial claims to more than 40 million since the pandemic and economic shutdown began.

Meanwhile, America’s first quarter gross domestic product was revised down, declining at an annualized rate of 5%.

Here's how the markets opened:

American Airlines is telling employees it will reduce its management and support staff by 30%.  

Elise Eberwein, the executive overseeing human resources, wrote to employees on Wednesday that “running a smaller airline means we will need a management and support staff team that is roughly 30% leaner.” The airline shared the memo with CNN.  

The memo said the airline is offering a voluntary exit program, and if it does not receive enough volunteers, “we will have to take the difficult step of involuntary separations.”  

The employees will remain on payroll through September 30, as required by the federal airline payroll bailout program in the CARES Act.  

The memo described benefit reductions for management and support employees.  

It also said the airline will hold discussions with the unions that represent frontline employees – such as pilots and flight attendants – about how to reduce headcount.  

American CEO Doug Parker said Wednesday the company was looking for ways to reduce its payroll costs without layoffs, but warned that may be necessary.   

President Trump tweeted that there are “So many different viewpoints!” on masks, retweeting an article making the spurious claim that masks are more about social control than public health.

The tweet Trump promotes also mentions presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden saying, “Image of Biden in black mask endorses culture of silence, slavery, and social death.” 

Some background: The President has resisted wearing a mask throughout the pandemic, and the issue has turned into a political and cultural flashpoint. Trump has mocked Biden for wearing a mask multiple times and ignored guidance from the CDC and the coronavirus task force that Americans should wear a face covering.  

Responding to the President’s attacks towards him, Joe Biden said, “He's a fool, an absolute fool to talk that way. I mean every leading doc in the world is saying you should wear a mask when you're in a crowd."  

Dr. Anthony Fauci implored Americans to wear masks in an interview on CNN Wednesday. 

Fauci said he believes that while wearing a mask is not "100% effective," it is a valuable safeguard and shows "respect for another person."

Orlando, Florida, Mayor Jerry Demings said major theme parks like Disney World, that plan to reopen in mid-July, have demonstrated they “have gone the extra mile” to ensure they can open safely. 

Demings, as mayor, has approved reopening plans from Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Studios.

The plans include wearing masks and maintaining social distance, but Demings told CNN on Thursday that he couldn't guarantee it would be enough to keep people safe.

Orlando has a 2.8% positivity rate for Covid-19 according to Demings, which he says is about half of what it is in the rest of the state.

He attributes this to the city’s decision to adopt social distancing protocols early on, and also to Disney World’s decision to shut down in mid-March as the nation’s largest single site employer. 

Asked why President Donald Trump has not yet acknowledged the milestone of 100,000 coronavirus deaths in the US, deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere said, “President Trump’s prayers for comfort and strength are with all of those grieving the loss of a loved one or friend.”

A White House official also said the President has talked about the “grave loss of life” many times before and noted that the President referenced the losses Americans have suffered during his Memorial Day remarks.

”He lowered the flags over the weekend as a mark of tribute and honor to all those lost,” the official added.

”While yes, we do mourn the loss of life, we must also celebrate the hundreds of thousands of lives that have been saved. Projections showed that if we had taken no mitigation action, there could have been up to 2.5 million dead Americans,” the official said, echoing a line from the President.

Meanwhile, Trump has spent his morning airing personal grievances on Twitter as he remains silent on the US passing the grim milestone.

Erin Bromage, a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth associate professor of biology, shared some practical tips on how to stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

People should socialize outdoors as much as possible, wear masks and be mindful of distance and proper ventilation when interacting with others indoors, Bromage told CNN on Thursday.

Here's what else he said about precautions to take when interacting with friends and family: