Filming stops on "The Batman" movie due to coronavirus pandemic
From CNN's Dave Alsup
Director Matt Reeves tweeted Wednesday that filming has ceased on the upcoming "The Batman" movie.
"Yes, we have shut down til it is safe for all to resume...Everyone safe for the moment, thank you for asking, and stay safe too...," Reeves said in response to an online question.
"The Batman" was set for release in 2021. (Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio behind the film, is, like CNN, owned by WarnerMedia.)
Actor Robert Pattinson took over the role of Batman from Ben Affleck, who played the masked hero in 2016's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
8:33 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Trump explains why he agreed to government funding of Kennedy Center in stimulus bill
From CNN's Betsy Klein
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
President Trump addressed a provision in the stimulus bill that gives $25 million to the Kennedy Center, a performing arts space in Washington, DC, named for the late President John F. Kennedy.
Trump said it was a provision from the Democrats that initially started at $35 million, but they negotiated to $25 million, saying he approved it because he is a “fan” of the facility.
“I approved that, it was 35 million, and we actually took off 10. But I’m a fan of that although I haven’t spent time there because I’m far too busy. I’d love to go there, evenings, but I’m too busy doing things because that’s more important for me than going there,” the President said.
The Kennedy Center, he said, “has suffered greatly because nobody can go there, it’s essentially closed.”
Trump also praised Democratic negotiators.
“And they do need some funding, and I said, look, that was a Democrat request, that was not my request, but you gotta give them something. It’s something that they wanted, you know, works that way. The Democrats have treated us fairly. I really believe we’ve had a very good back and forth. And I say that with respect to Chuck Schumer, I spoke to him a number of times, but you know, they had requests also. So that was a request,” Trump said.
Even though the funding is a “lousy soundbite,” Trump was resigned to it.
“That’s not a good soundbite but that’s the way life works. With that being said, the Kennedy Center, they do a beautiful job, an incredible job, David Rubenstein does a fantastic job, he’s very much involved and puts up a lot of money and does things a lot of people wouldn’t be able to do. But they’ve been essentially closed. They have tremendous deficits that are built up, I mean, this thing has been devastating to it. So I didn’t have problem with it but this was a request from the Democrats because of the fact that they have a facility that’s essentially closed,” he said, later adding that he’d “love” to go see Romeo and Juliet, but he can’t because it’s closed.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., lambasted funding for the arts included in the bill last night, tweeting, “Republicans want to save your job, Democrats want to save the Picassos.”
Watch:
6:50 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Direct payments to taxpayers could be issued 3 weeks of bill signing, Treasury secretary says
From CNN's Maegan Vazquez
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Wednesday that the Trump administration expects to issue direct payments to taxpayers within three weeks of a stimulus package being signed into law.
“Our expectation is within three weeks we will have direct payments out where we have depository information. We’re looking to get a lot more information and we have procedures to do that,” Mnuchin said.
Mnuchin added that by the end of next week, the administration wants all banks to be able to originate loans on a “same day” basis.
6:46 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Tesla CEO says its New York factory will reopen to aid with ventilator production
From CNN's Kate Trafecante
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the company's shuttered Buffalo, New York, factory would reopen "as soon as humanly possible" to aid with ventilator production.
But in a verified tweet Wednesday, Musk says the factory "will reopen for ventilator production as soon as humanly possible. We will do anything in our power to help the citizens of New York."
CNN has reached out to Tesla for further comment.
Musk previously said that Tesla factories could convert to ventilator production if there was a crisis of supply.
A tough situation: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called the need for ventilators "our single greatest challenge."
New York needs 30,000 ventilators, Cuomo said in a news briefing Wednesday.
The state has 4,000 ventilators in the existing hospital system, the federal government has sent 4,000, and the state has purchased 7,000 others and is "still shopping," Cuomo said.
6:38 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Colorado governor declares stay-at-home order
From CNN's Stephanie Gallman
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a stay-at-home order beginning Thursday through April 11.
“Now is the time to stay home," Polis said.
As of Wednesday, the state had 912 cases of coronavirus and 11 deaths.
6:30 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
At least 8,000 children of emergency workers have been enrolled in enrichment centers in NYC
From CNN's Sheena Jones
At least 8,000 children of emergency workers have been enrolled in enrichment centers across New York City, officials said at a news conference Wednesday.
The city has created a space for 40,000 children across the city, officials said.
At least 5,000 volunteers will help man the centers.
6:50 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Treasury secretary says stimulus deal would keep US economy afloat for three months
From CNN's Maegan Vazquez
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The coronavirus stimulus deal agreed upon by the Senate will keep the US economy afloat for three months, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Wednesday during a White House press briefing.
When asked how long the deal would keep the economy afloat, President Trump didn’t have a concrete timeline.
“Hopefully, a long time. If we have to go back, we have to go back. We have to take care of the American worker. We’re going to take care of these companies that fuel this country … it’s not their fault,” Trump said.
Mnuchin clarified that the administration anticipates the deal to cover the needs of the US economy for three months.
“Hopefully we won’t need this for three months,” Mnuchin continued. “We expect that this is a significant amount of money if needed to cover the economy.”
6:27 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
Trump says New York governor is "happy" with ventilators from the administration
From CNN's Betsy Klein
President
Alex Brandon/AP
Trump said Wednesday he spoke with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio about ventilators and they are "happy," even though Cuomo has repeatedly said the state needs more to address the coronavirus pandemic.
Noting that the administration has sent 4,000 ventilators from the national stockpile to New York, Trump said, “I spoke with the governor about that. He was happy. I spoke with the mayor, also, Mayor de Blasio.”
“It’s hard not to be happy with the job we’re doing,” Trump said.
Some context: The White House said Tuesday that the state would receive two shipments of 2,000 machines this week from the national stockpile. But the state needs 30,000, Cuomo has repeatedly said.
The Strategic National Stockpile said Wednesday that it held approximately 16,660 ventilators before the coronavirus response and ventilators have been deployed over the past few days.
Watch:
6:23 p.m. ET, March 25, 2020
There are 236 NYPD members who have tested positive for coronavirus
From CNN's Mark Morales
Two NYPD officers walk through Times Square on March 22. Noam Galai/Getty Images
There are 236 members of the New York Police Department who have tested positive for coronavirus, according to numbers provided by the department.
Of those, 197 are officers and 39 are civilians, the department said.
Additionally, 3,200 police officers are out sick, which is just about 9% of the entire NYPD.
