Philadelphia cancels all large public events through February 2021 due to pandemic
From CNN’s Elizabeth Joseph
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is seen during a City Hall press conference on March 6. Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Philadelphia has cancelled all large public events through February 28, 2021, Lauren Cox, deputy communications director in Mayor Jim Kenney’s office, told CNN Tuesday morning.
“This is in regards to events that the City permits on public property (like parades and festivals), it does not apply to events on private property—including sports stadiums and concert venues,” she said.
“Decisions on how to resume those types of events will be based on current public health guidance as the situation in Philadelphia progresses," she added.
Additional details will be shared during the mayor's press conference later today at 1 p.m. ET.
9:53 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020
Stock market opens in the red after banks flag risks to the economy
From CNN's Matt Egan
A woman passes the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
US stocks opened lower Tuesday after big banks warned of significant challenges to the economic recovery.
Here's how things looked as the market opened:
The Dow dipped 25 points, or 0.1%
The S&P 500 declined 0.6%
The Nasdaq slumped 0.8%
More context: The shaky start comes after Wall Street suffered a sharp reversal Monday. A 563-point rally for the Dow fizzled following California’s decision to close bars, restaurants and other indoor spaces because of the pandemic.
JPMorgan Chase kicked off bank earnings season Tuesday by saying its profits plunged 51% as provisions for credit losses spiked. CEO Jamie Dimon warned, “We still face much uncertainty regarding the future path of the economy.”
Wells Fargo’s stock tumbled 6% after the troubled bank suffered its first quarterly loss since 2008 and warned it will likely slash its dividend by 80%. That would make Wells Fargo the first big bank to lower its dividend during the recession.
9:45 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020
Science, not politics, is the only valid reason for changing school guidelines, former CDC directors say
From CNN's Naomi Thomas
Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Four former directors of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have written that they have never seen science be so influenced by politics, in an op-ed published Wednesday in The Washington Post.
“We cannot recall over our collective tenure a single time when political pressure led to a change in the interpretation of science,” wrote Drs. Tom Frieden, Jeffrey Koplan, David Satcher and Richard Besser, who collectively ran the CDC for more than 15 years.
One of the roles of the CDC is to provide sound public health guidance, which is essential during a pandemic.
Speaking about the school reopening guidelines from the CDC, the former directors said that while it is not unusual for guidelines to be altered or changed after going through a clearance process, it is “extraordinary for guidelines to be undermined after their release.”
Guidelines should only be changed for new information and science, not because of politics, they said.
Writing about reopening schools and businesses amid a worsening pandemic, they said that public health experts face two opponents, “Covid-19, but also political leaders and others attempting to undermine the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Remember: The President, against the advice of some of the nation's top health officials, has repeatedly called for schools to reopen as coronavirus cases surge across the country.
On Wednesday, while Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, warned that the country has to maintain control over the pandemic to get children back to school in the fall, Trump slammed the CDC's existing guidelines.
He tweeted they were "very tough" and "expensive," while in another tweet threatened to cut off school funding if they resisted opening, though the federal government's ability to do so is limited.
9:49 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020
Fauci is staying on White House coronavirus task force, source says
From CNN's Jim Acosta
Dr. Anthony Fauci listens during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on June 30. Al Drago/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Doctor Anthony Fauci is staying on with the White House coronavirus task force despite the recent White House attempts to discredit him, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
Some background: The White House has made a concerted effort to discredit Fauci as he becomes increasingly vocal about his concerns over reopening the country.
The tension between Fauci and Trump — who are no longer speaking, CNN reported last week — has grown publicly as they have responded to one another through interviews and statements.
But remember: Trump does not plan to dismiss Fauci, and probably couldn't directly fire him if he wanted to, White House officials have determined. He insisted on Monday that his relationship with the doctor remains strong.
9:34 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020
Point of care tests could help reduce the burden on testing labs, US health official says
From CNN's Naomi Thomas
Adm. Brett Giroir speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on June 30. Al Drago/Pool/Getty Images
Point of care tests should help reduce the burden on testing labs later in the year, said Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services, on Tuesday.
“By October, certainly by September, we expect to have 15 to 20 million point of care tests. That’s as many tests as we’re doing every month now,” Giroir said on Tuesday.
Speaking on NPR’s “Morning Edition” about the burden of testing on labs as schools work on reopening and workplaces request more testing as they reopen, Giroir said these point of care tests are “going to dramatically reduce the burden.”
He also said that at present, almost half of the tests that are done are point of care tests.
9:26 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020
Catch up: Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this morning
It's Tuesday morning in the US, where more than 3.3 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the pandemic began.
If you're just reading in, here's what you need to know about the pandemic to start your morning:
The new epicenter: Miami is "now the epicenter of the pandemic," an infectious disease expert with the area's Jackson Health System said. Cases are rising across the state of Florida, where least 48 hospitals have zero ICU beds available. The state has more cases than all but eight entire countries.
Reopening rollbacks: As coronavirus cases rise, California and New Mexico reimposed restrictions on dining. In Oregon, the governor expanded rules on face coverings to include outdoor gatherings where social distance cannot be maintained.
Where schools stand: Some of America's largest school districts say they won't resume in-person classes at the start of autumn, despite Trump's calls to reopen. Meanwhile, a new plan under development by the White House and Senate Republicans is expected to include financial incentives to push schools to reopen.
Prepare for a possible winter peak: The UK's Academy of Medical Sciences is warning countries to prepare for a winter Covid-19 peak. It points out that people spend more time indoors in the winter, in poorly ventilated areas. Plus, health care systems are typically more taxed in winter months due to seasonal ailments.
9:13 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020
US aiming to get Covid-19 test results "within 48 hours," White House task force member says
From CNN's Gisela Crespo
A medical technologist processes coronavirus test samples at a lab in Tampa, Florida, on June 25. Octavio Jones/Getty Images
Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services and member of the White House coronavirus task force, on Tuesday conceded there are delays in Covid-19 tests results coming from big commercial laboratories, saying the demand is still very high.
"We absolutely want to reduce those times. We would like to get that to within 48 hours. And we are really exerting a lot of effort to do that," Giroir said during an interview on NBC’s "Today.”
Giroir explained the government is working with these laboratories to "actively start" pooling samples, and it will also lean into places that need a lot of testing, such as nursing homes, to do more point-of-care testing.
"That will alleviate millions of tests from those commercial labs," Giroir said.
9:06 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020
Iraq reports more than 2,000 new Covid-19 cases, health ministry say
From CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali and Aqeel Najim
Bodies of coronavirus victims are loaded onto a truck on July 11 to be transported from a hospital in Baghdad to a cemetery in Najaf, Iraq. Ameer Al Mohammedaw/Picture Alliance/Getty Images
Iraq on Tuesday recorded at least 2,022 new coronavirus cases, according to the country's health ministry.
This brings the total number of Covid-19 cases in Iraq to more than 81,700 according to the health ministry.
The health ministry also reported at least 95 new Covid-19-related deaths, bringing the total to at least 3,345 deaths across the country.
The ministry also said in a statement that 3,784 cases have recovered Tuesday from Covid-19, and total of 50,782 cases have recovered across the country since the pandemic began.
9:25 a.m. ET, July 14, 2020
New GOP coronavirus recovery plan expected to include incentives to reopen schools
From CNN's Manu Raju, Haley Byrd and Ali Zaslav
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell leaves after a closed door briefing at the Capitol on July 2. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
A new plan under development by the White House and Senate Republicans to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is expected to include financial incentives to push schools to reopen while also shielding health care workers and companies against lawsuits, Republicans said Monday, a move that will spur a fight with Democrats.
This liability protection is essential, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it would remove responsibility from employers and institutions.
Senate GOP leaders and senior administration officials have been privately trading proposals and exchanging plans before formally introducing a Republican proposal as soon as next week, with just three weeks before Congress adjourns for its summer recess.
The measure, expected to cost around $1.3 trillion, would amount to the GOP's latest response to the crisis — after roundly dismissing House Democrats' $3 trillion-plus plan that passed their chamber two months ago.
But to get to Trump's desk, it would require the two parties in both chambers to resolve major differences — over the size and scope of the plan as well as the details in it — in the heat of an election year, meaning many are skeptical a deal can be reached with the number of days dwindling before the August recess.
"We're obviously out of session this week, but when my members come back next week we'll start socializing it with them, begin to discuss it with the Democrats and start the legislative process," McConnell said in Corbin, Kentucky, on Monday. "I think you can anticipate this coming to a head sometime within the next three weeks, beginning next week."
The GOP measure expected to provide aid to businesses, hospitals and schools in an effort to jumpstart the economy with millions still out of work.
But even before it's introduced, it is already prompted an outcry from Democrats, who contend the measure is far smaller in scope than what's needed and is expected to include measures their party won't accept.
Remember: Some of America's largest school districts say they won't resume in-person classes at the start of autumn, despite Trump's calls to reopen.
