President Trump said during the coronavirus briefing on Tuesday that individual governors would decide when to reopen their respective state economies.
What he's saying: "I will be speaking to all 50 governors very shortly," Trump said. "And I will then be authorizing each individual governor of each individual state to implement a reopening, a very powerful reopening plan of their state at a time and in a manner as most appropriate."
Sen. Bernie Sanders urged his supporters in an interview with AP Tuesday not to "sit on their hands" in the final months of the 2020 election, and to throw their support behind presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
What he's saying: "I believe that it’s irresponsible for anybody to say, 'Well, I disagree with Joe Biden — I disagree with Joe Biden! — and therefore I’m not going to be involved.'"
Some of Sen. Bernie Sanders' top campaign surrogates spoke to the New York Times about what it means that their former candidate, the leader of a massive grassroots movement, has endorsed the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Why it matters: Convincing progressives to support Biden is viewed as key to building the coalition needed to defeat President Trump in November.
A federal court in Maryland blocked on Tuesday the Agriculture Department's rollback of nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program, a cause championed by former first lady Michelle Obama, the New York Times reports.
The big picture: The 2018 rollbacks cut whole-grain requirements and allowed for higher sodium levels in school meals. The court found that the rule change violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), which outlines how federal agencies issue new regulations.
President Trump's team will present him imminently with options to snub the World Health Organization over its coronavirus approach — from outright cuts to redirecting funding — people familiar with the plans tell Axios.
Driving the news: Trump vowed a week ago to put "a very powerful hold" on money to the WHO, which he's targeted for blame as the pandemic has spread.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Tuesday that the Senate is not expected to travel back to Washington D.C. any sooner than May 4, as most of the country remains under stay-at-home orders.
Why it matters: The decision to postpone returning to the Senate comes amid a stalemate between Democrats and Republicans over increasing funds to the Paycheck Protection Program, a small business relief program mean to alleviate economic stress caused by the pandemic.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took to MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Tuesday to push back on President Trump's assertion that he has the sole authority to end states' stay-at-home measures and move to reopen the economy from the coronavirus crisis.
The big picture: Cuomo said Trump "basically declared himself King Trump" with his claim, adding that he would oppose a too-early reopening that put public health at risk and would create "a constitutional crisis like you haven't seen in decades."
Former President Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden, his former vice president, in a video released Tuesday.
Why it matters: Obama, following in the footsteps of other recent former presidents, chose to let the crowded Democratic primary process play out and not offer an endorsement until voters chose their presumptive nominee.
A group of U.S. senators have sent a letter to the World Health Organization asking it to provide an accounting of its early handling of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
Why it matters: Rising scrutiny of the WHO has led to GOP calls to cut U.S. funding for the organization.
Part of Bernie Sanders' endorsement of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is a new plan for them to form joint "task forces" on six big topics, including climate change.
Why it matters: Time will tell, but I'll be watching to see if it leads to substantial changes in Biden's climate platform, which has disappointed the left even though it goes far beyond Obama-era policies.
President Trump's re-election campaign is wasting no time touting his role in brokering the new global oil-cutting pact, which featured days of direct talks with leaders from Russia, Saudi Arabia and Mexico.
Reality check: Trump's petro-diplomacy was important, yet just one of many forces that pushed Saudi Arabia and Russia toward reviving their cooperation on supply management, analysts say.
Madeleine Albright, America’s first female secretary of state, releases her memoir about post-government life, "Hell and Other Destinations," on Tuesday.
Albright says: "I never expected ... that the title would so closely reflect the national condition."
Joe Biden's resurgence to become the Democrats' presumptive nominee is opening new paths to defeat President Trump, swing-state polls show.
The big picture: If Biden can keep his current leads over Trump in general-election matchups, it could create opportunities for pickups of three big states — Florida,Arizona and North Carolina.
Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) tweeted Monday that he's looking "closely" at a third-party presidential bid, as he criticized President Trump for claiming during a coronavirus briefing that his "authority is total."
The big picture: The libertarian, who left the Republican Party last July, said Americans deserve another option — prompting a Twitter user to say, "Please be you." He replied, "Thanks. I’m looking at it closely this week." Amash was first reported to be weighing the idea last May of challenging Trump in the presidential election.
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) was moved out of intensive care in a Washington, D.C., hospital Monday after four weeks of treatment for pneumonia that's not related to the novel coronavirus, his family confirmed in a statement. He's still in the hospital, but his condition is no longer considered critical.
The big picture: "Our dad is a fighter, he has made good progress," his two sons said in the statement. "This would be difficult enough at any time, but given the daily dangers we all face from the coronavirus, his path ahead is especially complicated." DeSaulnier's condition deteriorated after he was hospitalized on March 13 after "complications of pneumonia from a traumatic rib fracture that occurred after falling during a run," per his chief of staff.
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect that DeSaulnier spent four weeks in the hospital (not three).
Pressed on how he will force governors to reopen their state economies during the coronavirus crisis, President Trump said at a press briefing Monday: "When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total."
Why it matters: It's not totally clear under what authority Trump is talking about, as the 10th Amendment to the Constitution gives states the "police powers" to regulate behavior during a public health crisis.
President Trump aired a montage at Monday's coronavirus press briefing splicing together compliments from governors and clips of various media commentators downplaying the severity of the eventual pandemic in January and February.
Why it matters: The video, which resembled a campaign ad, was aired at a briefing in which the president and his advisers are generally expected to provide critical public health updates about the coronavirus.
Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Jill Karofsky won a closely watched race Monday almost a week after the state's voting day.
Why it matters: Karofsky's opponent, incumbent Justice Dan Kelly, had been endorsed by President Trump. The president tweeted on the day of the vote for voters to turn out to the polls in Kelly's favor.
