Mar 28, 2019

Puerto Rico makes new bid for statehood as Gov. Rosselló slams Trump

Orion Rummler

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) plans to introduce legislation on Thursday for Puerto Rican statehood that would be the first legislation of its kind to automatically make Puerto Rico a state without conditional requirements, the Washington Post reports.

The big picture: This legislative push, which follows an uptick of proposed bills for Puerto Rico's statehood in the past few years, comes as Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló strengthens his rhetoric against President Trump for threatening to cut federal aid to the island in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Soto's bill, supported by Rosselló, is unlikely to pass through the Republican-controlled Senate or the White House.

Buzz: In an interview with CNN this week, Rosselló said of Trump: "If the bully gets close, I'll punch the bully in the mouth."

Go deeper: "We are your citizens:" Rosselló rebukes Trump for suggesting relief cuts

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Ursula Perano

Trump touts press briefing "ratings" as U.S. coronavirus case surge

Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images.

President Trump sent about a half-dozen tweets on Sunday touting the high television ratings that his coronavirus press briefings have received, selectively citing a New York Times article that compared them to "The Bachelor" and "Monday Night Football."

Why it matters: The president has been holding daily press briefings in the weeks since the coronavirus pandemic was declared, but news outlets have struggled with how to cover them live — as Trump has repeatedly been found to spread misinformation and contradict public health officials.

Go deeperArrow20 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Axios

World coronavirus updates: Total cases surge to over 700,000

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens and confirmed plus presumptive cases from the CDC

There are now than more than 700,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus around the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins. The virus has now killed more than 32,000 people — with Italy alone reporting over 10,000 deaths.

The big picture: Governments around the world have stepped up public health and economic measures to stop the spread of the virus and soften the financial impact. In the U.S., now the site of the largest outbreak in the world, President Trump said Saturday he would issue a "strong" travel advisory for New York, New Jersey and parts of Connecticut.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 46 mins ago - Health
Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 704,095 — Total deaths: 33,509 — Total recoveries: 148,824.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 132,637 — Total deaths: 2,351 — Total recoveries: 2,612.
  3. Federal government latest: The first federal prisoner to die from coronavirus was reported from a correctional facility in Louisiana on Sunday.
  4. Public health updates: Fauci says 100,000 to 200,000 Americans could die from virus.
  5. State updates: Louisiana governor says state is on track to exceed ventilator capacity by end of this week — Cuomo says Trump's mandatory quarantine comments "really panicked" people
  6. World updates: Italy on Sunday reported 756 new deaths, bringing its total 10,779. Spain reported almost 840 dead, another new daily record that bring its total to over 6,500.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 50 mins ago - Politics & Policy