Apr 14, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier moved out of intensive care, but remains in hospital

Rep. Mark DeSaulnier during a December House Rules Committee hearing. Photo: Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images

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).

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Mark Zuckerberg: Social networks should not be "the arbiter of truth"

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U.S. GDP drop revised lower to 5% in the first quarter

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis; Chart: Axios Visuals

The U.S. economy shrunk by an annualized 5% in the first quarter — worse than the initially estimated 4.8% contraction — according to revised figures released by the government on Thursday.

Why it matters: It's the worst quarterly decline since 2008 and shows a huge hit as the economy was just beginning to shut down because of the coronavirus. Economists are bracing for the second quarter's figures to be the worst ever — with some projecting an annualized decline of around 40%.

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