May 4, 2017

Watchdog sues for GOP health negotiation records

Rich Pedroncelli / AP

A non-partisan ethics group named American Oversight is filing a preliminary injunction today that calls on the government to release records of closed-doors health care negotiations between the Trump team and Congress.

The suit, filed under the Freedom of Information Act, request records from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Management and Budget specifically. American Oversight said they originally requested the records directly, but neither agency responded, so they've taken the issue to court.

Why it matters: If the group does release any of the emails between the Trump administration and Congress, it could shed light on whether they were worried about any of the policies in the repeal bill — or whether they just wanted to dismantle the Affordable Care Act at any cost.

Timing: Congress is expected to vote on the GOP's new health care bill today.

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Biden, Sanders work toward truce on big issues

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Joe Biden isn’t about to become Bernie Sanders, but he’s signaling that there’s potential for more common ground on issues such as health care, student debt, climate change and more in the weeks ahead.

What to watch: As Biden courts Sanders' endorsement, their teams will hold policy discussions in the next few weeks with the expectation that Biden will incorporate some elements of Sanders' agenda, a person familiar with those plans tells Axios.

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Some Trump aides eye May 1 start to coronavirus reopening

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President Trump's aides, encouraged by virus data showing fewer deaths than once projected, are working behind the scenes to deliver on his vow to reopen America "sooner rather than later."

What to watch for: The official said there’s a lot of internal energy pushing for May 1, because that's the end of the White House's "30 days to slow the spread."

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U.S. coronavirus updates: Death toll surpasses 14,800

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The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 2,000 people for the second day in a row, and it's infected over 432,000 others, per Johns Hopkins data.

Where it stands: More than 14,800 people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S. — including over 4,500 in New York. The state's death toll surged to its highest one-day total on Wednesday — beating the previous day's record. 779 people died in New York in 24 hours. N.Y. has reported more cases than the most-affected countries in Europe.

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