Updated Apr 27, 2020 - Politics & Policy

White House reverses course after canceling coronavirus press briefing

Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted Monday that President Trump will hold a coronavirus press briefing, after announcing earlier in the day that the White House would cancel its scheduled briefing.

What she's saying: "UPDATE: The White House has additional testing guidance and other announcements about safely opening up America again. President @realDonaldTrump will brief the nation during a press conference this evening."

The big picture: As Axios' Jonathan Swan reported last week, the Trump administration has moved to limit the briefings, fearing President Trump is overexposed and hurting his polling ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Trump did not take questions at a short briefing on Friday, and the White House did not hold a briefing over the weekend.

Go deeper ... Trump: White House press conferences aren't worth the "time and effort"

Editor's note: This story was updated after the White House announced it would hold a briefing, despite canceling it earlier.

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Marisa Fernandez

Jun 4, 2020 - Health

Where the CDC went wrong with its coronavirus response

Photo: Tami Chappell/AFP/Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mishandled the coronavirus pandemic, sowing mistrust among health experts and the public, according to a sweeping report by the New York Times.

Why it matters: It's been reported that a faster and more organized response from the federal government could have saved thousands of lives.

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Axios

Updated 18 hours ago - Health

U.S. coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios. This graphic includes "probable deaths" that New York City began reporting on April 14.

The Department of Health and Human Services moved on Thursday to require that an individual's race, ethnicity, age and sex be submitted to the agency with novel coronavirus test results.

Why it matters: Some cities and states have reported the virus is killing black people at disproportionately high rates. There are gaps in the national picture of how many people of color are affected, since the data has not been a requirement for states to collect or disclose.

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Kim Hart

24 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Cities' budget woes worsen with increased social unrest

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Cities were already furloughing workers and considering cutting back essential services — including public safety — because of the dramatic drops in the local tax revenue that funds them. Now they're also dealing with turmoil in their streets.

Why it matters: "Unfortunately, the increasing levels of social unrest across the country reallocated efforts and scarce resources away from the former focus of getting state, regional and local economies back to some semblance of normalcy," per Tom Kozlik, head of municipal strategy and credit at HilltopSecurities.

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