Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump's Stay-At-Home Guidelines Will Quietly Expire Today, And He Doesn't Plan To Extend Them
The Associated Press: Trump Says He's Not Extending Social Distancing Guidelines
President Donald Trump said the federal government will not be extending its coronavirus social distancing guidelines once they expire Thursday, and his son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, predicted that by July the country will be “really rocking again.” To underscore his confidence, Trump said Wednesday he plans to resume out-of-state travel after spending more than a month mostly cooped up in the White House, starting with a trip to Arizona next week. (Freking and Colvin, 4/30)
Politico: End Of Trump’s Social Distancing Policy Spurs Fears Of Virus Rebound
The Trump administration’s “Stay at Home” guidelines will quietly expire Thursday with little fanfare — letting states decide what’s next. But as President Donald Trump repeatedly declares that “we’re opening our country again,” the inconsistent patchwork of state, local and business decision-making is exactly what could drive a second wave of the coronavirus — or potentially prolong the current outbreak. (Kenen, 4/29)
NPR: 'Slow The Spread' Guidelines Will Phase Out, Trump Says
During a White House meeting with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday, Trump commended governors for taking steps to reopen their economies. The original two-week guidelines that were extended 30 more days called for Americans to work from home, limit travel and avoid large gatherings. Vice President Pence said the existing guidelines were being applied to the new guidance issued by the White House on how states can reopen safely. (Ordonez, 4/29)
CNN: Trump Says Federal Social Distancing Guidelines Will Be 'Fading Out'
A day before federal guidelines on slowing the spread of coronavirus are set to expire, Trump administration officials signaled that the strong federal social distancing guidelines would be relaxed as states begin to reopen their economies. "Frankly, every state in America has embraced those guidelines at a minimum, or even done more, and now our focus is working with states as governors, like Gov. John Bel Edwards, unveil plans to open up their states again," Vice President Mike Pence said as he and other task force members met with President Donald Trump and Edwards, a Democrat, in the Oval Office Wednesday. (Carvajal, 4/29)
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Says He’s Ready To Hit The Road To Arizona, Coronavirus Or Not
President Trump, like much of the nation, has cabin fever. That’s about to end. Mr. Trump told reporters at an event with business executives on Wednesday that he plans to travel to Arizona next week and Ohio soon after that. “We’re going to start to move around,” he said, adding that he hopes to start holding campaign rallies again. The Arizona event will focus on industry, he said, without offering further details. (Ballhaus, 4/29)
Politico: Trump To Relax Shelter-In–White-House Routine
Trump often mentions that he hasn’t left the White House in months — except for once — as his administration has worked to respond to the pandemic. Last month he sent off a hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, from a Virginia naval base. He has otherwise stayed within the executive complex for six weeks, a long stretch for a president who used to spend most weekends golfing and visiting his own hotels and golf clubs. In recent days, Trump had asked aides to start adding to his schedule official events outside Washington. (Kumar, 4/29)
