Coronavirus: The Hill and the Headlines, October 9 2020

In Washington:

• President Trump and his aides on Friday offered Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) a $1.8 trillion coronavirus relief package, sources said, as the president urged the negotiators to “go big.” The new figure was a jump from the White House’s $1.6 trillion offer last week, but there was no indication that Pelosi would come down from her demand for a $2.2 trillion package. In one concession, the White House is raising its offer on emergency aid for cash-strapped cities and states to $300 billion, up from a $250 billion offer last week, sources said. A bill passed by House Democrats last week calls for $436 billion in aid. Pelosi, appearing on MSNBC, expressed interest in a deal but voiced mild skepticism. “The devil and the angels are in the details,” Pelosi said. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) indicated Friday that he does not expect a deal before the election.

• President Trump is returning to the campaign trail and planning to address hundreds of guests that he has invited to the White House for an event on the South lawn on Saturday, Oct. 10.  This would be the President’s first in-person event since being infected with COVID-19. The President is still recovering from COVID-19 but will be giving his speech  from the White House balcony.   Many aids are still concerned with holding another large public gathering at the White House after it becomes a COVID hotspot this week.  Campaign staff fear it would only underscore the criticism that Trump has been cavalier about the virus. The President will also host a rally in Florida on Monday. 

• Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, told CBS News Radio Friday that there was a "superspreader event" at the White House late last month, a stark assessment of the string of coronavirus cases among the President and top aides. Fauci pinpointed the lack of mask-wearing as a partial culprit for the outbreak. At least 34 White House staffers and contacts have been infected, according to a Federal Emergency Management Agency memo obtained by ABC News.

• House Democrats on Friday unveiled legislation creating a panel to gauge a president's capacity to perform the job and potentially remove a president from office in cases of decided debility. The 25th Amendment explicitly contemplates such a panel, empowering Congress to create such a body, which, working with the vice president, can remove a president. Absent such a panel, the cabinet decides along with the vice president. The commission would apply to future administrations, but it's a clear shot at President Trump, whose treatments for the coronavirus have raised questions about their effects on his mental acuity. Speaker Pelosi has suggested that Trump's drug regimen — which includes a steroid linked to mood swings — might be affecting his decision-making. The panel would be picked by Congress and consist of 17 members, including doctors and former executive branch officials. The bill has no chance of passing in this Congress. GOP leaders dismissed it as a political stunt. "Look, that's absurd. Absolutely absurd," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

• The IRS is giving some people another five weeks to register for pandemic-related economic stimulus payments.  People who don’t typically have to file tax returns will now have until Nov. 21 to register on an IRS website for the $1,200-per-adult payments, and an extra $500 for each qualifying dependent, the agency said Monday.  House Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and other lawmakers had urged the IRS to push back the original Oct. 15 deadline for the roughly 9 million non-filers who may still be eligible for a payment.

• The Supreme Court said Friday that it will continue hearing arguments in cases remotely over the telephone for at least the rest of the year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet it raised the prospect it could return to the courtroom in January. That announcement means the Supreme Court will remotely hear arguments November 10 in a case that could result in the elimination of the Affordable Care Act. The high court started hearing cases remotely last spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the United States. 

In the News:

• Final data from a study of remdesivir showed the Gilead Sciences treatment cut Covid-19 recovery time by five days compared with patients who got a placebo, one day faster than indicated in preliminary data.  Gilead Sciences announced it will have sufficient global supply of its coronavirus treatment remdesivir by the end of October, CEO Daniel O’Day told CNBC on Friday. The comments come shortly after the publication of peer-reviewed final data from Gilead’s large-scale trial of remdesivir. It showed the antiviral drug helped COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized recover five days faster on average. Gilead received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in August to supply remdesivir to all hospitalized coronavirus patients. 

• Microsoft informed employees this week that they will have more flexibility to work from home, even after it’s safe to return to offices, a company spokesperson told CNBC Friday. The new guidelines, previously reported by The Verge, allow all Microsoft employees to work remotely less than 50% of the time. Employees can also request approval from their managers to work remotely full time, or even move to a new location, with salaries adjusted based on geography. Microsoft last told U.S. employees to expect to work remotely until at least January 2021.

• Broadway will remain closed through May. The Broadway League, a trade organization representing producers and theater owners, announced Friday that Broadway’s 41 theaters will remain closed through at least May 30. Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, said, “We are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains again.” Broadway has been closed since March 12, and it’s unclear when theaters will resume operations.

• Singapore announced it will allow cruises to start sailing next month — but in order to keep crew and passengers safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, the ships will make no stops and simply return to the port they came from. The island country is trying to creatively fire up its travel and tourism industry, as these businesses worldwide struggle due to the pandemic. The Singapore Tourism Board announced the plan on Thursday to allow cruises with no ports of call, which will only be open to Singapore residents. The ships will also operate at "reduced capacity of up to 50 percent," according to a statement from the STB.

Authored by Ivan Zapien