The Rundown: U-S Passes 1M Coronavirus Cases

The U.S. has passed one million confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the tally being kept by Johns Hopkins University, which also says that deaths as of last night are now over 58,300. With expanded testing a key part of states safely being able to reopen their economies, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert and a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, said there has to be a, quote, "productive partnership" on it between the federal government and the states. Fauci said on CNN yesterday, "We can't just leave [states] on their own, on the one hand, and the federal government can't do it by itself, on the other hand." Governors have been asking for federal help with testing for more than a month, as they've been dealing with a shortage of supplies and a backlog in private labs.

President Trump yesterday ordered meat processing plants to stay open, using the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure. There have been warnings about potential shortages of pork, chicken and other meat in supermarkets as more than 20 plants have temporarily shut down and others have slowed production because of coronavirus outbreaks among their workers. Food worker unions said the order puts lives in danger, and that more needs to be done to protect workers' safety. AP cited a senior White House official as saying the White House was working with the Labor Department to provide enhanced safety guidance for meatpacking workers. The order is also designed, in part, to provide more protection from liability for the companies if workers get sick.

In other developments:

• House Members Won't Return to Washington: After it had been planned for members of the House to return to Washington, the chamber's Democratic leaders yesterday said it won't be happening, after many of the 400-plus lawmakers strongly objected and the Capitol physician said the danger was too great amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Senate, with a smaller number of 100 members, is still expecting to return next Monday. Congress is set to work on the next virus aid package, and House Democratic leaders were negotiating yesterday with Republican leaders on options for being able to do so remotely and allowing proxy votes.

• Pence Criticized for Not Wearing Mask During Mayo Clinic Visit: Vice President Mike Pence came under criticism yesterday for not wearing a face mask during his visit to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, in apparent violation of its policy requiring them amid the pandemic. Video showed Pence didn't wear a mask when he met with a Mayo employee who's recovered from the coronavirus and is now donating plasma, and during other parts of his visit. The Mayo Clinic tweeted that it told Pence about its mask policy before he arrived, but the tweet was later removed. Pence explained: "As vice president . . . I’m tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus. And since I don’t have the coronavirus, I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to . . . speak to these researchers, these incredible healthcare personnel, and look them in the eye and say 'Thank you.'"

➤BANKS COMPLAIN SMALL BIZ ADMIN. ISSUES SLOWING PROCESSING OF PPP LOANS: Banks are complaining that a bottleneck at the Small Business Administration is severely slowing the process of providing loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, passed by Congress to give aid to small business to help keep their employees on payroll. Banking industry groups said Tuesday (April 28th) that the SBA’s loan processing system is still unable to handle the heavy volume of loan applications from small business owners. After more money was approved for the PPP following the first allocation running out in two weeks, it started taking applications again on Monday.

➤SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIAL SAYS KIM JONG UN MAY BE STAYING OUT OF PUBLIC EYE BECAUSE OF CORONAVIRUS: Amid rumors that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might be gravely ill or even dead, in part because he hasn't been seen in a while and missed one of the country's most important holidays on April 15th that marks his late grandfather's birthday, a top South Korean official said Tuesday that Kim could be staying out of the public eye to avoid exposure to the coronavirus. According to Reuters, South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul told his country's foreign affairs committee, "It is true that he had never missed the anniversary for Kim Il Sung’s birthday since he took power, but many anniversary events including celebrations and a banquet had been canceled because of coronavirus concerns."

➤MLB DISCUSSING STARTING SEASON IN LATE JUNE, WITH REALIGNED LEAGUE AND NO FANS: Major League Baseball is discussing a plan that would start the season in late June, include at least 100 regular-season games, and have a realigned league, according to USA Today. Games would be played without fans, in teams' own major league ballparks. The realignment being considered would set up three divisions with 10 teams each based on geography -- East, West and Central -- and teams would only play within their division.

 ➤FEDS NEED TO DO MORE: A new poll backs up that in times of crisis, people want the government to be there for them. The USA Today/Suffolk University poll found that 50 percent said the federal government should be doing more to deal with the health and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, while 40 percent said it's trying to do too much. The crisis has overturned some of the traditional wariness among some voters of an activist government, with the poll showing the strongest backing for the federal government to do more since Gallup began to ask the question in 1992. As recently as last September, Americans said the government was doing too much by 49 percent to 47 percent. Congress has already approved nearly $3 trillion in relief to deal with the pandemic and its economic effect, and another emergency spending bill is being worked on.