The Rundown: TWH Task Force Reportedly Winding Down

Coronavirus cases across the U.S. are rising outside of the hard-hit New York metropolitan area, which has made progress in reducing them, even as states are beginning to ease their lockdowns, according to an Associated Press analysis yesterday. Public health officials are warning that not reducing the infection rate as businesses reopen could lead to many more deaths, potentially tens of thousands more. There have been more than 71,000 deaths in the U.S. as of last night, according to Johns Hopkins University's count, and more than 1.2 million confirmed cases.

L-A Times 5/6/20

Meanwhile, the White House coronavirus task force will reportedly start to wind down, with CNN citing a senior White House official yesterday as saying it will begin to happen later this month. The official said, "We will continue to have key medical experts advising [President Trump] daily and accessible to the press throughout the coming months ahead." Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the task force, confirmed to reporters that the White House is having conversations about when the timing would be right to disband it.

President Trump traveled to an Arizona mask factory Tuesday after weeks in the White House as he continued to advocate for the easing of coronavirus restrictions and reopening of the economy. Trump, who didn't wear a mask despite guidelines saying they should be worn in the Honeywell factory, told reporters Americans should think of themselves as, quote, "warriors," saying, "I’m not saying anything is perfect, and yes, will some people be affected? Yes. Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon." Trump also held a roundtable in Phoenix on Native American issues, and gave 1,000 Abbott quick coronavirus tests to Native American leaders.

In other developments:

• Automakers Plan to Reopen Within Two Weeks: Major U.S. automakers are planning to reopen their North American factories within two weeks. The United Auto Workers union appeared to be in agreement, saying in a statement yesterday that workers will return starting May 18th, and it has agreed on safety procedures to protect them.
• Britain Now Has Europe's Highest Death Toll: The U.K. now has the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe, passing Italy, and the second-highest in the world behind the U.S. About 29,400 people have died in the U.K., ahead of Italy's 29,300 deaths. The number of dead worldwide has now passed 250,000.

➤EX-TOP VACCINE SCIENTIST FILES WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT: Dr. Rick Bright, who headed the federal government's coronavirus vaccine development, filed a whistleblower complaint Tuesday charging that he was removed from his post because he refused to support President Trump's touting of the unproven use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the virus. Bright, who was the director of the Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, also said members of the administration got early warnings about the coronavirus, but didn't act, saying in particular that Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar resisted his efforts to get resources to fight the spread of the virus. Bright further alleged that there's been a culture of, quote, "cronyism" in HHS since the early days of Trump's administration, saying he was pressured to award contracts for developing drugs, vaccines and diagnostics based on "political connections."

➤GINSBURG HOSPITALIZED WITH INFECTION: The Supreme Court announced yesterday that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had been hospitalized with an infection caused by a gallstone, and was expected to be in the hospital for a "day or two." The 87-year-old had non-surgical treatment for a benign gallbladder condition called acute cholecystitis. Ginsburg plans to participate from the hospital as the high court hears arguments today, which they've been doing by phone since Monday because of the coronavirus pandemic. Ginsburg has had several bouts with cancer, including colorectal cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009.

➤MANY WENDY'S RESTAURANTS ARE OUT OF BEEF: Go ahead and make "Where's the beef?" jokes, because everyone else has. Some Wendy's restaurants in the U.S. are out of beef amid the coronavirus pandemic, as many meat processing plants have temporarily closed in recent weeks because of outbreaks of the virus among its workers. The financial firm Stephens estimated that about 18 percent of Wendy's locations in the U.S. aren't selling burgers because they ran out of beef, based on an analysis of their online menus. Wendy's is particularly vulnerable to a meat shortage because it uses fresh beef.