Trump cancels Republican convention in Florida
As the United States hit 4 million confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infections Thursday, President Donald Trump announced he is canceling the Jacksonville, Florida, portion of the Republican National Convention planned for the end of August because of the pandemic.
"The timing for this event is not right," Trump told reporters at the White House during his latest briefing on the virus. "There's nothing more important than keeping our people safe."
Trump said that he would deliver remarks to formally accept his party's nomination for president but gave no other details.
In June, Trump forced the Republican National Committee to walk away from Charlotte, North Carolina, for the bulk of its convention events, because Democratic Governor Roy Cooper wouldn't guarantee him the big arena crowds he wanted because of social distancing restrictions.
Florida, one of the crucial states in Trump's re-election efforts, has been experiencing a steep rise in cases, especially in the Jacksonville area.
The US reached the 4 million mark this week, doubling the total number of infections in just six weeks as deaths and hospitalizations continue a sharp rise in many states.
Coronavirus infections are currently increasing in 39 states, as well as Washington, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
More than 143,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the US, and experts say that trends in hospitalizations and deaths often lag weeks behind the trend in infections.
Senate Republicans were preparing Thursday to unveil a $1 trillion coronavirus relief package after three days of deliberations. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that the package won't include two items Trump had wanted: a payroll tax cut and an insistence that new funds for schools be tied solely to reopening for in-person teaching.
CNN reported late Thursday that the plan's release has been delayed over differences about the extension of the federal unemployment enhancement, specifically how Republicans would implement their changes to the $600-a-week program that expires July 31. The Republican plan apparently would lower that amount to $200 and is expected to be rejected by House Democrats, who have been pushing a $3 trillion relief plan.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor late in the day Thursday that the Trump administration asked for more time to review the plan and that it should be out "early next week".
The overall contours of the Republican proposal have come into view and include $105 billion for education funding, $16 billion in new funds for testing, a second round of forgivable small business loans, a second round of direct payments and a series of tax incentives designed to help employers bring people safely back to work.
A surge in new coronavirus cases in the South and Southwest, along with the closing or restricting of recently opened businesses, is forcing some airlines to cut their number of flights.
Executives from Southwest, American, Spirit and Alaska airlines explained the decline in quarterly earnings conference calls Thursday.
"In short, the crisis continues," said American Airlines CEO Doug Parker.
American filled 45 percent of its seats in May and nearly two-thirds of its seats in June as the virus eased and more states reopened their economies, Parker said. That compares with 15 percent in April.
In other aviation news, a US Marine assigned to the helicopter squadron in which the president and other top government leaders travel has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said. But they also said the Marine was never in direct contact with the president's official helicopter, Marine One.
Employees of three US agencies — Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration — are suing the Trump administration for hazard pay they claim they're entitled to for being exposed to the coronavirus on the job.
