President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Tuesday, April 7, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Trump slams 'China-centric' WHO over handling of coronavirus pandemic, may suspend funding
President Trump, in an interview on "Hannity" on Tuesday, slammed the World Health Organization (WHO) for its "China-centric" views, adding the global health agency's projections and pronouncements about the coronavirus pandemic have been routinely wrong.
One of WHO's earliest flawed pronouncements, the president told host Sean Hannity, was to strongly recommend against the U.S. restricting travel from China.
"The World Health [Organization] -- very China-centric, as I say -- basically everything was very positive for China," Trump said. "Don't close your borders, they strongly recommended. ... That would've been a disaster, that would've been a total disaster."
"And literally, they called every shot wrong," the president added. "They didn't want to say where [coronavirus] came from. For many years, we've been funding the World Health Organization."
Earlier Tuesday at a news briefing, Trump said he may put a "very powerful hold” on U.S. funding to the WHO. Click here for more on our top story.
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FILE - Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
California governor planning coronavirus aid for illegal immigrants
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature are working on a coronavirus aid plan for the state’s illegal immigrants and others not covered by the federal government’s $2.2 trillion relief package.
Newsom, a Democrat, disclosed the plans Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. “Californians care deeply about undocumented residents in this state,” the governor, a former mayor of San Francisco, said.
But some California Republicans have spoken out against the plan. “I see the state of California and its budget as a house of cards and with this coronavirus-induced recession, I’m just trying to figure out where the money would come from,” state Sen. John Moorlach, a Republican from Costa Mesa, told the AP. “I would say helping undocumented would be a luxury item.” Click here for more.
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Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. Birx said the government is classifying the deaths of those infected with the virus who also had underlying health conditions as COVID-19 deaths. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Birx says government is classifying all deaths of patients with coronavirus as 'COVID-19' deaths, regardless of cause
The federal government is classifying the deaths of patients infected with the coronavirus as COVID-19 deaths, regardless of any underlying health issues that could have contributed to the loss of someone's life.
Dr. Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, said the federal government is continuing to count the suspected COVID-19 deaths, despite other nations doing the opposite.
"There are other countries that if you had a pre-existing condition, and let's say the virus caused you to go to the ICU [intensive care unit] and then have a heart or kidney problem," she said during a Tuesday news briefing at the White House. "Some countries are recording that as a heart issue or a kidney issue and not a COVID-19 death.
"The intent is ... if someone dies with COVID-19 we are counting that," she added. Asked whether the numbers could skew data the government is trying to collect, Birx said that would mostly apply more to rural areas where testing isn't being implemented on a wide scale. Click here for more.
Other coronavirus developments:
- Infectious disease expert warns coronavirus pandemic could be 'the first inning of a 9-inning game'
- Biden says coronavirus could 'eclipse' Great Depression in economic toll
- Former FDA commissioner says most Americans may not have coronavirus immunity despite surge in cases
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