The coronavirus emergency is fast transforming into one of the gravest political and societal challenges of the modern age -- and America's leaders are only just beginning to understand the gargantuan task before them
The longer-term realities are setting in for Americans amid calls for a World War II-style national mobilization to fight the pandemic. And the deeply concerned politicians charged with fighting it are comparing the historic significance of the crisis to the 1918 influenza calamity, the Great Depression and 9/11.
But it is not clear if the stark message is getting through to everybody, especially younger Americans, who are vital to stopping a disease now spreading like wildfire before it reaches levels that could overwhelm the US health system
In San Francisco, for instance, people were seen strolling, skating and cycling -- despite a shelter-in-place order meant to keep people at home except for essential errands. Experts warn that while young people are typically spared the worst complications of Covid-19, they can spread the virus to older and more vulnerable people
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, battling to save the economy, is painting a dire picture of what could happen if Congress doesn't act -- telling senators the unemployment rate could rocket up to 20%, a GOP Senate source told CNN. Such a nightmare scenario would approach 1930s blight, and far outpace the jobless number after the 2008 financial crisis, which peaked at 9.9%
Amid signs that the coronavirus drama will be longer, more expensive and more taxing on the country's human tolerance than expected, the White House is seeking extraordinary power to stop the economy from going over a cliff. A massive $1 trillion stimulus plan -- including $1,000 checks for most Americans -- is larger than the Recovery Act that helped pull the country out
of the Great Recession
There are some encouraging signs of a common cause between the federal government and states and local jurisdictions. But there are few answers from the White House on the most critical looming challenge: a shortage of protective equipment for medical staff and breathing machines and intensive care unit beds ahead of a coming surge of patients.
President Donald Trump, who has fractured truth and carved deep political divides over a turbulent three years in office, now faces one of the most profound challenges of any recent Oval Office holder. His every word is being watched for evidence that he is up to the challenge of fighting an enemy that did not devour the territory of US allies or rain terror on Americans, but is proliferating unseen among the population
"We have to fight that invisible enemy," Trump said Tuesday, as more than 1,500 new cases of coronavirus came to light, the death toll topped 100 and the virus embedded into every US state
Trump continued to bemoan negative news coverage Wednesday morning but said he would hold a news conference later in the day to announce "very important news" from the Food and Drug Administration related to the virus
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, said it could be weeks before he knows whether increasingly strict self-isolating regimes will flatten the curve of infections below a level that could collapse the public health care system. His comment was an alarming one because it underscored that the economy is not just going to endure a shutdown of a few weeks but will remain idle for job-killing weeks and maybe months
Bars, coffee shops, restaurants and theaters are closing down or offering curbside takeout service. Airlines are slashing capacity. Department stores are going dark, removing the lifeblood of an economy
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