10 things you need to know today: March 19, 2020

1. Trump signs 1st coronavirus aid package

President Trump has signed a bipartisan spending package to provide sick leave for many Americans forced to stay home from work due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The legislation, which the Senate approved in a 90-8 vote on Wednesday after earlier approval in the House, also covers free COVID-19 testing, and other food and medical aid. Eight Republican senators voted against the bill even though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) advised them Wednesday to "gag and vote for it anyway." GOP and the White House priorities, including bailouts for the airline industry and possibly direct payments to Americans, are expected in a second aid package.

USA Today The New York Times

2. Sanders to 'assess' campaign after latest losses to Biden

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will assess his 2020 presidential campaign after losing three more Democratic presidential primaries on Tuesday, his campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, said Wednesday. "The next primary contest is at least three weeks away," Shakir said. "Sen. Sanders is going to be having conversations with supporters to assess his campaign." On Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden doubled his delegate lead with wins in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona, putting him closer to locking up the party's nomination to challenge President Trump in November. Shakir said that in the "immediate term" Sanders was focusing "on the government response to the coronavirus outbreak and ensuring that we take care of working people and the most vulnerable."

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NBC News

3. Trump invokes wartime authority to order factory production

President Trump on Wednesday invoked his emergency authority under the Defense Production Act to enable him to compel industries to increase production of essential materials needed in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus, including medical supplies and much-needed ventilators. "It's a war," Trump said, declaring himself to be a "wartime president." Trump, who said he wasn't using the emergency powers just yet, made the announcement as economic damage from the pandemic expanded, with Detroit's Big Three automakers shutting down their North American factories. The virus now has infected more than 9,400 in the United States, killing 150. Trump also said the Department of Housing and Urban Development would suspend all foreclosures and evictions until the end of April.

The Associated Press

4. Stocks continue to fall, erasing gains since Trump took office

Trading on the New York Stock Exchange was once again halted on Wednesday as stocks plummeted, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average officially erased nearly all of its gains since President Trump was inaugurated. The Dow on Wednesday fell below 19,732 points, the number it closed at the day before Trump's inauguration in January 2017. As the S&P 500 fell 7 percent, trading on the New York Stock Exchange was halted for 15 minutes. This is the fourth time the stock market's circuit breaker has triggered a suspension in trading this month amid the escalating coronavirus crisis. "Stocks are crashing, commodities are crashing, and oil prices are crashing," said Chris Brightman of Research Affiliates. "Fear has gripped markets."

The Washington Post CNN

5. 2 congressmen test positive for coronavirus

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah) announced on Wednesday that they had tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. They are the first members of Congress to contract the virus. Diaz-Balart's office said he developed symptoms, including a fever and headache, on Saturday evening, and was notified on Wednesday that he tested positive for COVID-19. In a statement, Diaz-Balart said he is "feeling much better," and urged the public to "take this seriously." McAdams said he has been in self-quarantine since the weekend and is "doing my part as all Americans are doing to contain the spread of the virus and mitigate the coronavirus outbreak."

Politico The Salt Lake Tribune

6. 5.7 magnitude earthquake hits Utah

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck Salt Lake City, Utah, early Wednesday, forcing the state's public health laboratory to halt work despite the coronavirus crisis. The quake knocked out power to tens of thousands of people and forced Salt Lake International Airport to divert flights while workers inspect runways to make sure they weren't damaged. The temblor was the strongest to hit the state since a magnitude 5.9 quake in 1992. "Please stay away from the downtown area while crews assess damage," Gov. Gary Herbert said via Twitter. "Unless you work in public safety, or are an essential employee, remain at home or telework."

CNN

7. New Zealand decriminalizes abortion

New Zealand lawmakers voted 68-51 on Wednesday to decriminalize abortion and allow women access to the procedure in early pregnancy. The law will take effect a day after the governor-general, Queen Elizabeth II's representative in the country, grants royal assent, which is considered a formality. New Zealand was one of the last wealthy nations still barring abortion in the first half of pregnancy, although officials say no woman has ever been prosecuted in the country for terminating an early pregnancy. Amy Adams, a former justice minister and National Party lawmaker, said the old law, enacted in 1977, was "outdated and incredibly paternalistic," and put women seeking abortions through unfair delays and social marginalization.

New Zealand Herald The New York Times

8. China reports no new local coronavirus infections for 1st time during outbreak

China on Thursday reported no new local COVID-19 coronavirus infections for the first time since the pandemic began three months ago. China did report 34 new cases, all patients who entered China from other countries. After originally mismanaging the outbreak — residents complained of a lack of food and hospital beds — and even punishing doctors who tried to spread the word, China enforced quarantines and shut down factories. There are 80,928 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in mainland China, and 3,245 deaths. "The question is what will happen if there's a second wave because the kind of measures that China has implemented are not necessarily sustainable in the long term," said Ben Cowling, head of the division of epidemiology and biostatistics at Hong Kong University's School of Public Health.

The New York Times

9. Census Bureau halts field operations over health concerns

The U.S. Census Bureau on Wednesday announced that it was suspending 2020 field operations a week after they began due to concerns for workers' health during the coronavirus pandemic. Field operations will shut down for two weeks, Census Bureau officials said. So far, 11 million households have filled out questionnaires dropped off by census workers. The Census Bureau has plans to hire up to 500,000 workers. Only 31,000 were on the payroll at the time of the shutdown, which census historian Margo Anderson said was unprecedented. "I don't think I've ever heard of such a suspension, nationwide," said Anderson, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "We're in uncharted territory on the census, as well as everything else since last Friday." Editor's note: A previous version of this entry mischaracterized the Census Bureau's decision. It has been corrected. We regret the error.

The Associated Press

10. CDC: Half of U.S. coronavirus patients in intensive care are under age 65

Older Americans are still at greater risk of death from the new COVID-19 coronavirus, but 38 percent of the U.S. patients known to have been hospitalized for COVID-19 were between age 20 and 54, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. Nearly half of those admitted to intensive care units were adults under 65. The report covered 508 of the first 2,449 coronavirus patients in the U.S. The high rate of hospitalization for younger adults matches the statistics reported from France and Italy. Of the 2,449 patients examined, 6 percent were 85 and older, 25 percent were 65 to 84, 29 percent were 20 to 44, and 5 percent were 19 and younger, the CDC said. People 20 to 44 — the millennial generation — accounted for 20 percent of those hospitalized and 12 percent of ICU patients.

The New York Times