10 things you need to know today: April 27, 2020

1. Trump denies report he is considering replacing health secretary

President Trump on Sunday denied weekend reports that he was considering ousting Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. "Reports that H.H.S. Secretary @AlexAzar is going to be 'fired' by me are Fake News," Trump tweeted. "The Lamestream Media knows this, but they are desperate to create the perception of chaos & havoc in the minds of the public." Several news outlets reported early Sunday that Trump aides were discussing possible replacements due to dissatisfaction with his handling of the coronavirus crisis, including the removal of the official overseeing efforts to develop a vaccine. Some of the aides told The Washington Post before Trump's tweets that he had not yet made his feelings on the issue known.

The Washington Post

2. Birx says social distancing needed through summer

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, warned on Sunday that Americans will have to continue avoiding crowds for several months to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, even as the economy reopens. "Social distancing will be with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases," Birx said on NBC News' Meet the Press. Birx's comments conflicted with Vice President Mike Pence's assurances on Friday that the pandemic could be "largely" over as early as Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the summer vacation season. Nearly 20 states are preparing to partially reopen their economies next week, but the number of cases in the U.S. is fast approaching 1 million with more than 55,000 deaths.

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Today

3. Trump disputes Times story about his work schedule

President Trump defended his work habits and renewed his criticism of the Russian election-meddling investigation in a series of tweets on Sunday. Trump said he was "a hard worker," lashing out at New York Times reporters for what he called "a phony story" about his private life. The article, published Thursday, said Trump spends most mornings watching cable news and arrives at the Oval Office as late as noon. "I work from early in the morning until late at night, haven't left the White House in many months (except to launch Hospital Ship Comfort) in order to take care of Trade Deals, Military Rebuilding etc.," Trump wrote, "and then I read a phony story in the failing @nytimes about my work schedule and eating habits, written by a third rate reporter who knows nothing about me."

The Hill The New York Times

4. Mexico clears out migrant shelters to fight coronavirus outbreak

Mexico has removed 3,653 migrants from shelters and returned them to their home countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador over the last five weeks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the country's National Migration Institute said Sunday. As a result, only 106 people remained in the dozens of migrant facilities. Most of the migrants sent back to their home countries in Central America were detained for being in Mexico illegally. Some did not want to stay in the shelters due to the risk of a coronavirus outbreak inside. Many of those still in the facilities were among migrants awaiting the results of hearings on their requests for asylum in the United States.

Reuters

5. Italy to let factories reopen May 4

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Sunday that his government would let factories and building sites reopen starting May 4 as the country's new coronavirus infections fall. Retailers will be allowed to open their doors two weeks later, followed by restaurants and bars in early June. The country was the first in Europe to be hit hard by the COVID-19 coronavirus. The government is trying to slowly get the country's economy moving again without sparking a new surge in coronavirus infections. All businesses that reopen after the two-month shutdown will be required to respect strict safety protocols. "We expect a very complex challenge," Conte said. "We will live with the virus and we will have to adopt every precaution possible."

Reuters

6. Louisiana pastor holds Sunday service, defying order

The Rev. Tony Spell held services at his Louisiana church on Sunday in defiance of a state order against large crowds, part of the effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Spell, who made national headlines earlier this month for holding services at his Life Tabernacle Church near Baton Rouge, was arrested last week and accused of driving a church bus in reverse toward a protester. The pastor, who denied the allegations, was released on a $5,000 bond but vowed to obey Gov. John Bel Edwards' (D) stay-at-home order under the terms of his release. Two people associated with the church have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and one has died.

The Washington Post

7. Tyson chairman warns U.S. faces meat shortage as plants close

Tyson Foods' board chairman, John Tyson, warned that grocery stores faced meat shortages as the coronavirus forces food processing plants to close, removing "millions of pounds of meat" from the supply chain. "The food supply chain is breaking," Tyson wrote in a full-page advertisement published Sunday in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "There will be limited supply of our products available in grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed." Tyson closed pork plants in Waterloo, Iowa, and Logansport, Indiana, last week. Local health authorities linked 182 coronavirus cases to the Waterloo plant, where many of the 2,800 workers had been calling in sick.

CNN

8. Boris Johnson returns to work after coronavirus infection

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to work at his No. 10 Downing Street office on Monday to resume his duties full-time after his COVID-19 coronavirus infection. He said the country was "beginning to turn the tide" against the outbreak but could not lift social-distancing restrictions quickly. Johnson was hospitalized April 5 and spent three nights in intensive care after his symptoms worsened. After his release, he continued his recovery at his country residence, Chequers, where he met with senior ministers in his government, and had calls with Queen Elizabeth II and President Trump. On Monday, Johnson resumed leadership on his country's response to the pandemic, chairing the regular morning cabinet meeting and holding talks with senior government officials.

BBC News Reuters

9. El Paso Walmart shooting victim dies, bringing death toll to 23

Guillermo "Memo" Garcia died over the weekend at a hospital nearly nine months after he was injured in a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Garcia was the 23rd victim to die from the attack. He and his wife, Jessica Coca Garcia, were at the Walmart that day to sell lemonade to raise money for their daughter's soccer team. Garcia was shot twice in the leg and once in the back as he protected his two children. His wife was shot in both legs but recovered. Their children were not injured. The suspect, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, has been charged with murder and could face the death penalty. Federal prosecutors also have charged him with hate crimes, accusing him of targeting Latinos in the Texas border city.

CBS News The Associated Press

10. Prime minister says New Zealand has 'won' battle against coronavirus

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday that her country had "currently" stopped the community transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus and would soon lift most of the restrictions imposed to fight the outbreak. "We have won that battle," Ardern said. "But we must remain vigilant if we are to keep it that way." New Zealand reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday for the first time in weeks, although the government said there were five new cases Monday. The number of coronavirus cases has been trending lower since April 5. A total of 19 people have died in the country from COVID-19. Public health officials said there would be new cases but they would be kept manageable with aggressive contact tracing.

NPR