10 things you need to know today: May 6, 2020

1. Trump says coronavirus task force winding down

President Trump and other administration officials said Tuesday that the fight against the coronavirus pandemic was going well enough to start winding down the White House coronavirus task force in coming weeks. Trump said the task force would be replaced with another, unspecified advisory group as the country moves into "the next stage of the battle," including restarting the economy. Trump made the remarks during a heavily political visit to an Arizona medical-mask factory, where he boasted about his 2016 electoral win in the state. The change comes despite growing evidence that COVID-19 cases continue to rapidly increase in much of the country. The total number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States reached more than 71,000 by early Wednesday, with more than 1.2 million confirmed cases.

The New York Times

2. Ex-vaccine official formally files whistleblower complaint

Former top U.S. vaccine official Dr. Rick Bright filed a whistleblower complaint on Tuesday, saying he was reassigned for trying to "prioritize science and safety over political expediency" and opposing use of a drug, hydroxychloroquine, that President Trump was pushing as a treatment for COVID-19. Bright led the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority from 2016 until last month, when he was moved to a narrower role at the National Institutes of Health. In his complaint, Bright said he started warning in January that the U.S. was unprepared to respond to a coronavirus outbreak, but Department of Health and Human Services leaders responded with "indifference which then developed into hostility." One of his lawyers, Debra Katz, said: "Dr. Bright's removal from BARDA was retaliation, plain and simple."

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CNN The Washington Post

3. Trump says Fauci testimony blocked because of House 'Trump haters'

President Trump said Tuesday that his administration prevented Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, from testifying to the Democratic-controlled House because it is full of "Trump haters." He said Fauci would appear next week at a hearing on the U.S. coronavirus response before a committee in the Republican-led Senate. "The House is a bunch of Trump haters. They put every Trump hater on the committee, the same old stuff," Trump told reporters as he prepared to travel to Arizona to tour a medical mask factory. When the White House announced that it would block Fauci from testifying this week in the House, White House spokesman Judd Deere said it would be "counter-productive" for Fauci to go because he was busy working on the pandemic response.

CNBC

4. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized with infection

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday with an infection caused by a gallstone. She underwent a non-surgical treatment for acute cholecystitis, a benign gallbladder condition, and was "resting comfortably," the Supreme Court said. Ginsburg, 87, is expected to remain in the hospital for a day or two. She sought care after being diagnosed Monday but participated in the court's telephone arguments on Monday and Tuesday. She will call in on Wednesday as well. In 2018, Ginsburg underwent lung surgery to remove cancerous growths, and last August, she received radiation for a tumor on her pancreas.

The Associated Press

5. 15 children hospitalized in N.Y. with mysterious syndrome

Fifteen children ages 2 to 15 have been hospitalized in New York with a mysterious syndrome possibly linked to COVID-19. Many of the children, some of whom were infected with the coronavirus, had symptoms linked to toxic shock or Kawasaki disease, a rare condition that can result in inflammation of blood vessels and arteries. The illness typically affects kids under 5. None of the patients, who were in intensive care between April 17 and May 1, have died, although five needed ventilators and more than half had to have blood pressure support. "Clinical features vary … However, the full spectrum of disease is not yet known," said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, deputy city health commissioner for disease control. The syndrome also has appeared in European countries.

The New York Times ABC News

6. Trump's pick for intelligence chief grilled in confirmation hearing

Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), President Trump's nominee to be his next intelligence chief, promised during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he would "speak truth to power." Ratcliffe said he would resist attempts by anyone, including Trump, to get him to tweak intelligence for partisan purposes, saying he would provide intelligence that "will not be altered or impacted by outside influence." Democrats grilled Ratcliffe on his experience, noting that he withdrew last summer shortly after his nomination following criticism that he embellished his resume and accused a whistleblower of making "false statements" about Trump's controversial phone call last year with the president of Ukraine. The confirmation hearing was the first to be held under the coronavirus lockdown.

The Washington Post

7. Georgia prosecutor to explore charges in killing of Ahmaud Arbery

Georgia prosecutor Tom Durden announced Tuesday that he would ask a grand jury to consider criminal charges in the Feb. 23 killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black jogger who was shot after being stopped by two white men on a suburban street in Glynn County. On Tuesday morning, a graphic video of Arbery's final encounter emerged online. Gov. Brian Kemp (R) responded by promising state law enforcement would help "ensure justice is served." The video, which police have had since the shooting, shows a former cop and investigator in the district attorney's office, Greg McMichael, and his 34-year-old son, Travis McMichael, blocking Arbery's path as he's jogging, then Travis McMichael shooting him with a shotgun after a struggle.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution The New York Times

8. Disney's earnings plummet amid coronavirus pandemic

The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday reported that quarterly profits plunged as the coronavirus crisis cost the company $1.4 billion in operating income. Disney closed its theme parks and halted TV and film production in March. The company said the moves reduced profit by more than $1 billion in its theme-parks division alone. After adjusting for restructuring charges, Disney reported earnings of 60 cents per share, down from $1.61 a share in the same period last year, and short of the 91 cents per share analysts expected, according to FactSet. The company, which has furloughed more than 100,000 workers, said it plans to reopen Shanghai Disneyland on May 11, with a cap on visitors and mandatory temperature checks and face-mask use.

MarketWatch

9. Airbnb to lay off a quarter of its workers

Airbnb is laying off nearly 1,900 employees because of huge business losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Information reported Tuesday, citing a copy of prepared remarks from CEO Brian Chesky to employees. "We are collectively living through the most harrowing crisis of our lifetime, and as it began to unfold, global travel came to a standstill," Chesky reportedly said. "Airbnb's business has been hit hard, with revenue this year forecasted to be less than half of what we earned in 2019." The layoffs amount to about 25 percent of the company's workforce. Airbnb started the year with plans for a stock offering that could have put its value around the $31 billion private market valuation from 2017, but it wound up raising $2 billion in new debt funding valuing the company at $18 billion.

The Information CNBC

10. Obamas to participate in virtual commencement events for graduating seniors

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are participating in virtual commencement events for high school seniors whose normal graduation ceremonies had to be called off during the coronavirus crisis. The former president is set to deliver a commencement message for high school seniors during a May 16 primetime special. The special will also feature LeBron James, Malala Yousafzai, the Jonas Brothers, and Megan Rapinoe, among others. Both Obamas will deliver commencement addresses during a June 6 virtual graduation event on YouTube, which will also feature Lady Gaga and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "I've always loved joining commencements — the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice," Obama said Tuesday.

Barack Obama Variety