Police in Maryland on Wednesday discovered the body of Robert F. Kennedy's 8-year-old great-grandson Gideon McKean, almost one week after he disappeared while canoeing with his mother in Chesapeake Bay.
Last Thursday, McKean and his mother, Maeve Kennedy McKean, 40, went into the water to retrieve a ball, but high winds and rough seas prevented them from making it back to shore, NBC News reports. Gideon McKean's body was found in 25 feet of water, about 2,000 feet away from where his mother's body was discovered on Monday.
Maeve McKean was the executive director of the Georgetown University Global Health Initiative. Her mother, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, is a former lieutenant governor of Maryland, and the eldest of Robert and Ethel Kennedy's 11 children. Catherine Garcia
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told Democratic lawmakers during a phone call Wednesday that the Trump administration is developing a framework for getting the United States back into a state of "normality" in the wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Politico reports.
Fauci didn't provide any possible timeline, but he did say the White House will likely issue some guidance in the coming days about transitioning society out of lockdown eventually.
The cautious forward thinking is likely a result of some optimism among the White House coronavirus task force. Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the unit, told lawmakers there have been early signs that new cases are stabilizing in some areas, echoing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's (D) comments earlier in the day.
That doesn't mean Fauci, Pence, or lawmakers are relaxing, of course. "They're starting to see, they think, this virus in some of these known hot spots begin to maybe top out," Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) told Politico. "There are some hopeful signs in New York and other places. But we all know there's a long way to go." Read more at Politico. Tim O'Donnell
Fears of the COVID-19 coronavirus are reportedly bringing about a ceasefire in Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting against the Houthi rebels in Yemen are set to announce a suspension of military operations across the country at midnight Wednesday, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The decision answers a United Nations call to halt combat.
There are likely many reasons why the U.N. is pushing for a ceasefire, but the argument that seemingly stuck is that a lack of fighting decreases the chances of a COVID-19 outbreak in Yemen, which so far has not reported any confirmed cases of the disease. Staving off an outbreak is crucial, especially considering Yemen is already steeped in the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
It's unclear if the Houthi opposition will follow in the coalition's footsteps, but a spokesman said the group sent the U.N. a plan to end the war, which began in 2014. Read more at Reuters. Tim O'Donnell
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "improving" while still in intensive care with COVID-19, according to a U.K. government official.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on Wednesday provided an update on Johnson's condition, saying the "latest from the hospital is the prime minister remains in intensive care where his condition is improving," per The Associated Press. Johnson has "been sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team," Sunak added.
Downing Street in a statement on Wednesday also said that Johnson "continues to make steady progress," per BBC News, and a spokesperson said he is "responding to treatment."
Johnson was hospitalized on Sunday 10 days after he tested positive for COVID-19. The British prime minister said he went for "some routine tests as I'm still experiencing coronavirus symptoms." He had described his initial symptoms as mild. By Monday, he was moved to intensive care, where he remains two days later. Johnson has deputized British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Brendan Morrow
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had made a few phone calls to the last administration before making his big dropout decision.
Sanders suspended his 2020 run on Wednesday, saying his "path toward victory is virtually impossible" but pledging to stay on primary ballots through the Democratic National Convention to gain influence in the party. And shortly after making that announcement, Sanders reportedly made a call to Joe Biden, who he left as the presumptive Democratic nominee, CBS News reports.
Former Vice President @JoeBiden and Sen. @BernieSanders spoke around midday today about the senator’s decision to suspend his campaign, a source familiar with the call tells me. This was one of several calls between the two opponents in recent weeks.
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) April 8, 2020
Sanders also consulted former President Barack Obama "several times" before making his decision, NBC News reports. Obama reportedly still isn't ready to hop into the 2020 fray just yet, but Sanders' suspension surely makes it easier for him to do so.
Source close to @BarackObama tells me: “When the moment is right and when he feels he can have maximum impact, the country will be hearing more from him.” Source notes Obama has spoken to @SenSanders “several times” over the past few weeks.
— Kristen Welker (@kwelkernbc) April 8, 2020
Hillary Clinton, 2016's Democratic nominee, meanwhile had no comment on Sanders' exit. Kathryn Krawczyk
Not too shocking: Hillary Clinton has no comment on Bernie Sanders suspending his presidential campaign, per a Clinton spokesman.
Remember, Clinton had this to say of Sanders in a Hulu docuseries that aired earlier this year: "Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him."
— Monica Alba (@albamonica) April 8, 2020