AFN
NEWS
Thursday, April 23, 2020
1)
From ABC News, I’m Daria Albinger.
It is not cheap to fight a novel virus. Congress is learning that firsthand as
the House prepared to vote on the latest batch of funding to help those
impacted by COVID-19. “When President Trump signs this latest plan of government
funding $484 billion for small businesses and hospitals, it will bring the
total price tag to fight coronavirus to roughly $2.7 trillion. Lawmakers are
already talking about next round, and states are asking Congress for hundreds
of billions of dollars to put that 2.7 trillion into context. The U.S. has now
put as much money to fight coronavirus in less than two months as the central
government planned to spend in total over two years on all government programs
and it’s more than half of all the money spent fighting World War II over four
years.” Karen Travers, ABC News,
Washington.”
2)
With some states taking steps to reopen their economies, the governor of the
nation’s most populist one said his decision will be driven only by data. “Governor
Gavin Newsom says with the number of
dead climbing here in California, he cannot yet give a date for lifting stay-at-home
order. ‘There is no light switch, and there is no date.’ But he is modifying
one aspect of his stay-at-home order allowing needed scheduled surgeries to go
forward like heart valve replacements and removing tumors. Alex Stone, ABC News, Los Angeles.”
3)
Two California residents who died in February were confirmed to be the earliest
known deaths from the outbreak and weeks before the CDC reported the first
death in Washington State. Now Newsom is directing officials to look at deaths,
stating as far back as December.
4)
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says
the state needs a tracing army to effectively track who’s been in close contact
with people who’ve tested positive. “Mayor Michael
Bloomberg has volunteered to help us develop and implement the tracing
program.” That program is going to be done in partnership with Johns Hopkins.
5)
Stocks closed higher today. You’re listening to ABC News.
………………………………………..
I’m
Liz Claman and this is the Fox Business
Report.
Stocks
finishing higher as oil markets stabilized and investors eyed another stimulus
package from Congress. The Dow rising $457 points, the NASDAQ up 232, S&P
500 up 63. // And auto sales beginning to recover after a massive slump in March
due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to research firm J.D. Power. Retail sales stabilizing during
the first couple of weeks of April. During March sales in some areas with high
infection rates declined by as much as 80%. Throughout the crisis, light-duty pickup
trucks proved to be the most resilient with sales down only 16%. // And Kimberly-Clark says sales of its tissue
and toilet paper products like Kleenex
and Cottonelle rose 13% in the first quarter. Consumers stocking up on
its brands during the coronavirus pandemic, which helped the company beat Wall
Street estimates for profit and sales. That’s your Fox Business Report. I’m Hilarie
Barsky
invested in you.
