Stimulating America: As US cases of the coronavirus passed 100,000, the House approved and President Trump signed the $2 trillion stimulus bill, clearing the way for direct payments to taxpayers, jobless benefits, money for the states, and a huge bailout fund for businesses foundering in the crisis.

  In brief remarks Trump thanked “Democrats and Republicans for coming together and putting America first” and said,  “I think we are going to have a tremendous rebound.”

  The bailout provides direct payments of $1,200 to millions of Americans who earn up to $75,000 with an additional $500 per child. It expands unemployment insurance by 13 weeks, and for the first time extends payments to freelancers and gig workers.

  Also provided is $100 million for hospitals and, among other things, $377 billion in federally guaranteed loans to small businesses.

The Morning Line: The death toll in the US grew by at least 415 in the last 24 hours, now at 1,711 and climbing. Reported cases of the coronavirus are now 104,837.

  New York City’s counter-terrorism chief John Miller is in the hospital with coronavirus symptoms.

  Interestingly, Germany, with just over half the diagnosed cases as the US, has had only 395 deaths. Italy has 86,498 infections and an astounding 9,134 deaths. Spain has 65,719 cases and 5,138 deaths.

Breathless: Evidently tired of dealing with General Motors as a businessman, President Trump acted yesterday to deal with the car maker as President. The administration has been negotiating with GM to make ventilators, but as the deal dragged on, Trump yesterday made his first use of the Defense Production Act to make GM get in gear.

  Trump said in his order that, “GM was wasting time” and that he had directed his administration “to use any and all authority available under the Defense Production Act to require General Motors to accept, perform, and prioritize Federal contracts for ventilators.”

  Oddly, this came just a day after Trump said on Fox News that the estimates of need for ventilators were way over reality.

  Nearly 200 U.S. cities report a dire need for face masks, ventilators and other emergency equipment according to a survey by the US Conference of Mayors. 

Port of Entry: While President Trump continues to congratulate himself on what a great job he’s doing with the coronavirus, we were forwarded the account of a traveler who returned from Vietnam and entered the US at Chicago on March 22^nd.

  She says that on four flights over 40 hours, “There were supervised hand washing stations to enter any airport or government building, along with people in gloves and masks taking each person’s temperature, and asking where they had been, and what they had been doing, etc. UNTIL, I got to the States.”

  Entering Chicago, she says, “Three planes, maybe 750 people were all dumped into to the same close quarters immigration and customs Port Of Entry at O’Hare. No social distancing, rather, all those people queued to use the same 40 or so computer kiosks to insert their passport into the scanner, type in some answers, and get the slip of paper you must present to the gloved, but unmasked, immigration officer. NO ONE WAS TOLD TO WIPE THE COMPUTER SCREEN/KEYS AFTER USE� NO ONE TAKING TEMPERATURES �NO ONE ASSESSING ANY PASSENGERS’ HEALTH � Just wide open… welcome to America, come on in!!!!”

Pandemic Popularity: More Americans think President Trump is doing a good job handling the pandemic than the press, according to a new Gallup Poll. 

  Sixty percent of respondents said Trump is doing a good job vs. 44 percent favoring the job done by the media. The White House sent out an email blast crowing about it, but Trump’s overall job approval is still only 49 percent and they didn’t mention that.

  Trump is an expert at burnishing his own image despite his performance. A public radio station in Seattle has decided to stop airing Trump’s daily briefings live because they contain so much false and misleading information.

 A tweet from the station says “KUOW is monitoring White House briefings for the latest news on the coronavirus — and we will continue to share all news relevant to Washington State with our listeners.” The tweet said, “However, we will not be airing the briefings live due to a pattern of false or misleading information provided that cannot be fact checked in real time.”

Unemployment: Expect one more unemployment claim. Fox News has parted ways — well, let’s say they “fired” — their host Trish Regan who dismissed the coronavirus pandemic as a conspiracy to throw President Trump out of office. Regan had said on air that, “many in the liberal media” were using the pandemic “in an attempt to demonize and destroy” President Trump.

  The amazing thing about this is that of all the Fox hosts who say ignorant, stupid, and hateful things, they fired this one.

I, Donald: Despite the opportunity to create some kind of political unity during the pandemic, President Trump can’t keep his personal peeves out of it. Yesterday, although Democrats and Republicans joined in creating the bailout, Trump didn’t invite a single Democrat to the signing.

  He attacks the press and governors  who refuse to get in line. “I think they should be appreciative,” Trump said at yesterday’s briefing. “Because you know what? When they’re not appreciative to me, they’re not appreciative to the Army Corps, they’re not appreciative to FEMA, it’s not right.”

  Several governors have been blunt about the lack of medical supplies and ventilators to treat the critically ill. Trump went on, “I mean, Mike Pence, I don’t think he sleeps anymore. These are people that should be appreciated. He calls all the governors. I tell him… I mean, I’m a different type of person. I say, ‘Mike, don’t call the Governor of Washington. You’re wasting your time with him. Don’t call the woman in Michigan.’ It doesn’t make any difference what happens.”

   Challenged on that, Trump said, “If they don’t treat you right, I don’t call.”

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