Tipsheet: Testing struggles emerge as key hurdle to reopening country

View in your browser     Testing struggles emerge as key hurdle to reopening country BY PETER SULLIVAN   The U.S. needs to significantly increase its testing capability in order to safely start reopening the country, experts say. If the current approach of telling everyone to stay home is to be lifted, widespread and faster testing will be needed to identify infected people for isolation. Easing stay-at-home orders in the absence of sufficient testing would risk reigniting the outbreak. Read the full story here     CDC recommends face coverings for people leaving home BY JESSIE HELLMANN President Trump announced on Friday that his administration would recommend Americans wear homemade masks or face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — but he repeatedly emphasized that the guidance is “voluntary.” Read the full story here     Administration says it will reimburse hospitals for treating uninsured coronavirus patients BY MORGAN CHALFANT    The Trump administration announced Friday that the federal government will reimburse hospitals treating uninsured patients for the novel coronavirus using funds allocated in the recent relief package passed by Congress. Read the full story here     Trump selects White House lawyer for coronavirus inspector general BY JESSE BYRNES   President Trump announced Friday that he has selected a member of the White House Counsel's office to serve as the inspector general overseeing the dispersement of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds as part of the coronavirus relief package. Read the full story here       Trump fires intelligence community inspector general who flagged Ukraine whistleblower complaint BY TAL AXELROD   President Trump has fired the inspector general for the intelligence community, saying he “no longer” has confidence in the key government watchdog.  Read the full story here     Biden fights for attention in coronavirus news cycle BY JULIA MANCHESTER AND MAX GREENWOOD   Former Vice President Joe Biden is struggling to keep media focus on his campaign even as President Trump holds the spotlight with his daily coronavirus task force updates. Read the full story here     Sanders calls for $2,000 monthly payments, suspending some bills amid pandemic BY JORDAIN CARNEY   Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Friday outlined wide-ranging priorities for a fourth coronavirus relief package as lawmakers begin to discuss new legislation amid the pandemic. Read the full story here     Twitter removes 20,000 fake accounts tied to Egyptian, Saudi and other governments BY KAELAN DEESE   Twitter removed 20,000 fake accounts tied to the governments of several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Serbia, for violating company policy. Read the full story here     Oil giants meet at White House amid talk of buying strategic reserves BY REBECCA BEITSCH    Oil giants gathered at the White House Friday, meeting with President Trump in the hopes of securing aid as crude prices have plummeted amid the coronavirus outbreak and a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Read the full story here     Democratic senators want probe into change of national stockpile description BY JORDAIN CARNEY   A group of Senate Democrats want a federal watchdog to investigate the decision to change an online description of the country's Strategic National Stockpile following a press briefing with White House adviser Jared Kushner. Read the full story here     The coronavirus recession should be over next year BY KENNETH H. THOMAS   OPINION | With all the uncertainty around the economic and human impact of the COVID-19 virus, including a vaccine, this recession likely will last nine months through the remainder of this year. This best-case scenario will end with a happy, healthy and busy holiday season, with a reversal of the current “consumer distancing” from the retail and service sectors, which account for about 70 percent of our economy. Read the full story here     How local business can drive the coronavirus economic recovery BY JENNIFER COLLINS   OPINION | The idea is to be creative and leverage partnerships to maximize what is possible. Local businesses must not be immobilized by uncertainty. They should lean into it and start small, but also think expansively about who else to involve. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Communications show scientists' alarm at slow initial response by US BY SHAWN BOGURG, ROBERT O'HARROW JR., NEENA SATIJA AND AMY GOLDSTEIN   On a Jan. 15 conference call, a leading scientist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assured local and state public health officials from across the nation that there would soon be a test to detect a mysterious virus spreading from China. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Death toll  in New York soars to nearly 3,000 as state pleads for aid BY ALAN FEUER   New York, the increasingly battered epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak, on Friday reported its highest number of deaths in a single day, prompting state officials to beg the rest of the United States for assistance and to enact an emergency order designed to stave off medical catastrophe. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: Trump mobilizes the White House to tackle coronavirus but adds to the 'fog of war' BY MICHAEL C. BENDER AND REBECCA BALLHAUS As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the U.S., President Trump has put the government on what officials describe as a war footing. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Some states receive masks with dry rot, broken ventilators BY KIM CHANDLER Some states and cities that have been shipped masks, gloves, ventilators and other essential equipment from the nation’s medical stockpile to fight the coronavirus have gotten an unwelcome surprise: the material is unusable. Read the full story here     Reuters: China mourns thousands who died in country's coronavirus epidemic BY RYAN WOO, LIANGPING GAO, SE YOUNG LEE, BRENDA GOH AND THOMAS SUEN   China on Saturday mourned the thousands of “martyrs” who have died in the new coronavirus outbreak, flying the national flag at half mast throughout the country and suspending all forms of entertainment. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? 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