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--> A midday take on what's happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha--breaks down crying hysterically.

The Hill's 12:30 Report: Surgeon general says 'most of the country' unlikely to reopen by May 1 | New debate over testing | Trump downplays need for testing before reopening economy | Stimulus talks could be on hold until May | GOP, Dems at impasse | Fauci urges people to stop shaking hands | Biden's next challenge: Unifying Dems | Netflix to air 'Tiger King' follow-up Sunday | 'SNL at Home' coming Saturday | Disney shares famous Dole Whip recipe

IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Is expanded COVID-19 testing necessary to reopen the economy?:

President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE dismissed the need to significantly expand nationwide coronavirus testing before restarting the U.S. economy. https://bit.ly/2RrEaXA

Trump told reporters: "We want to have it and we're going to see if we have it. Do you need it? No. Is it a nice thing to do? Yes. We're talking about 325 million people. And that's not going to happen, as you can imagine, and it would never happen with anyone else either."

Health experts do not agree though: "Experts say that widespread testing is a crucial step. Easing blunt measures like stay-at-home orders requires enough widespread testing to identify infected people so they can be isolated and people they've been in contact with notified, they say."

From Trump's former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb: "In a setting where there will still be spread and we'll still be slowly exiting the epidemic; we need capacity to test several million people a week (and probably more) to get broad enough coverage in community to detect outbreaks early and make case containment strategies work."

THIS A.M. -- Andrew Cuomo Andrew CuomoNew York City bus driver knocked out by passenger he told to wear a mask 44 percent of high earners have considered leaving New York City: poll Media's anti-Trump coronavirus spin has real consequences MORE WEIGHS IN:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) argues that millions of coronavirus tests will be needed ease social distancing guidelines. "This is such an important period for government and the political discussion," Cuomo said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" this morning. "Nothing is pre-charted here. It's all a function of what we do." https://bit.ly/2wubtlP

He added: "How good are we at getting this testing up? Are we better than we've been in the past? Is it going to take us months to come to scale on rapid testing? That's the only way to get people back to work. You have to have millions and millions of tests frankly better and faster than we've done to date."

New estimate from the surgeon general — don’t expect the U.S to open by May 1:

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adam just said that most of the U.S. will not be able to open by May 1. https://bit.ly/2JRnDbo

The good news from Adams: “There are places around the country that have seen consistently low levels and as we ramp up testing and can feel more confident that these places actually can do surveillance and can do public health follow-up, some places will be able to think about opening on May 1.”

The bad news from Adams: “Most of the country will not, to be honest with you, but some will. That’s how we’ll reopen the country: place by place, bit by bit, based on the data.”

Watch Adams’s full interview on Fox News: He explains where the country stands now. https://bit.ly/3a0RN6y

It's finally Friday! I'm Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what's coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com -- and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.

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WHERE WE STAND

Cases in the U.S.: 467.184

Deaths in the U.S.: 16,736

Breakdown of the numbers: This is a good page to bookmark. https://nyti.ms/2VN1Vwg

INTERESTING TIDBIT FROM FAUCI ON SHAKING HANDS:

Sinclair Broadcast Group's Scott Thuman asked National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci Anthony FauciOvernight Health Care: CDC reverses controversial testing guidance | Billions more could be needed for vaccine distribution | Study examines danger of in-flight COVID-19 transmission Trump claims enough COVID-19 vaccines will be ready for every American by April Gates says travel ban made COVID-19 worse in US MORE, "Are you confident that we will ever get back to the normal we knew just three months ago?" https://bit.ly/2JVDbes

Fauci's response: "It depends on what you mean by normal. I think what we're going to have embedded and imprinted in us forever is the realization that something as catastrophic as what the world is experiencing now can happen. And just, as a society, just forget about shaking hands. We don't need to shake hands, we gotta break, we gotta break that custom. Because as a matter of fact, that is really one of the major ways that you can transmit a respiratory illness."

Watch the back and forth: https://bit.ly/2JVDbes

LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF

Stimulus talks may be pushed until May: Via The Hill's Alexander Bolton, "Senate Republicans on Thursday signaled they won't be ready to launch into another round of economic stimulus talks until next month." https://bit.ly/3b16aZV

Why: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE (R-Ky.) on Thursday said he's not opposed to more money for hospitals and health care providers 'down the line' but said Democrats are already asking for money for programs that have yet to receive funding allocated for them in the CARES Act, which became law March 27." I.e.: McConnell wants to see how effective the existing funding is.

What to expect: https://bit.ly/3b16aZV

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Let's see what magic tricks Joe Biden Joe BidenSenate Republicans face tough decision on replacing Ginsburg What Senate Republicans have said about election-year Supreme Court vacancies Biden says Ginsburg successor should be picked by candidate who wins on Nov. 3 MORE has up his sleeve:

Via The Hill's Julia Manchester and Max Greenwood, "Former Vice President Joe Biden is facing an uphill battle in unifying the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party as Americans deal with the coronavirus crisis." https://bit.ly/2Rt7ihe

What Biden's campaign looks like now: "The former vice president's campaign has gone completely digital amid the pandemic, forcing Biden to take part in virtual town halls, press conferences and remote television appearances from his makeshift television studio at his home in Wilmington, Del."

^ The problem: "The digital events are a far cry from the rallies and in-person town halls where Biden was able to connect with voters in a more personalized setting."

Meanwhile: Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 Biden's fiscal program: What is the likely market impact? McConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security MORE (I-Vt.) dropped out, but "is not going quietly, pledging to stay on the ballot in the remaining primaries to amass enough delegates to inflict pressure on the Democratic establishment to adopt progressive ideas, like 'Medicare for All.'"

HOW THE PANDEMIC SPURRED COURT FIGHTS OVER MAIL-IN VOTING:

Via The Hill's John Kruzel: https://bit.ly/34rhFr7

THIS IS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO WARRANT ITS OWN SECTION

A new 'Tiger King' is coming to Netflix on Sunday!:

Netflix is releasing a "Tiger King" follow-up on Sunday, titled "The Tiger King and I."

When it will be released: Sunday, April 12 (!)

The announcement:

The Tiger King and I — a Tiger King after show hosted by Joel McHale and featuring brand new interviews with John Reinke, Joshua Dial, John Finlay, Saff, Erik Cowie, Rick Kirkman, and Jeff and Lauren Lowe — will premiere April 12 pic.twitter.com/8fbbNdaiDA — Netflix (@netflix) April 9, 2020

Watch: https://bit.ly/2UYIAri

What about Carole Baskin?: Big Cat Rescue owner Carole Baskin told Entertainment Weekly that she was not asked to be a part of the follow-up, but would not participate anyway. When the docuseries was released, she criticized it for being "salacious and sensational." https://bit.ly/34sasY7

NOTABLE TWEETS

I love this:

At 8pm every night people in Chicago flash their lights and cheer for doctors, nurses, first responders. Beautiful. pic.twitter.com/7xN2dPVNaA — Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) April 9, 2020

Watch: https://bit.ly/3c3kmBK

Happening tomorrow -- SNL at home:

ON TAP

The House and Senate are out. President Trump and Vice President Pence are in Washington, D.C.

10 a.m. EDT: Vice President Pence participated in a conference call on the coronavirus and the African American community.

Noon: President Trump participates in an Easter blessing with Bishop Harry Jackson.

Noon: Vice President Pence leads a White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting in the Situation Room.

WHAT TO WATCH

1 p.m. EDT: The White House Coronavirus Task Force holds a press briefing. It's early today! Livestream: https://bit.ly/3e7GiO6

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...

By the way, it's National Grilled Cheese Month!

In happier news -- Disney released its recipe for the famous Dole Whip:

Disney sent out its recipe for Dole Whip on the Disneyland app from Disney Parks. https://bzfd.it/3aZWXBi

The catch -- though, it is minor: "It's officially labeled as a 'frozen pineapple treat' recipe. It uses ice cream, so it's not ~quite~ the same as the Dole Whip in parks, which is vegan and dairy-free."

The recipe: https://bit.ly/2wv4AAL

And to get your weekend off to an upbeat start, here's a dog with BIG plans: https://bit.ly/2yQmrTu

Make sure your sound is on -- and just try not to smile.