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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.

TALK OF THE MORNING



Why your social media is cluttered with a mix of Lysol jokes and ‘DO NOT DRINK BLEACH’ warnings:

During Thursday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting, President Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE asked whether disinfectants can be used to treat patients "by injection inside or almost a cleaning." https://bit.ly/3bDDjLy

Trump also suggested using light or heat as a COVID-19 treatment: "So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light — and I think you said that hasn't been checked but you're going to test it," Trump said. "And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside of the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you’re going to test that too. Sounds interesting."

Watch Trump float ideas for how to treat the virus: https://bit.ly/3aEaPzX





Reaction — Today in ‘omfg I can’t believe this is a real headline’:

‘Lysol maker issues warning against injections of disinfectant after Trump comments’

The manufacturer of Lysol issued a warning this morning that “under no circumstance” should people consume its product as a treatment for the coronavirus. https://bit.ly/3eHOB3z

The company shared in a statement: “As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route). As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information.”





REACTION FROM DOCTORS — NO, NO, NOOOO!:





President Trump’s comments about injecting disinfectants has received strong criticism from doctors. https://bit.ly/3bC5D15

For example — Trump’s former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CNBC: “I think we need to speak very clearly that there's no circumstance under which you should take a disinfectant or inject a disinfectant for the treatment of anything, and certainly not for the treatment of coronavirus.”





REACTION FROM THE WHITE HOUSE — THE MEDIA TOOK THOSE COMMENTS ‘OUT OF CONTEXT’:





From White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany: “President Trump has repeatedly said that Americans should consult with medical doctors regarding coronavirus treatment, a point that he emphasized again during yesterday’s briefing. Leave it to the media to irresponsibly take President Trump out of context and run with negative headlines.” https://bit.ly/3eQOaUr





If you watch one thing today:

Here is Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, reacting in real time to Trump’s remarks. This video has 12.3 million views so far.

Watch: https://bit.ly/3eODy8I





WHERE THINGS STAND



We just hit a grim milestone — 50k U.S. deaths:





Via The Hill’s Reid Wilson, More than 50,000 people in the United States have died from the coronavirus. https://bit.ly/2Y0uCHd

Context to the number of deaths: “The death toll is 16 times greater than the number of Americans who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and about one-and-a-half times larger than the number of U.S. soldiers who died in the Korean War. At the current pace, the number of coronavirus deaths is likely to surpass the number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War by the middle of next week.”

Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 870,468

Deaths in the U.S.: 50,031

Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y





HERE IS WHEN ALL 50 STATES PLAN TO REOPEN:





https://bit.ly/2znmo1z





‘What if we purposely infect a few hundred people to speed up a vaccine?’ ... This is a real idea — and it’s picking up steam:





Via The Hill’s Peter Sullivan, “The idea, known as a ‘challenge trial,’ would deliberately infect a few hundred young, healthy volunteers, who were first given either the potential vaccine or a placebo. Those picked would be well informed about the risks.” https://bit.ly/3ePeChe

Why: “That would allow the effectiveness of a vaccine to be determined faster than a traditional clinical trial, which would require that researchers wait for some of the participants to become infected in the course of their daily lives.”

The time saved: “Supporters say the challenge trial could save several months in the search for a vaccine, which is widely seen as critical for people to feel confident again with social gatherings.”

Details: https://bit.ly/3ePeChe





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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LATEST WITH CORONAVIRUS RELIEF



It’s no longer just a bill, sitting there on Capitol Hill:





President Trump is signing the $484 billion coronavirus relief bill today after the House passed the measure yesterday to help small businesses, hospitals and for increased testing. https://bit.ly/2Y03Vm8

The House vote: 388-5-1

Republicans who voted against the bill: House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (Ariz.) and Reps. Ken Buck Kenneth (Ken) Robert BuckGOP lawmaker says China could use TikTok consumer data against US in a conflict Republicans call for Judiciary hearing into unrest in cities run by Democrats Hillicon Valley: Facebook bans ads from pro-Trump PAC | Uber reports big drop in revenue | US offers M reward for election interference info MORE (Colo.), Jody Hice Jody Brownlow HicePelosi must go — the House is in dire need of new leadership House Republicans investigating California secretary of state's contract with Biden-linked firm GOP lawmakers want answers from Disney on Mulan, China MORE (Ga.) and Thomas Massie Thomas Harold MassieGOP lawmaker praises Kyle Rittenhouse's 'restraint' for not emptying magazine during shooting Rep. Dan Meuser tests positive for COVID-19 Liz Cheney wins Wyoming GOP primary in reelection bid MORE (Ky.).

The Democrat who voted against the bill: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)

The “present” vote: Rep. Justin Amash Justin AmashOn The Trail: How Nancy Pelosi could improbably become president History is on Edward Snowden's side: Now it's time to give him a full pardon Trump says he's considering Snowden pardon MORE (I-Mich.) voted present.





HOW THE CORONAVIRUS CULTURE WAR OVER REOPENING THE ECONOMY HAS HIT CAPITOL HILL:





https://bit.ly/2xNRtLI





ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL



The early bird polling special:





Via The Hill’s Jonathan Easley, Polls released this week show that former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenJoe Biden looks to expand election battleground into Trump country Trump puts Supreme Court fight at center of Ohio rally Special counsel investigating DeVos for potential Hatch Act violation: report MORE is leading in battleground states that are critical for President Trump to win reelection. https://bit.ly/3azv2qP

Which states: Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania

Keep in mind: Trump won all three states in 2016.

Looking at the demographics: “The former vice president has built a lead among seniors in Florida, who broke for Trump in the past election. He is also running up the score among blacks, Latinos, women and white people with college degrees, leaving Trump, at least at the moment, with a narrow path to reelection that depends heavily on non-college educated middle-aged white people.”

Why this is important: https://bit.ly/3azv2qP





Who knows? Maybe ‘November’ is just a state of mind:





Former Vice President Joe Biden predicted during an online fundraiser that President Trump will try to move November’s election. https://bit.ly/2VAxpoQ

In Biden’s words: “Mark my words I think he is gonna try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can’t be held,” because it is "the only way [Trump] thinks he can possibly win.”





NOTABLE TWEETS:



Mask down! I repeat: mask down!:





Hyperlink https://bit.ly/3bAHo3j

I laughed out loud at this:





Hyperlink https://bit.ly/2KuWCLp







ON TAP:





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

Noon: President Trump signs the $484 billion coronavirus relief bill. Vice President Pence also attends.

12:30 p.m. EDT: Vice President Pence leads a video teleconference with governors.

2:30 p.m. EDT: President Trump and Vice President Pence attend a briefing on NASA’s response to the coronavirus.

3 p.m. EDT: President Trump receives an intelligence briefing.





WHAT TO WATCH:





11 a.m. EDT: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Andrew CuomoFearless Girl statue in NYC dressed in lace collar to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg NYT editorial board remembers Ginsburg: She 'will forever have two legacies' New York to honor Ginsburg with statue in Brooklyn MORE (D) gave an update on his state’s coronavirus response. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3cL7ZdY

11:30 a.m. EDT: Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiTrump puts Supreme Court fight at center of Ohio rally CDC causes new storm by pulling coronavirus guidance Overnight Health Care: CDC pulls revised guidance on coronavirus | Government watchdog finds supply shortages are harming US response | As virus pummels US, Europe sees its own spike MORE (D-Calif.) held a press briefing. Livestream: https://cs.pn/3cKu3pb

5 p.m. EDT: The White House Coronavirus Task Force holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/2Y3LXir





NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...:





Today is National Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day! And for weekend planning purposes, tomorrow is National Zucchini Bread Day and Sunday is National Pretzel Day!





I thought I would share:





I get push notifications from “AP Planner,” and I really appreciated the selection of holiday reminders this morning.

Hyperlink https://bit.ly/2xLYf4D





Good news, ‘Parks and Rec’ fans!:





On April 30, NBC will air a 30-minute scripted ‘Parks and Recreation’ reunion special. Details: https://cnn.it/3eRvyUC





And to get your weekend off to the right start, here’s what happens a baby’s dad taught her the nursery rhymes: https://bit.ly/2zk19h9