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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 8 april 2020
Trump removes watchdog tapped for $2T virus rescue oversight

Continued from Front of dollars are being alloca- of the mandates from Con- because Trump has no- Chairwoman Carolyn Ma-
ted to help the American gress were unconstitutio- minated a replacement loney, D-N.Y., said Trump’s
“President Trump is abusing people.” Trump’s removal nal. inspector general at the actions are a “direct insult”
the coronavirus pandemic of Fine follows his late-night “I’ll be the oversight,” Pentagon and appointed to American taxpayers.
to eliminate honest and in- firing on Friday of Michael Trump declared as lawma- an acting one to serve in “President Trump has been
dependent public servants Atkinson, the intelligence kers were finalizing the res- Fine’s place, according to engaged in an assault
because they are willing to community inspector ge- cue plan. an email from an assistant against independent In-
speak truth to power and neral who forwarded to He has also drawn criticism Defense Department in- spectors General since last
because he is so clearly Congress a whistleblower for naming a White House spector general that was Friday in order to undermi-
afraid of strong oversight,” complaint that ultimately lawyer to a new Treasury obtained by The Associa- ne oversight of his chaotic
Schumer said in a state- led to the president’s impe- Department position over- ted Press. and deficient response to
ment. achment in the House. seeing $500 billion in coro- The demotion disqualifies the coronavirus crisis,” Ma-
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., On Monday, the president navirus aid to industry. Fine from serving on the loney said.
who led Trump’s impe- also publicly condemned Michael Horowitz, the Jus- oversight board, which was Republican Sen. Charles
achment and subsequent the acting Health and Hu- tice Department inspec- created by Congress to be Grassley, a longtime whis-
Senate prosecution, told man Services watchdog tor general and chair of a the nexus of oversight for tleblower advocate, twee-
The Associated Press that over a survey of hospitals council of watchdogs, had coronavirus funding. He will ted at Trump not to view in-
Trump’s actions were “de- about the coronavirus res- moved quickly last month instead revert to the posi- spectors general as critics,
signed to neuter any kind ponse. to appoint Fine the head of tion of principal deputy in- though he didn’t mention
of oversight of his actions Trump has bristled at the the new coronavirus over- spector general. Fine by name. He said the
and that of the admini- oversight of the coronavirus sight board. Democrats immediately officials hold the federal
stration during a time of law, suggesting in a state- But Fine will no longer be criticized the move. House bureaucracy accounta-
national crisis, when trillions ment last month that some able to serve in the role Oversight and Reform ble. q

‘A lot of pain.’ NY has biggest 1-day jump in virus deaths

By MARINA VILLENEUVE, announced prior to Cuo-
KAREN MATTHEWS and mo's release of the new
MICHAEL HILL state fatality numbers.
Associated Press ___
NEW YORK (AP) — New HOSPITAL SHIP INFECTION
York state recorded 731 A crew member of a Navy
new coronavirus deaths, hospital ship sent to New
marking its biggest single- York City for the corona-
day jump, Gov. Andrew virus outbreak has tested
Cuomo said Tuesday. positive for the disease.
The state's death toll since The USNS Comfort crew
the beginning of the out- member tested positive
break last month grew to Monday and was being
5,489. The alarming surge isolated, the Navy said in a
in deaths comes even as prepared statement. The
new hospital admissions positive test will not affect
have dropped on aver- the hospital ship's mission
age over several days, a to receive patients, ac-
possible harbinger of the cording to the Navy.
outbreak finally leveling The Comfort has treated
off. Cuomo said the death about 40 non-COVID-19
tally is a "lagging indicator" patients since arriving in
that reflects the loss of criti- A medical worker wearing personal protective equipment pauses after wheeling a body to a the city last week, prompt-
cally ill people hospitalized refrigerated trailer serving as a makeshift morgue at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Monday, ing complaints it was doing
earlier. April 6, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. little to help overburdened
"That's 731 people who Associated Press. hospitals in the area.
we lost. Behind every one 139,000 statewide. died from the coronavirus on Sept. 11, 2001. President Donald Trump
of those numbers is an in- While Cuomo said New in New York City than per- The coronavirus has again said Monday he agreed
dividual. There's a family, York could be reaching ished in the Sept. 11 attack made New York ground to take COVID-19 pa-
there's a mother, there's a "plateau" in hospitaliza- on the World Trade Cen- zero in a national tragedy tients aboard the ship af-
a father, there's a sister, tions, he warned that gains ter. At least 3,202 people and the center of a crisis ter speaking with Cuomo.
there's a brother. So a lot are dependent on people have been killed in the city that is reshaping Ameri- Federal officials say emer-
of pain again today for continuing to practice so- by the virus, according to cans' lives, liberties and gency patients will now be
many New Yorkers," Cuo- cial distancing. a new count released by fears. The coronavirus seen on the ship, whether
mo said at a briefing at "This is a projection," he city health officials Tues- death toll has mounted or not they have the virus,
the state Capitol. said. "It still depends on day. over the course of just a though the ship can iso-
The state has been record- what we do, and what we The deadliest terror attack few weeks. The city re- late only a small number
ing more than 500 new do will affect those num- on U.S. soil killed 2,753 peo- corded its first on March of patients.
deaths a day since late bers." ple in the city and 2,977 13, less than two weeks Though the Comfort has
last week. The number of Here are other coronavi- overall, when hijacked after confirming its first in- 1,000 beds, Cuomo said
confirmed cases — which rus developments in New planes slammed into the fection. New York City is the transition to handling
does not include infect- York: World Trade Center, the conducting its own count coronavirus patients will
ed people who have not SEPT. 11 ATTACKS Pentagon and a field near of fatalities, separate from reduce the ship's capacity
been tested — is close to More people have now Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the state's, and its tally was to 500 beds.q