Thursday morning news - May 6, 2021

COVID's US toll projected to drop sharply by the end of July » COVID-19's toll on the United States will fall sharply by the end of July. That according to new research released by the federal government.

WALENSKY: What we learned from this report is that we are not out of the woods yet, but we could be very close.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

The report included projections from six research groups. The CDC tasked them with predicting the course of the U.S. epidemic between now and September.

WALENSKY: The models projected a sharp decline in cases by July, 2021, and an even faster decline if more people get vaccinated sooner.

But the report also warns that a “substantial increase” in hospitalizations and deaths is possible if unvaccinated Americans disregard basic precautions.

The number of new daily U.S. cases now stands at about 40,000 per day. That’s the lowest level since September. But still, more than 700 Americans die each day from COVID-19.

The FDA is expected to give the green light to vaccinate adolescents very soon. Canada has just approved use of the Pfizer vaccine for children age 12 and up.

Treasury warns of need to deal with national debt limit » The Treasury Department says it will employ measures to avoid an unprecedented default on the national debt this summer. And officials say those measures could be exhausted “much more quickly” than normal given the unusual circumstances of the pandemic. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has more.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: Treasury officials on Wednesday urged Congress to pass either a new borrowing limit or another suspension of the debt before a July 31st deadline. The Treasury will continue to use the types of bookkeeping maneuvers it has used in the past to keep the government from breaching a level that would trigger a default on the massive U.S. national debt.

The government has been able to borrow enormous sums of money to finance trillions of dollars of support during the pandemic because the limit on borrowing has been suspended. But after July 31, the limit will return to whatever debt level exists at that time.

The national debt subject to the limit now stands at a record $28 trillion dollars.

The Treasury warning comes as President Biden pushes for another $4 trillion dollars in new spending. He says his proposed tax increases would pay for the spending. Republicans say the tax hikes would not cover it and would hurt the economy.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

Facebook board upholds Trump ban, just not indefinitely » Former President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook—at least not yet.

Four months after Facebook suspended Trump's accounts after the Jan. 6th Capitol riot, the company's quasi-independent oversight board upheld the decision to block of Trump from Facebook and Instagram. But it said the open-ended suspension was unreasonable.

The former prime minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, is one of the members of the oversight panel. She detailed the board’s findings on Wednesday.

SCHMIDT: Facebook’s initial suspension of President Trump was correct. That’s very clear. But also, we’re saying that an indefinite ban was not acceptable because Facebook actually failed to follow its own rules on removing harmful content by choosing an indefinite suspension.

The ruling gives Facebook six months to either permanently ban Trump or declare when the suspension will end.

The company now finds itself between a rock and hard place with pressure from both sides. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that in President Biden’s view, major social media platforms "have a responsibility..."

PSAKI: To stop amplifying untrustworthy content, disinformation, and misinformation, especially related to COVID-19, vaccinations, and elections.

But GOP Senator John Kennedy said major social platforms have displayed a political bias and are far too powerful. He added that Republicans have a good chance to retake one or both chambers of Congress next year …

KENNEDY: And if we do, we’re gonna face this issue head on.

Twitter permanently banned Trump from its platform in January.

Liz Cheney’s GOP post in peril as Trump endorses replacement » Meantime, the No.3 ranked Republican in the House, Wyoming’s Liz Cheney, is still feeling the heat over her rift with former President Trump.

Trump on Wednesday declared his “COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement” of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York to replace Cheney within the party’s leadership.

And many Trump loyalists, like Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona say it’s time for Cheney to go. Biggs said even though Trump is no longer in the White House...

BIGGS: President Trump is the leader of the Republican party. And when she’s out there attacking him, she’s attacking the leader of the Republican party, and she’s attacking those of us who supported President Trump.

Many House Republicans still support Cheney, either privately or publicly.

For her part, Cheney says she has no intention of backing down. She has consistently denounced and repudiated Trump’s claims that he was the rightful winner of last year’s election.

Peloton recalls treadmills after a child dies » The home fitness company Peloton is recalling its treadmills less than a month after denying it was to blame for the death of a child and the injuries of 29 others.

The recall comes after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned that people with children and pets should immediately stop using the Peloton Tread+. That came after a child was pulled under it and died.

The company said Wednesday that it will offer full refunds for the treadmills, which cost about $4,000 dollars a piece, and will stop selling them.

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