Ben White, Chief Economic Correspondent for Politico, provides his perspective on the news in US politics:
What is holding up the coronavirus relief package in Congress and how would it help Americans?
The biggest holdup is Democrats are not comfortable with the $500 billion fund to bail out certain industries like the airlines. They think there are not enough strings attached, not enough limits on executive pay or stock buybacks. They also want more unemployment insurance, extensions, and other efforts to aid individuals. But overall, it would send checks to a lot of Americans, earning under $100,000 or $75,000. It would do a lot to help bail out small businesses. So, a lot of good stuff in there and I think they'll make a deal.
Is the coronavirus epidemic bringing our politicians closer together or further apart?
Well, right now, they're pretty far apart. I think more economic damage, further drops in the stock market, will start to bring them together. We'll get one big package done and then they'll have to come back and do a lot more, I think.
Why has Joe Biden been so invisible in recent days?
Well, this has been really puzzling to me. He was pretty much dark for a long period of time. That's starting to change. He did a briefing today on camera. He did some stuff yesterday. I think he's starting to come out and push back on how President Trump has handled this crisis. I think we'll see a lot more from Joe Biden in the coming days.