Utah representative tests positive for the coronavirus

Rep. Ben McAdams is the second member of Congress to test positive for the coronavirus. The Utah Democrat announced his positive test results on Wednesday shortly after GOP Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida announced his diagnosis. McAdams is currently isolated at his home in Utah, according to KUTV. McAdams, 45, developed coldlike symptoms on Saturday evening shortly after returning to his home state from Washington, D.C. The lawmaker isolated himself in his home while consulting with his doctor, who on Tuesday recommended he get tested for possible coronavirus infection.

"Today, I learned that I tested positive. I am still working for Utahns and pursuing efforts to get Utahns the resources they need as I continue doing my job from home until I know it is safe to end my self-quarantine," McAdams said. "I’m doing my part, as all Americans are doing, to contain the spread of the virus and mitigate the coronavirus outbreak," McAdams added. "I urge Utahns to take this seriously and follow the health recommendations we’re getting from the CDC and other health experts so that we can recover from this public health threat."

McAdams’s symptoms manifested themselves at about the same time as Diaz-Balart’s. Both lawmakers were working in the Capitol until late last week. Diaz-Balart last appeared on the House floor on Saturday morning, according to the New York Times. The concurrent infections raise the question of whether any more members of the legislative body have been infected with the virus. A significant portion of congressional lawmakers are over 65 years, 48 senators and 147 representatives, and considered especially vulnerable to the disease, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/utah-representative-tests-positive-for-the-coronavirus

New York Stock Exchange to close trading floor after two people test positive for coronavirus

The historic New York Stock Exchange trading floor will temporarily shut down after two people tested positive this week. Instead, the exchange will begin fully electronic trading, which will begin on Monday, according to CNBC. Among the facilities set to close because of the pandemic are the NYSE equities trading floor and NYSE American Options trading floor in New York, plus the NYSE Arca Options trading floor in San Francisco.

Stacey Cunningham, president of the NYSE, said the changes are being implemented because two people tested positive during screenings that had been set up on the trading floor. “We implemented a number of safety precautions over the past couple of weeks and, starting on Monday this week, we started preemptive testing of employees and screening of anyone who came into the building,” Cunningham said. “If that screening warranted additional testing, we tested people, and they were sent home and not given access to the building. A couple of those test cases have come back positive,” Cunningham added.

The move comes the same day that the Dow Jones Industrial index fell 6.25% from Tuesday’s close and finished at 19,909.98 points, wiping out nearly all gains since President Trump was inaugurated. New York City has seen a huge surge in COVID-19 cases, with numbers in the city growing to almost 1,900 as of Wednesday afternoon. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is pushing to implement a shelter-in-place order for the nation’s largest city. In the United States, there have been at least 7,769 cases of the coronavirus, 106 recoveries, and 118 deaths, according to the latest reading by the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/new-york-stock-exchange-to-close-trading-floor-after-two-people-test-positive-for-coronavirus

Trump to nominate acting OMB Director Russ Vought to lead the agency permanently

President Trump intends to nominate Russ Vought, acting White House Office of Management and Budget director, to lead the office. Vought joined the administration as acting chief in January 2019, before which he spent seven years as the vice president of the conservative policy group Heritage Action for America, the political wing of the conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation. As acting OMB chief, he oversaw day-to-day operations while OMB director Mick Mulvaney took on the role of Trump’s chief of staff. Earlier this month, Trump replaced Mulvaney as chief of staff with Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, a close ally, who is expected to transition into the role over the coming weeks. Mulvaney will become U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland. Vought will need to be confirmed to the new role by the Republican-controlled Senate.

Trump’s new budget chief began his career working for then-Texas Senate Republican Phil Gramm as a legislative assistant, spending 12 years on Capitol Hill, including at the House Republican Conference under then-Rep. Mike Pence. Later, Vought led the influential Republican Study Committee. Heritage Foundation president Kay C. James applauded the decision in a statement Wednesday, praising Vought for having “pioneered new forms of grassroots activism” while with the group, and for his policy work at the White House. “Since joining OMB, Russ has overseen the delivery of four of the most conservative presidential budgets to date,” James said. “He has been an integral part of an administration that has fought fearlessly for life and liberty.”

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-to-nominate-acting-omb-director-russ-vought-to-lead-the-agency-permanently

Nearly 40% of hospitalized adults in US for coronavirus are between 20 and 54 years old

A large portion of adults being hospitalized from the coronavirus are younger, though most deaths remain among older adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report Wednesday that showed that 38% of the hospitalizations in the United States were from adults between the ages of 20 and 54 years old. "I think everyone should be paying attention to this," Stephen Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, told the New York Times. "It’s not just going to be the elderly. There will be people age 20 and up. They do have to be careful, even if they think that they’re young and healthy."

Deborah Birx told reporters on Wednesday that she is "concerned" about reports from Europe that the coronavirus could be hitting young people hard, too. "We are concerned about the early reports coming out of Italy and France," Birx said. "There are concerning reports out of France and Italy about some young people getting seriously ill and getting very ill in the ICUs." Despite the warning, it appears that the coronavirus poses "no significant mortality in the children."' A study from Italy found that 99% of deaths from the coronavirus came from people that had previous medical conditions. Over 8,000 have gotten the coronavirus in the U.S., while 143 people have died.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/nearly-40-of-hospitalized-adults-in-us-for-coronavirus-are-between-20-and-54-years-old