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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! As a longtime *NSYNC fan, I'm required to inform you that it's April 30 which means tomorrow it's gonna be May. Cue the Justin Timberlake memes. |
| Today, the government will likely report millions more jobless claims and more state and federal social distancing guidelines are set to expire. On the bright side, "Parks and Recreation" returns tonight for a one-time benefit special. |
| It's N'dea, and here is today's top news, brought to you while I'm listening to "No Strings Attached" on repeat. |
US Navy hospital ship Comfort to depart New York City |
| After a month of supporting New York City and New Jersey residents during the coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort will leave Thursday for its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia. The U.S. Northern Command said the ship will return to prepare for any future COVID-19 assignments. The ship served 182 patients during its stay, discharging its final patient Sunday, according to a spokesman for Northwell Health, which assisted with service on the ship. It arrived in New York City on March 30 to help non-COVID patients, but began helping coronavirus patients six days later. |
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Millions of jobless claims expected, again |
| Economists estimate the government will report Thursday that 3.5 million Americans filed initial applications for unemployment insurance amid the continuing coronavirus emergency. That's a huge number, though down from the roughly 4.4 million claims the week before and the all-time high of 6.86 million in late March. If the estimate holds, 30 million will have applied for unemployment in just six weeks, more than all the jobs created since the Great Recession. |
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Want more coronavirus news? Here's the latest: |
| A day after Los Angeles became the nation's first major city to offer free coronavirus testing for all residents, including those with no symptoms, the state of California will close all beaches and state parks. |
| Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said the federal government will not extend guidelines set to expire on Thursday as he hopes to "reopen" the country. Sign up for more updates on coronavirus news here. |
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Coronavirus: Gov. Murphy meeting with Trump to talk funding |
| New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy plans to meet with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday to discuss the response to the coronavirus pandemic . The discussion between the Democratic governor and Republican president is likely to focus on federal funding for states as they deal with widespread job losses and how to deal with the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19. It's one of the few publicly known meetings between Trump and governors — a lot of the president's public time lately has been focused on attacking state leaders on social media. But Murphy, unlike other Democratic governors, such as New York's Andrew Cuomo or Washington's Jay Inslee, has adhered to the diplomatic style he honed as U.S. Ambassador to Germany. |
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States' stay-at-home orders to expire with new plans taking over |
| Some states have announced plans to relax social distancing restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus and jump-starting the economy. Others still haven't taken that step. Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, North Dakota, Texas and Wyoming had stay-at-home orders that were set to expire Thursday . Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona and Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana extended their states' stay-at-home orders through May 15. Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he will let his stay-at-home order expire and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said it's unlikely he will extend his state's order. |
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Need a break from coronavirus news? |
| Here's what else people are talking about: |
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'Parks and Recreation' returns for a one-time benefit special |
| Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, Chris Pratt, Aziz Ansari and other original cast members of NBC's "Parks and Recreation" are returning for a one-time special Thursday night (8:30 ET/PT). The beloved comedy that was set in the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana, will return five years after its series finale and will be the first broadcast scripted show to address today's world of social distancing and other coronavirus restrictions. SPOILER ALERT: Fans will remember the series ended with a finale that followed Leslie Knope (Poehler) and husband Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) into the future, ending in 2048. Thursday's show will benefit Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund, which provides food and funds to U.S. food banks. |
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In better news: A toy story |
| Health care workers and other essential personnel on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic are considered heroes. Now Mattel is making it official with a new line of action figures and toys. |
| The Barbie and Hot Wheels toymaker has a new roster of #ThankYouHeroes Fisher-Price action figures and Little People figurines starring doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians, grocery workers and delivery drivers. The toys, available for preorder now through May 31 at www.mattel.com/en-us/playroom-thankyouheroes, are expected to ship to consumers by year's end. |
| The net proceeds ($15) from each sale will go to #FirstRespondersFirst, an effort to support health care first responders that started last month. |
 | | Mattel's new Fisher-Price action figures and Little People figurines fund COVID-19 charities and honor medical, delivery and grocery workers. This special five-character Little People set ( $20) includes an emergency medical technician, delivery driver, doctor, grocery worker and nurse. | | Mattel | |
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