Your Evening Briefing

(Bloomberg) --

Germany and Italy are considering how to gradually relax some public restrictions designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, though infections in Europe are on the rise again. U.S. President Donald Trump is thinking along the same lines, despite America being several weeks behind when it comes to the pandemic and state governors who can largely ignore him. Still, the White House plan under consideration will rely on widespread testing, the lack of which played a critical role in the outbreak’s spread across the country. More than 14,000 Americans are dead and 420,000 have been infected.

Bloomberg is mapping the pandemic globally and across America. For the latest news, sign up for our Covid-19 podcast and daily newsletter.

Here are today’s top stories

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination in the November presidential election, leaving former Vice President Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee.

The Trump administration has failed to distribute enough personal protective equipment and medical supplies to states reeling from the coronavirus, according to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Covid-19 raced through China much faster than previously thought, a U.S. research team said, suggesting that extremely widespread vaccination or immunity will be necessary to end the pandemic.

Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing for a quick vote on a $250 billion increase to a small business aid program, while Democrats are seeking $100 billion for hospitals and $150 billion for state and local governments as part of the latest U.S. bailout package.

Japan has earmarked $2.2 billion of its record economic stimulus package to help its manufacturers shift production out of China, as the coronavirus disrupts supply chains between the major trading partners.

The evidence is mounting that March marked the start of a global recession. And according to the World Trade Organization, that might be the optimistic scenario.

Trader Joe’s employees say the chain’s response to the coronavirus was haphazard and chaotic, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

What you’ll need to know tomorrow

• Most New York City Covid-19 cases came from Europe.
• Thailand’s resort island hot spot is now a virus hot spot.
• Millennials are the worst off with back-to-back global crises.
• Wuhan is open for business, as are its “wet markets.”
• Hand sanitizer will be hard to come by for a long time.
• Russia-Saudi Arabia oil war is forcing Trump to seek higher prices.
• With the promise of more bailout cash, stocks rose Wednesday.

What you’ll want to read in Bloomberg Green

Animals take to the streets while humans hide. It took just a few days of lockdown for baby rabbits to dare to cross once-bustling roads in Christchurch, New Zealand, and less than a week for a puma to descend from the Andes Mountains into Santiago, one of South America’s busiest capitals. In Barcelona, wild boar, a familiar sight for citizens on the city’s outskirts, have made their way into Diagonal Avenue, an eight-lane thoroughfare. 

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