HAPPENING TODAY ... THE PRESIDENT is hosting an event with Paycheck Protection Program recipients to tout what the White House sees as the success of the program, which has shelled out $350 billion. Expected attendees: Treasury Secretary STEVEN MNUCHIN, SBA Administrator JOVITA CARRANZA, MARK MEADOWS, IVANKA TRUMP, JARED KUSHNER, LARRY KUDLOW, TIM PATAKI and small business owners and employees. The list of small businesses and employees Good Tuesday morning. TRUMP'S ANNOUNCEMENT -- "More Americans to be tested for coronavirus as White House prepares for outbreaks this summer 'and beyond,'" by David Lim and Darius Tahir: "The Trump administration will prioritize coronavirus testing for more Americans as it braces for possible outbreaks 'throughout the summer and beyond.' "Americans identified through contact tracing and those with symptoms like chills and muscle pains should be prioritized for testing. And the new criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also suggests trying to track asymptomatic individuals through surveillance systems at places like nursing homes and health clinics. "The new guidelines were released alongside a new White House testing blueprint that outlines steps the U.S. will need to take to safely reopen. The document notes that states will have to monitor for potential outbreaks 'throughout the summer and beyond' and calls attention to the threat that coronavirus outbreaks could coincide with flu season in the fall. Several national retailers, including CVS Health, Kroger Health and Walmart, announced they would significantly expand coronavirus testing efforts in May." POLITICO -- NYT'S SHERYL STOLBERG: "Outside experts have recommended that anywhere from 0.9 percent to 50 percent of the American public must be tested for the coronavirus every week. "'I think it's really important that the White House has put out much more specific guidance for states around testing,' said Jen Kates, a senior vice president and director of global health and H.I.V. policy for the Kaiser Family Foundation, who has analyzed states' capacity for testing. But the plan to test 2 percent, she said, 'may not be enough.'" -- HOW THEY'RE DOING IT ABROAD ... WAPO'S RUTH EGLASH in Jaffa, Israel WHITE HOUSE MEMO by PETER BAKER: "Briefings Were 'Not Worth the Time,' Trump Said. But He Couldn't Stay Away": "To the surprise of exactly no one, President Trump resumed his daily coronavirus news briefings on Monday, just two days after tweeting that they were 'not worth the time & effort' and just hours after his own White House officially canceled the planned appearance. "The lure of cameras in the Rose Garden proved too hard to resist. For a president who relishes the spotlight and spends hours a day watching television, the idea of passing on his daily chance to get his message out turned out to be untenable despite his anger over his coverage. And so he was back, defending his handling of the pandemic and promising to reopen the country soon." WAPO'S GREG MILLER and ELLEN NAKASHIMA: "President's intelligence briefing book repeatedly cited virus threat": "U.S. intelligence agencies issued warnings about the novel coronavirus in more than a dozen classified briefings prepared for President Trump in January and February, months during which he continued to play down the threat, according to current and former U.S. officials. "The repeated warnings were conveyed in issues of the President's Daily Brief, a sensitive report that is produced before dawn each day and designed to call the president's attention to the most significant global developments and security threats. For weeks, the PDB — as the report is known — traced the virus's spread around the globe, made clear that China was suppressing information about the contagion's transmissibility and lethal toll, and raised the prospect of dire political and economic consequences. "But the alarms appear to have failed to register with the president, who routinely skips reading the PDB and has at times shown little patience for even the oral summary he takes two or three times per week, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified material." WaPo -- THE PRESIDENT will receive his daily intel briefing at 12:30 p.m. today in the Oval Office. THE REOPENING -- "Trump and the GOP attempt a high-wire act on reopening," by Ben White: "Republicans are trying to pull off a high-wire act over the next three months: Reopen the economy enough to get most jobless Americans back to work and off the public dole, while resisting another giant stimulus package. "If they fail, they'll face a coronavirus cliff — an even deeper collapse in spending and sky-high unemployment in the months before Election Day. That could both damage President Donald Trump's reelection prospects and put the party's Senate majority at serious risk. ... "Republicans are currently betting that efforts to reopen states will be successful and the nearly $3 trillion already allocated by lawmakers — the largest federal rescue in American history — will be at least close to enough to start bringing the unemployment rate down and sending economic growth back up." POLITICO AND/BUT ... "The U.S. reopening is coming, but 'normal' is still a ways off," by AP's Sarah DiLorenzo: "Everyone wants to know: When, oh when, will it go back to normal? As some governors across the United States begin to ease restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, hopes are soaring that life as Americans knew it might be returning. But plans emerging in many states indicate that 'normal' is still a long way off. "White House adviser Dr. Deborah Birx says social distancing will be with Americans through the summer. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards warns of a 'different way of life' until there is a widely available vaccine — maybe not until next year. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says: 'There is no return to yesterday in life.' "From the beginning, the pandemic forced impossible choices: physical health or mental health? Economic well-being or medical safety? Most states joined the world and turned the dial down hard, closing shops and restaurants, factories and schools. Asking people to largely keep to their homes. Now, the dial is beginning to inch in the opposite direction." AP -- LAT: "Garcetti says some L.A. stay-at-home rules could be eased in weeks," by James Queally and Colleen Shalby -- WAPO: "Bowser taps Michelle Obama, José Andrés, Fenty to help with pandemic response," by Rachel Chason, Fenit Nirappil and Ovetta Wiggins -- BOSTON GLOBE: "R.I. will ease business and social limits in three phases starting May 9," by Edward Fitzpatrick in Providence WSJ: "Oil Continues Slide, Stocks Pare Losses," by Frances Yoon: "Oil prices slid further on Tuesday, signaling a bleak outlook for energy demand even as more countries move to restart their economies during the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. crude futures for delivery in June fell 17% to $10.65 a barrel, a day after the U.S. oil price benchmark tumbled 25%. "Global equities were little changed Tuesday. The Stoxx Europe 600 opened 0.2% higher, with gains for most sectors apart from oil-and-gas stocks, which fell. S&P 500 futures were down 0.2%." VEEPSTAKES -- "Oppo dumps and behind-the-scenes lobbying: Biden's VP search heats up," by David Siders, Alex Thompson and Laura Barrón-López: "Joe Biden's advisers and allies have become torn over whether it is more important to choose an African-American or a progressive running mate. While the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, there is an ongoing debate about whether Biden 'has the black vote locked up' or 'whether the bigger need we have is to put someone left-leaning' on the ticket, a strategist familiar with discussions said. "The strategist was one of multiple Democrats who described a debate in and around the periphery of Biden's campaign about the significance of race and ideology in the vice presidential selection. They are also debating how wary Biden should be of selecting someone who has not been tested by the rigors of a presidential campaign. "The need to generate enthusiasm within the Democratic base is a driving force in every scenario — and potential running mates and their supporters are well aware of it. In an effort to frame Biden's thinking, a number of them are now mounting early and, in some cases aggressive, lobbying and counter-lobbying campaigns." POLITICO BIDEN said during a fundraiser Monday night that TED KAUFMAN, his longtime confidant and the man that filled his Senate seat when he became VP, is advising him on a transition plan, per NATASHA KORECKI, who pooled the event. BEHIND THE SCENES -- "Trump campaign lashes out at Senate GOP over 'Don't defend Trump' memo," by Alex Isenstadt: "Earlier this month, the Senate Republican campaign arm circulated a memo with shocking advice to GOP candidates on responding to coronavirus: 'Don't defend Trump, other than the China Travel Ban — attack China.' The Trump campaign was furious. "On Monday — just days after POLITICO first reported the existence of the memo — Trump political adviser Justin Clark told NRSC executive director Kevin McLaughlin that any Republican candidate who followed the memo's advice shouldn't expect the active support of the reelection campaign and risked losing the support of Republican voters. "McLaughlin responded by saying he agreed with the Trump campaign's position and, according to two people familiar with the conversation, clarified that the committee wasn't advising candidates to not defend Trump over his response. "The episode illustrates how the Trump political apparatus demands — and receives — fealty from fellow Republicans and moves aggressively to tamp down on any perceived dissent within the GOP. The president maintains an iron grip on his party, even as his poll numbers sag and he confronts fierce criticism from Democrats over his response to the coronavirus pandemic." POLITICO -- "'Republicans need to get serious': 2020 vote-by-mail battle heats up," by Elena Schneider and James Arkin | 
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