The president is expected to reveal guidelines for opening the economy, economists await the new jobless claims data and more news to know Thursday.

Trump expected to unveil guidelines for opening economy
Citing the positive impact of social distancing guidelines, President Donald Trump said Wednesday the White House would issue guidelines Thursday about opening up the economy in the U.S. amid the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement will come after a conference call with all 50 governors. Trump, speaking at the White House task force press conference, noted improvements in fighting the COVID-19 hot spots in New York, Detroit and Louisiana in addition to other areas across the country. The president added that some states could start with economic activity before the current guidelines aimed at slowing the pandemic end on May 1. “These encouraging developments have put us in a very strong position to finalize guidelines for states on reopening the country,” Trump said. 
During a meeting with patients who have recovered from the coronavirus, President Donald Trump said Tuesday he’ll be making a decision “soon” on reopening the economy and he’ll do it “in conjunction with governors.” (April 14)
AP Domestic
Economists await jobless claims figure
More tough economic news is likely in store Thursday when the Labor Department reports fresh jobless claims data. Economists are expecting another wave of layoffs as the nation grapples with the unprecedented shutdown of the U.S. economy to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Prior to Thursdays figures, nearly 17 million workers applied for unemployment insurance over the past three weeks, or what economists forecast to be about 10% of the U.S. labor force. Jobless claims provide the best measure of layoffs across the country. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg estimate that 5.5 million Americans filed initial applications for unemployment insurance last week.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting the global economy and raising fears of a recession. What causes a recession and what are the signs?
USA TODAY
CDC to tour major coronavirus hot spot at Smithfield plant
A team from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has arrived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to help with the now-closed Smithfield Foods plant, which has become the biggest single-source of coronavirus cases in the United States. The CDC team will tour the plant Thursday morning and create a list of items to complete before the plant can reopen, Gov. Kristi Noem said Wednesday. A total of 518 Smithfield employees have tested positive and there are 126 cases of non-employees that became infected when they came into contact with an employee, the South Dakota Department of Health reports. Noem said the state is “aggressively testing” workers and people who have come into contact with them, as well as getting people into isolation as soon as possible. Noem added she’s working with federal officials and Smithfield leaders to get the plant, which has 3,700 employees, back online to provide relief for pork producers and the food chain.
Governor Kristi Noem provides a daily coronavirus update from Pierre on April 15.
Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Judge to hold hearing one day after canceling Keystone XL pipeline permit
U.S. Judge Brian Morris will hold a hearing Thursday on two lawsuits against the $8 billion Keystone XL oil pipeline. American Indian tribes and environmental groups want him to halt the construction at the Canadian border while a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s approval of the pipeline last year works its way through the courts. Morris will hold the hearing one day after canceling a key permit for the pipeline that’s expected to stretch from Canada to Nebraska. This is another setback for the project that, after years of delays, started two weeks ago and will continue on, despite the ruling. Morris said Wednesday the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to adequately consider effects on endangered species the pipeline would cause. Anthony Swift of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the groups that challenged the permit, noted that Keystone XL “has basically lost all of its Clean Water Act permits for water crossings.”  
Last SlideNext Slide
Is coronavirus threatening the future of the high five? 
Thursday is National High Five Day, but this year’s celebration will look unlike any we may have seen before. As a result of the COVID-19, “Virtual” High Five Day 2020 will be the first 100% virtual high five day, according to organizers of the holiday.  But even after the pandemic ends, there may not be a resurgence of the ways in which Americans have celebrated and greeted one another for decades. Fred Carter, widely credited with popularizing the fist bump in the 1970s, said he’s prepared for its demise as a result of the pandemic. He also said he thinks the high five and bro hug will suffer the same fate and the elbow bump might not survive long, either.
Last SlideNext Slide
Contributing: Associated Press
Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/04/16/trumps-economy-guidelines-jobless-claims-5-things-know-thursday/2988539001/