Coronavirus News: Trump Draws Up Plans To Punish China As US COVID-19 Deaths Edge Past 65,000

President Donald Trump has reportedly started making plans to punish China in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and as COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. near 65,000 Friday (May 1).

According to multiple sources, officials at the White House are potentially considering sanctions against the Chinese Communist Party, including changing trade policies or canceling America's debt obligations.

"We have to get the economy going again, we have to be careful about how we do this," an unidentified official from the administration told CNN. "But we will find ways to show the Chinese that their actions are completely reprehensible."

The president told reporters during a press briefing Thursday that he has seen evidence that the coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. However, hours before his statement, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a public statement to say that it is still doing a rigorous examination of the origins of the outbreak.

The move to punish China comes as the White House blocked infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci from testifying at the House Appropriations Committee. Instead, Tom Frieden, formerly of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will take his place in the May 6 inquiry.

"While the Trump Administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at Congressional hearings," said Judd Deere, the White House spokesperson. "We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time."

Meanwhile, the U.S. COVID-19 death count by the end of April has been larger than the combined death counts of two other countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, Italy, and the U.K., which have nearly 55,000 deaths. But over the next few days, at least 31 states will resume some businesses partially and lift their stay-at-home orders.

Georgia began opening its economy at the end of April while asking businesses to enforce social distancing measures.

Florida's restaurants and retail stores will also open Monday to a reduced capacity, except in Palm Beach, where cases are still rising.

Colorado's personal care services can restart operation on May 4 with 50 percent capacity and social distancing.

Iowa's malls, restaurants, gyms, and libraries are back in business May 1, while its dog and horse tracks can also resume races without spectators. Counties with many coronavirus cases, however, won't reopen until May 15.

Oklahoma has also opened its personal care services by appointment. Restaurants, movie houses, gyms, and churches will restart May 1.

Even with social distancing measures in place, however, the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) projected the number of deaths in the U.S. to rise between 100,000 to 240,000.