Fox News to host virtual coronavirus town hall with Trump, task force; Progress made on stimulus package

President Donald Trump listens during a briefing about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Fox News hosting virtual coronavirus town hall with President Trump, White House task force
Fox News Channel is hosting a two-hour virtual town hall with President Trump and members of the White House coronavirus task force on Tuesday, March 24, at 12 p.m. ET.

The president and his team will be answering text and video questions you submit to Fox News' Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as email submissions for the special live event at live-blog@foxnews.com.

Anchors Harris Faulkner and Bill Hemmer will co-moderate the event and will be joined by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Fox News contributors Dr. Nicole Saphier and Dr. Marc Siegel.

Part One of the town hall will feature Faulkner and Hemmer interviewing members of the coronavirus task force about the latest developments from the pandemic.

They will explain how the White House is handling the growing crisis before President Trump joins the forum at roughly 12:30 p.m. ET to answer questions from Fox News viewers across the country. Click here for more on our top story.

Other related developments:
- To get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox, sign up here.
- Fox News offers free access 'to help educate and protect' amid coronavirus pandemic
- Click here for Fox News' complete coronavirus coverage

Expect a coronavirus stimulus agreement in Senate, Schumer says
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters early Tuesday that he expects Republicans and Democrats in the Senate to come together and reach an agreement on the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package that set off a fierce debate on the Senate floor and allegations from both sides that the other was politicizing the emergency.

Despite the logjam, Schumer, the Senate minority leader, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters that there was progress made in late-night negotiations. Schumer said he expects a vote sometime on Tuesday.

One of the key issues in the package is the $500 billion "Exchange Stabilization Fund."  Democrats call it a "slush fund," and claim Mnuchin would have far too much influence over which industries would have access to the fund.

Mnuchin denied the claim on Fox Business, saying, "It's not a slush fund; it's a mechanism that we can use working with the Federal Reserve that will provide another $4 trillion of potential liquidity into the market. That’s on top of the Fed’s balance sheet." Click here for more.

Other related developments:  
- Pence calls out congressional Dems, says it's time to 'step up' and 'reach an agreement'
- Trump tells Senate to stop playing 'partisan politics'
- Pelosi's coronavirus stimulus includes return of 'Obamaphones,' other unrelated items, GOP says

Stock futures gain ground as Congress moves closer to a stimulus deal
U.S. equity futures are pointing to a higher open when Wall Street begins trading on Tuesday as congressional and White House officials emerged from grueling negotiations at the Capitol over the $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package saying they expected to reach a deal Tuesday.

This comes after the Federal Reserve promised support to the struggling economy. The major futures indexes are indicating a gain of more than 3 percent or around 600 Dow points. The Fed promised to buy as many Treasurys and other assets as needed to keep financial markets functioning. Click here for more.

Other developments:
- Senate coronavirus stimulus package: What's in it
- Trump: 'America will soon be open for business — very soon'
- Coronavirus: Everything you need to know

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SOME PARTING WORDS

Tucker Carlson slams the Congressional standoff over coronavirus relief, saying, "Democrats remain intent on splitting the country into warring tribes."

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Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Try not to worry too much – we’ll get through this coronavirus crisis together. We'll see you in your inbox first thing Wednesday morning.

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