Pence says White House coronavirus task force in process of "winding down" despite soaring U.S. death toll

The White House coronavirus task force is in the process of “winding down” and could be disbanded entirely by the end of the month, Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday, even as the country’s COVID-19 death toll soared above 70,000 and projections suggested the horrific number could double over the next few weeks. The plans to bring the task force to an end apparently weren’t shared with some of its top members. Ahead of Pence’s briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and a senior task force adviser, told CBS News that rumors about the advisory group drawing to a close were “not true.” A new model from the University of Washington, meanwhile, shows that the coronavirus death toll could jump to 134,000 by the beginning of June as states start relaxing stay-at-home orders and social distancing restrictions.