Oil prices sank to their worst loss in weeks as worries about the economic carnage caused by the coronavirus pandemic swept markets worldwide.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump returned to a divisive issue at a time of national crisis, saying he will sign an executive order on Wednesday "to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States" because of COVID-19.

The price of crude oil plunged another 25 percent Tuesday for June contracts. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq are all in negative territory for the year.

Global demand for oil has dropped to levels not seen in decades. The cost for a barrel of U.S. oil to be delivered in June plunged 43 percent to 11.57 U.S. dollars. A day earlier, it fell below zero for the first time.

At his daily coronavirus task force briefing on Tuesday, Trump offered few details about which immigration programs might be affected by the order.

He said he would restrict immigration for 60 days to protect jobs for American workers with the possibility of extending it. 

The night before Trump tweeted: "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!"

While a hard stop on immigration would normally affect millions of people each year, much of the immigration system has already ground to a halt because of the pandemic.

Travel to the U.S. has been restricted from a number of countries, including China, Mexico and Canada.

Critics saw his announcement as a move to take advantage of a crisis to implement a long-sought policy goal, and as an effort to distract from his response to the pandemic.

"It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labor flown in from abroad. We must first take care of the American worker," Trump told reporters at the White House. 

He said there would be some exemptions in the order and he could renew it for another 60 days or even longer. 

An administration official said the order would include exemptions for people involved in responding to the coronavirus outbreak, including farm workers and those helping to secure U.S. food supplies. 

Trump won the White House in 2016 in part on a promise to crack down on immigration.

The U.S. Department of State issued roughly 462,000 immigrant visas in fiscal year 2019, which began on October 1, 2018. The visas allow an immigrant to obtain lawful permanent resident status, informally known as a green card. The status allows a person to live and work in the United States and apply for citizenship after a five-year period.

'Honest and open'

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he had a productive talk with the president on Tuesday at the White House.

He said the meeting focused on New York's need for more coronavirus testing and how to get it, and he also stressed the severity of states' budget problems to the Republican president.

The Democratic governor described the conversation as "honest and open."

Trump has at times played down the testing issue, which health experts cite as an essential step to reducing exposure and enabling a safe reopening.

"The president is communicative about his feelings and I'm communicative about what I think," Cuomo told MSNBC after their talk. He said testing volume needed to increase tenfold and leaders needed to discuss how the federal government can help.

"I stayed focused on what we were there to talk about and for me the substantive agenda was testing – 'Who does what? How do we get it up the scale?' – and somebody has to stand up for funding for the states."

Speaking at the WH briefing, Trump said he was proud of the relationship his administration has forged with New York, and the federal government will work with New York to help secure additional testing capability.

Protesters demand reopening

While Cuomo was still taking a go-slow approach, Georgia and South Carolina were among the states pushing for reopening. 

The easing of sweeping restrictions in mostly Southern U.S. states follows protests against rules imposed during the pandemic that shut down businesses and largely confined residents to their homes.

A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll showed a majority of Americans believed stay-at-home orders should remain in place until public health officials determine lifting them is safe, despite the damage to the U.S. economy.

Deaths from COVID-19 topped 44,228 nationwide as cases climbed to 820,104, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

Governors are under pressure from businesses and some constituents to relax stay-at-home orders that have thrown over 20 million people out of work in the past month alone.

In Wisconsin, the pressure came from Republican lawmakers who filed a lawsuit against Democratic Governor Tony Evers, challenging his stay-at-home order that runs until May 26.

Even as states move ahead with plans to reopen, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned a second wave of the coronavirus will be far more dire because it is likely to coincide with the start of flu season.

"There's a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through," CDC Director Robert Redfield said in an interview with The Washington Post.

Latest COVID-19 news in the U.S.:

* A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported after the study of 368 patients.

* U.S. health regulators on Tuesday OK'd the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own sample at home, a new approach that could help expand testing options in most states. The test from LabCorp will initially only be available to health care workers and first responders under a doctor's orders.

* Health officials in Wisconsin said they have identified at least seven people who appear to have contracted the coronavirus from participating in the April 7 election, the first such cases following in-person voting that was held despite widespread concern about the public health risks.

* U.S. hog farmers have endured an estimated 5 billion U.S. dollars in losses for the industry amid restaurant closures.

* Sales at restaurants open at least a year plunged almost 45 percent during the most recent quarter, according to the owner of Olive Garden and other national chain restaurants.

* Hertz is laying off about 10,000 employees in North America with vacations and business travel on hold. The layoffs cross all divisions within the company, and began last week for non-union employees. Hertz anticipates approximately 30 million U.S. dollars in costs tied to the layoffs.

* McDonald's is offering U.S. medical workers and first responders one free meal a day starting Wednesday, through May 5. Workers in uniform or with a badge can get a sandwich, side and a drink. McDonald's is splitting the cost of the program with its franchisees.

* The Scripps National Spelling Bee has been canceled for the first time since World War II. Organizers concluded there was "no clear path to safely set a new date in 2020," meaning kids who are in eighth grade this year will miss their final opportunity to compete in the national finals. 

(With input from Reuters) 

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