Overnight Defense: The mystery of Kim Jong Un’s health | Senate passes $484B coronavirus bill | Study of veterans who used anti-malaria drug for coronavirus finds no benefits

Happy Tuesday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Rebecca Kheel, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.

THE TOPLINE: Is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gravely ill following heart surgery or not?

Those questions are swirling after U.S. news reports indicated Kim is in poor health following a recent procedure.

The South Korean government, however, says Kim appears to be handling state affairs as usual and that it has no information about his health.

Still, Kim’s health is on the radar of U.S. intelligence, with national security adviser Robert O’Brien saying the community is keeping a close watch on reports about the dictator.

“We’re monitoring these reports very closely,” O’Brien said Tuesday on “Fox & Friends.” 

“As you know, North Korea is a very closed society. There’s not a free press there. They’re parsimonious with the information they provide about many things, including the health of Kim Jong Un.”

Asked later about a potential successor to Kim, O’Brien told reporters it would probably be a family member, but that “it’s too early to talk about that because we just don’t know what condition Chairman Kim is in.”

Last night: CNN, citing a single unnamed U.S. official, reported that U.S. intelligence is monitoring reports that Kim is in grave danger following cardiovascular surgery last week. A second source later told CNN that concerns about Kim’s health are credible but the severity of his condition is hard to assess, while Bloomberg reported that U.S. officials said Kim was in critical condition.

Their reports followed one from the Daily NK, a South Korea-based news outlet founded by North Korean defectors, that reported Kim was recovering from heart surgery, citing reports from an unnamed source in the country.

Why skepticism is warranted: North Korea experts, though, remain skeptical, citing the dearth of information from the country, South Korea’s statement and a lack of other signs that something is wrong, including a possible change in security at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, China — Pyongyang’s closest ally.

Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst now at the conservative Heritage Foundation, suggested rumors about Kim’s health are a result of “circular reporting, as well as over-interpretation or misinterpretation.”

“Over the years we’ve been through so many false reports about the leaders’ health — Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un — as well as other rumors about senior officials being executed and then they come back, or people being purged and then they’re back,” he said. 

“So, each of the three leaders have had stories that they died and then it turns out it was not true. Now, obviously, eventually, it is true, and Kim Jong Un is one chocolate wafer away from a heart attack and dying.”

Other experts echoed Klingner, cautioning that rumors about Kim’s health have circulated for a long time. 

AND IN CORONAVIRUS NEWS: The Senate on Tuesday approved roughly $484 billion in new coronavirus aid for small businesses and hospitals and more funding for testing, ending a lengthy battle over the size and contents of the package. 

The agreement was passed by a voice vote after days of negotiations between congressional Democrats and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, with the talks lasting until approximately midnight on both Sunday and Monday. 

The deal includes an additional $310 billion for the paycheck protection program, including $60 billion specifically for community banks and smaller lenders, as well as $75 billion for hospitals, $25 billion for testing and $60 billion for emergency disaster loans and grants, according to a summary obtained by The Hill.

The House is expected to pass the bill on Thursday morning, with members returning to Washington for a recorded vote. President Trump threw his support behind the deal on Tuesday, an endorsement that could help help the agreement avoid landmines from libertarian-minded lawmakers and fiscal conservatives. 

Defense industry reaction: The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), which represents hundreds of aerospace and defense firms, put out a statement Tuesday calling the agreement a “critical step” toward recovery.

“The aid for testing and hospitals is essential for our communities and ensuring the safety of our industry’s workers,” AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning said in the statement. “In addition, our members have described the Paycheck Protection Program as a lifesaver. The additional funding announced today will provide small businesses — who may not have been able to take advantage of the program in the first round — with the resources they need to help keep workers employed and supply chains flowing.”

Latest numbers: The Pentagon said Tuesday that 3,496 service members have tested positive for the coronavirus.

That’s out of 5,575 total Pentagon cases, including 902 civilians, 757 dependents and 420 contractors. 

Of the service members, 79 have been hospitalized.

Over on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, 710 sailors have tested positive. The Navy also said Tuesday that 42 of those sailors have since recovered.

Nine sailors from the Roosevelt are hospitalized, none of whom are in intensive care, the Navy said.

The Navy has also moved 4,158 sailors from the 4,800-person crew to shore.

Study of anti-malaria drug in veterans finds no benefits: An anti-malaria drug touted by President Trump as a potential “game changer” amid the coronavirus outbreak showed no benefit for patients, according to an analysis of those hospitalized in Veterans Health Administration medical centers.

The analysis found the two primary outcomes for COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine were death and the need for mechanical ventilation. 

The analysis was conducted retrospectively, based on data from patients hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections in all Veterans Health Administration medical centers until April 11.

The study analyzed only 368 patients but represented the largest look at the outcomes of COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine — with or without azithromycin, a common antibiotic — anywhere in the world.

The popularity of hydroxychloroquine is skyrocketing, even though there is no real data that shows how it benefits patients. The popularity of both hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin has led to shortages.

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten will brief the press at 11 a.m. https://bit.ly/2VLuQzn

The U.S. Institute of Peace will host an online event on “The Path to Intra-Afghan Talks” featuring two members of the Afghan government negotiating team at 11 a.m. https://bit.ly/2Kk6R54

Maryland National Guard State Surgeon Col. Eric Allely will brief the press at 1 p.m. https://bit.ly/2VLuQzn

New America will host an online event on “COVID and Climate Change in the Pacific” at 3:30 p.m. https://bit.ly/2VqkDct

ICYMI

— The Hill: Navy delays plans to move sailors back onto USS Theodore Roosevelt after coronavirus outbreak

— The Hill: Navy says two ships deployed to South China Sea amid tensions

— The Hill: Intelligence chief Grenell hits back against Schiff criticism of agency reorganization

— The Hill: Bipartisan Senate report reaffirms intelligence findings that Russia meddled in 2016 elections

— The Hill: Opinion: Iran views the pandemic as prime time for antics at sea — at its peril

— Task and Purpose: Here’s what it was like when Iran launched ballistic missiles at US troops in Iraq, according to those who were there

— Defense One: Lockheed Martin expects coronavirus to delay F-35 deliveries

— Foreign Policy: Congress asks for new social distancing rules on U.S. warships