Fwd: All 50 states are reopening
Blaming China for the coronavirus pandemic has become something of a rallying cry for Donald Trump and his supporters. And indeed, China is far from blameless in its specious management of the crisis. But Trump has actually mirrored China's own delayed action and blame-shifting rhetoric on the issue from the beginning. He initially praised China effusively for its "efforts and transparency." Now he accuses China of refusing to admit that its "incompetence" led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands around the world. Either way, the president is suggesting that he was duped, and he is using China as an excuse to cover up his own mismanagement.
—Evan McMullin
1. It's all up to us now
Connecticut became the final state to begin lifting coronavirus restrictions today, meaning all 50 states have now at least partially emerged from lockdowns. But with only a handful of states showing significant improvement in infection rates, some experts caution it could be too soon. As of yesterday, at least 17 states had registered an upward trend in average daily cases of COVID-19 over the previous seven days, according to an analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Health officials say Americans can't let their guard down, and collective commitment to wearing masks, social distancing, and personal hygiene will be even more critical to lowering the risk of catching the highly transmissible and sometimes deadly virus. —CNN
— CDC issues new guidelines. To aid states with the transition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has laid out a detailed road map for reopening schools, child-care facilities, restaurants, and mass transit. The CDC cautions that some institutions should stay closed for now and said reopening should be guided by coronavirus transmission rates. —The Washington Post
— DOJ warns California. In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Justice Department's civil rights division said Newsom had shown "unequal treatment of faith communities" in restricting their ability to gather and may be violating their constitutional rights. While California worshippers cannot gather in person, even while following social distancing protocols, the state has deemed employees in the entertainment and e-commerce industries essential and allowed them to continue working in person. —Los Angeles Times
— Florida scientist fired over data? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration fired Dr. Rebekah Jones from the state Department of Health on Monday, and Jones claims she was sidelined after refusing to "manually change [coronavirus] data to drum up support for the plan to reopen" the state. A spokesperson for DeSantis denies the allegation. —The Guardian
— Oregon gov's orders get a stay. After Baker Co. Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff ruled against Gov. Kate Brown on Monday when she failed to seek the state legislature's approval to extend stay-at-home orders beyond a 28-day limit, Brown's lawyers appealed the ruling. Yesterday, the Oregon Supreme Court put a hold on Shirtcliff's decree until the high court's justices can review the matter. —KATU
More: Trump says the US leading the world in coronavirus cases is 'a badge of honor' because it reflects success in testing (Business Insider)
2. Graham: The hydroxychloroquine mess
"If Trump wishes to put dangerous medicines into his body, that is of course his prerogative. It's a free country. But with his hydroxychloroquine two-step, he risks encouraging other Americans to put it into their body too. In that way, Trump's announcement that he's taking hydroxychloroquine echoes his handling of the pandemic: poisoning the entire body politic with chaos, misinformation, and distrust." —The Atlantic
More: Warraich: The risks of Trump's hydroxychloroquine hype (The New York Times)
3. Another piece of the Pompeo puzzle
There's a new chapter in the ongoing saga of the firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. Linick had recently wrapped up an investigation into Cam Henderson, leader of the department's Office of Protocol, determining that she had likely failed to report allegations of workplace violence. The probe may have been another factor in Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's frustration with—and push to oust—Linick.
— Henderson took over as the chief of the Office of Protocol last summer, after her former boss, Sean Lawler, was pushed out. Some in the office accused Lawler of intimidating and harassing his staffers, and even carrying a whip on the job.
— Pompeo and his wife worked closely with Henderson's office on a series of intimate, private dinners that featured influential conservatives, administration officials, and Wall Street financiers in what some critics have viewed as the improper use of taxpayer dollars.
— Linick had investigated claims that Henderson, while Lawler's deputy, had violated State Department policy by not reporting allegations involving Lawler and workplace violence to higher-ups. Linick's office had determined Henderson likely had violated regulations and that the State Department should take appropriate action. —Politico
4. Trump fires blank shot in vote-by-mail battle
In the midst of catastrophic flooding, Michigan got a dire but entirely flawed warning from President Trump early this morning. He claimed on Twitter that the state is mailing election ballots to its voters (this is false—registered voters were mailed applications, not ballots). Then he wrote, "This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!"
— Nevada. Trump also tweeted about Nevada, which is planning an all-mail election for its June 9 primary. "State of Nevada 'thinks' that they can send out illegal vote by mail ballots, creating a great Voter Fraud scenario for the State and the U.S. They can't! If they do, 'I think' I can hold up funds to the State." Elections are run by state and local governments, so it's unclear how Trump could legally withhold funds from the states. —MarketWatch
— Texas. Yesterday, Texas District Judge Fred Biery ruled that voters wary of catching coronavirus can request absentee mail-in ballots. Biery ruled that the "disability" provision in the state's vote-by-mail election code applies to all registered voters who "lack immunity from COVID-19 and fear infection at polling places." —CNN
— Wisconsin. In the state's recent April 7 election, nearly 2,700 absentee ballots in Milwaukee were not sent, and about 1,600 in the Fox Valley were not processed, because of computer glitches and mailing problems, according to a report on the election. The report highlights the kind of difficulties states could face in the November presidential election without proper preparation. —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
More: Freed by court ruling, Republicans step up effort to patrol voting (The New York Times)
5. Ingram: Time for the world's democracies to unite
"There is something that all the world's democracies could do right now, and that is publicly join Australia in its demand for an independent inquiry into COVID-19's origins and transparency around the Chinese Communist Party's initial response. If the hyperventilating rhetoric of Chinese officials is enough to intimidate other democracies from publicly supporting Australia's call, then the world can expect more CCP aggression in the West Philippine Sea, crackdowns on pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong, and a variety of other anti-democratic actors feeling empowered to act out." —War on the Rocks
Ed. Note: Haroro Ingram is a senior research fellow with the Program on Extremism at George Washington University and a member of the RESOLVE Network's Research Advisory Council.
More: Trump blames China for 'mass Worldwide killing' (France24)
6. Lawsuit against Trump family will proceed
A federal judge has denied a request from the Trump family to stop a class-action lawsuit alleging that they promoted a pyramid scheme. The lawsuit claims that Donald Trump and his children were guilty of fraud and false advertising by promoting American Communications Network, a multilevel marketing company.
— Led by four anonymous plaintiffs, the lawsuit claims that the president, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump received millions of dollars in secret payments to promote American Communications Network.
— The lawsuit claims the Trumps encouraged the plaintiffs to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars in the company. The plaintiffs claim to have never reaped any benefit from the investment.
— "The Trumps conned each of these victims into giving up hundreds or thousands of dollars—losses that many experienced as devastating and life-altering. Surely the Trumps dismissed these amounts (and the lives they wrecked) as trivial. But by defrauding so many for so long, the Trumps made millions," the lawsuit says. —The Independent
7. Stott: Pandemic role reversal in Latin America
"Latin America's left-wing populists have a fearsome reputation for spending money. From Juan Perón to Hugo Chávez, a succession of larger-than-life leaders have drained the public coffers in the name of progress. But things are changing. Left-wing leaders are preaching austerity and right-wing governments are running up big deficits. ... The coronavirus crisis, and the wave of popular unrest that preceded it, have forced several of the region's governments into uncharacteristic behavior." —Financial Times
More: Soaring cases, lost ventilators show chaos of Brazil virus fight (Bloomberg)
8. Impeachment investigation is still open
The House Judiciary Committee has informed the Supreme Court that its investigation of impeachable offenses against President Trump is still open. The committee argued in a letter to the high court that it needs grand jury evidence from the Russia investigation to determine if Trump committed additional impeachable offenses.
— "If this material reveals new evidence supporting the conclusion that President Trump committed impeachable offenses... the committee will proceed accordingly—including, if necessary, by considering whether to recommend new articles of impeachment," wrote Douglas Letter, the House's general counsel.
— In March, a federal appeals court ruled that the committee was entitled to the secret grand jury evidence gathered by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The Justice Department disagreed and asked for the Supreme Court to review the ruling.
— The committee is also probing improper political influence in the DOJ's handling of the cases of Trump allies Roger Stone and Gen. Michael Flynn, according to the letter. The two men were indicted as a result of Mueller's investigation. —USA Today
More: A guide to the 10 biggest Supreme Court cases of this term (The Dispatch)
9. The Economist: Fighting a political virus
"The extreme right is making good use of the pandemic. A fractious movement by nature, its followers have responded to COVID-19 in many ways besides displays of brash shirts and guns. They have carried out Zoom-bombings (i.e., interrupting video-conference meetings), encouraged others to infect police officers and Jews, and sought to disrupt government activities, including New York City's 311 line for non-emergency information and National Guard operations." —The Economist
More: Asian American doctors and nurses are fighting racism and the coronavirus (The Washington Post)
10. An American Story: Jogger spreads joy in NJ
In Mount Laurel, N.J., it's quite possible that you could look out your window one day and see a mermaid jogging down the street. For the past few weeks, Rob Austin, also known as "The Larchmont Jogger," has been dressing up in a variety of costumes while out on his daily jogs to uplift the spirits of his pandemic-weary Burlington Co. community.
— It started out as a joke between Austin and his friends until his neighbors took notice and began posting videos and pictures of him on the Mount Laurel neighborhood Facebook page.
— He's even taking requests. "There was one comment that said, 'My son really loves Sonic the Hedgehog,' and I’m trying to figure out in my mind how I can do that," he said. "My fiance starting laughing and said, 'What are you doing with hangers and that blue-colored T-shirt?' I was like, 'I want to see if I can make a Sonic.'"
— Austin says his Halloween costume collection is pretty stocked so he has plenty more costume ideas up his sleeve to brighten the days of his neighbors. Great job, Rob! —CBS News
Ed. Note: We are spotlighting ways that Americans are helping each other through the coronavirus crisis. Would you like to suggest an "American Story" from your local news? If so, please forward a link to the story to editor@topline.com. Thank you!
I really appreciated your "An American Story: Helping each other one slice at a time." It should have been first, not tenth. Thank you. —Virgene L., Washington
I enthusiastically agree with Steven R. from Calif., writing in "What's Your Take" yesterday. —Linda M., Oregon
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