General
Commander of aircraft carrier hit by coronavirus outbreak warns Navy ‘decisive action’ is needed
Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne, CNN
The commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a US Navy aircraft carrier where an outbreak of the coronavirus has spread to at least 70 sailors, has warned Navy leadership that decisive action is required to save the lives of the ship’s crew. “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our Sailors,” Capt. Brett Crozier wrote in a memo to the Navy’s Pacific Fleet, three US defense officials have confirmed to CNN.
‘A tricky balance’: Obama seeks to inform and reassure the public on coronavirus while avoiding confrontation with Trump
David Nakamura, The Washington Post
For weeks, former president Barack Obama has chosen not to respond to the taunts as President Trump seeks to deflect responsibility for the widespread coronavirus outbreak in the United States by shifting some blame to his predecessor. But on Tuesday, Obama appeared to fight back.
Laid off Bloomberg staffers docked taxes for campaign phones, computers
Josh Lederman, NBC News
Laid off campaign staffers to Michael Bloomberg’s campaign who received their final paychecks on Tuesday were docked hundreds of dollars to cover taxes on their campaign-issued cellphone and laptop, three former Bloomberg campaign staffers told NBC News. The deductions came as a lawsuit against the Bloomberg campaign, alleging that the campaign fraudulently promised jobs through November, has grown from one plaintiff to more than 50.
Venezuela rejects a U.S. offer to ease sanctions in exchange for transitional government
Carmen Sesin, NBC News
Venezuela’s foreign minister rejected a proposal announced by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday, to lift sanctions if they accept a plan for a transitional government. “The Bolivarian government reiterates that Venezuela does not accept, nor will it ever accept any tutelage, from any foreign government,” tweeted Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza.
White House & Administration
Memos from CDC to White House lay out rationale for possible widespread use of face coverings
Lena H. Sun and Laurie McGinley, The Washington Post
Federal officials debating whether to recommend that face coverings be routinely worn in public are responding to increasing evidence that infected people without symptoms can spread the coronavirus, according to internal memos provided to the White House by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Simple cloth masks that cover the mouth and nose can prevent virus transmission from such individuals when they are out buying groceries or seeking medical care, according to the memos obtained by The Washington Post.
Trump rejects Obamacare special enrollment period amid pandemic
Susannah Luthi, Politico
The Trump administration has decided against reopening Obamacare enrollment to uninsured Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, defying calls from health insurers and Democrats to create a special sign-up window amid the health crisis. President Donald Trump and administration officials recently said they were considering relaunching HealthCare.gov, the federal enrollment site, and insurers said they privately received assurances from health officials overseeing the law’s marketplace.
Pence task force freezes coronavirus aid amid backlash
Natasha Bertrand et al., Politico
Last week, a Trump administration official working to secure much-needed protective gear for doctors and nurses in the United States had a startling encounter with counterparts in Thailand. The official asked the Thais for help—only to be informed by the puzzled voices on the other side of the line that a U.S. shipment of the same supplies, the second of two so far, was already on its way to Bangkok.
Border Agents Change Practice on Immigrant Child Separation Over Coronavirus
Michelle Hackman and Alicia A. Caldwell, The Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration is turning back immigrant children caught crossing the border illegally with their relatives, in a break from past practice, under emergency powers being invoked during the new coronavirus pandemic, three administration officials familiar with the matter said. Previously, border agents would have separated many of these children from family members if they weren’t parents or guardians.
ICE Must Release 10 Chronically Ill Immigrants After A Judge Said They’re Not Safe From The Coronavirus While In Custody
Hamed Aleaziz, BuzzFeed News
A federal judge ordered the immediate release of 10 immigrants in government custody on Tuesday, saying it would be “unconscionable and possibly barbaric” to keep the chronically ill detainees in jails where they could be exposed to the coronavirus. The order issued by US District Judge John E. Jones III mandates the immediate release of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees from three county facilities in Pennsylvania — York, Clinton, and Pike — and comes as advocates continue to argue that immigration officials should cut the detention population.
Trump Set to Announce Deferral for Some Tariff Payments
Jenny Leonard, Bloomberg
President Donald Trump approved a proposal pushed for by some businesses to delay payment of certain tariffs by three months, according to people familiar with the matter. The announcement to defer levies for so-called most-favored nation duties will come in the form of an executive order, one of the people said.
Wartime Production Law Has Been Used Routinely, but Not With Coronavirus
Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Ana Swanson, The New York Times
Chemicals used to construct military missiles. Materials needed to build drones. Body armor for agents patrolling the southwest border. Equipment for natural disaster response.
White House Economists Warned in 2019 a Pandemic Could Devastate America
Jim Tankersley, The New York Times
White House economists published a study last September that warned a pandemic disease could kill a half million Americans and devastate the economy. It went unheeded inside the administration.
Senate
Senators slam ‘reckless’ House over surveillance debacle
Marianne Levine and Martin Matishak, Politico
Senators are fuming over the House’s decision to leave Washington last week without temporarily extending key domestic surveillance laws that expired in mid-March. Senators say they believed the House was going to vote by Friday to extend provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which the Senate had already approved before taking on the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package.
Rick Scott calls for congressional inquiry into WHO’s coronavirus response
Andrew Desiderio, Politico
Sen. Rick Scott on Tuesday called for a congressional investigation into the World Health Organization, suggesting the U.S. should cut off its funding for “helping Communist China cover up” the full extent of the coronavirus pandemic. The Florida Republican, a noted China hawk, has long raised concerns about the WHO’s relationship with Beijing, which has undercounted the number of coronavirus cases in the country.
McConnell: Impeachment distracted government from coronavirus threat
Alexander Bolton, The Hill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blamed the Democrats’ push to impeach President Trump in January for distracting the Trump administration from the threat posed by the coronavirus. “It came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of the government because everything every day was all about impeachment,” McConnell said in an interview on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”
Loeffler reports more stock sales amid insider trading allegations
Tia Mitchell and Chris Joyner, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s most recent financial disclosures show that millions of dollars in stocks were sold on her behalf at the same time Congress was dealing with the impact of the coronavirus. The largest transactions — and the most politically problematic — involve $18.7 million in sales of Intercontinental Exchange stock in three separate deals dated Feb. 26 and March 11.
House
Congress wrestles with new coronavirus role: $2 trillion watchdog
Kyle Cheney and Melanie Zanona, Politico
House Democrats have promised relentless scrutiny of the Trump administration’s handling of more than $2 trillion in coronavirus relief. It’s not going to be easy.
2020
Wisconsin goes it alone, holding elections next week amid fears of infection and voting chaos
Amy Gardner, The Washington Post
In Tuesday’s Wisconsin elections, more than 100 municipalities will not have enough poll workers to open a single voting location. Tens of thousands of voters who have flooded election offices with mail-ballot requests in recent days are at risk of not receiving them on time.
How ‘Never Bernie’ Voters Threw In With Biden and Changed the Primary
Astead W. Herndon, The New York Times
Jane King, a financial investor from Boston who describes herself as progressive, began the presidential primary as an avowed supporter of Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. But as Ms. Warren’s candidacy seemed to fade early this year, Ms. King looked elsewhere.
Coronavirus primary delays mean some states could lose delegates at the Democratic National Convention
Sean Collins, Vox
New York has delayed its 2020 presidential primary until June 23 due to coronavirus concerns, a delay that the Democratic party said could result in the state losing delegates at the national convention in July. New York is just the latest of more than a dozen states figuring out how to balance public health concerns with concluding a Democratic primary.
States
Governors plead for medical equipment from federal stockpile plagued by shortages and confusion
Toluse Olorunnipa et al., The New York Times
As states across the country have pleaded for critical medical equipment from a key national stockpile, Florida has promptly received 100 percent of its first two requests — with President Trump and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis both touting their close relationship. States including Oklahoma and Kentucky have received more of some equipment than they requested, while others such as Illinois, Massachusetts and Maine have secured only a fraction of their requests.
Texas’s Ban On Abortions During The Coronavirus Outbreak Can Go Back Into Effect Following An Appeals Court Ruling
Ema O’Connor, BuzzFeed News
Texas will be allowed to instate a temporary ban on abortion in nearly all cases during the coronavirus outbreak, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. The court overturned a decision released just hours before, on Monday afternoon, when a federal judge put a hold on the ban, saying it would cause “irreparable harm” to patients in the state.
Trump allies warn against feud with swing state governor
Steve Peoples and David Eggert, The Associated Press
President Donald Trump’s allies are trying to contain a politically risky election year fight with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as he struggles to balance presidential politics with a global pandemic in one of the nation’s most important swing states. Both sides have tried to de-escalate the feud this week, although Trump’s supporters in particular sought to downplay tensions that ratcheted up over the weekend when the Republican president unleashed a social media broadside against Whitmer, a Democrat who had been critical of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Coronavirus Is Building an Invisible Border Wall Between Kentucky and Tennessee
Hunter Woodall, The Daily Beast
Tennessee is so close that it can feel almost like family to Donna Blake. But that hasn’t stopped the Republican, who serves as mayor of Adairville minutes away from Kentucky’s border with Tennessee, from being supportive of her Democratic governor’s urging to largely stay away from their southern neighbor.
Iowa secretary of state will mail every registered voter a ballot request form for June primary
Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register
The Iowa Secretary of State’s office will mail every registered voter in Iowa an absentee ballot request form ahead of the state’s June 2 primary, it announced Tuesday. The plan to send ballot request forms to 2 million Iowans comes as concerns about in-person voting have mounted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Advocacy
Flight Attendants Urge Government Not to Take Airline Stakes
Alison Sider, The Wall Street Journal
Flight attendants urged federal officials not to make grants to airlines contingent on government stakes, saying they believe executives would refuse—costing jobs in an industry hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The $2 trillion economic relief package that Congress passed last week included $25 billion in grants for passenger airlines to pay workers, along with $25 billion in loans and loan guarantees.
The new labor movement
Joann Muller, Axios
The coronavirus pandemic has had a big impact on working people, who are increasingly banding together to put pressure on employers and raise public awareness about health and safety issues they’re facing on the job. After years of declining union membership, a new labor movement is rising, amplified by the power of social media and fueled by concerns that workers deemed essential during the crisis are putting their lives at risk to ensure the well-being of others.
A Message from America’s Credit Unions:
In these uncertain times, we could all use a helping hand, and America’s credit unions are here to lend it. As not-for-profit financial cooperatives owned and operated by our members, we’re focused on the well-being of our members and communities. With emergency loans, small business support, and community partnerships, we’re here to help because we’re all in this together. For more on how credit unions are helping your community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, visit AmericasCreditUnions.org.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
We Urge the President to Use the Defense Production Act to Bolster PPE Supplies
Bruce A. Meyer and Jonathan L. Gleason, Morning Consult
A federal government plan to combat the coronavirus warned policymakers that a pandemic “will last 18 months or longer” and could include “multiple waves,” resulting in widespread shortages that would strain consumers and the nation’s health care system to a degree never before seen. Today we are in the midst of the first wave, and while our doctors, nurses and staff are ready to handle the influx, my fear is that we won’t have the supplies to protect them from this virus.
Here’s how to make up for lost time on covid-19
Bill Gates, The Washington Post
There’s no question the United States missed the opportunity to get ahead of the novel coronavirus. But the window for making important decisions hasn’t closed.
Covid-19 Is Twisting 2020 Beyond All Recognition
Thomas B. Edsall, The New York Times
Not only will the coronavirus crisis define Donald Trump’s legacy, it will determine whether or not he is a one-term president.
States need billions to ensure safe elections
Katie Hobbs and Kim Wyman, CNN
Over the weekend, New York joined Delaware and Pennsylvania as the latest states to move their primaries to June in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, the territory of Puerto Rico, which had already moved its primary to late April, now finds itself less than a month away from holding an election, pending another postponement.
Mike Lindell, Not Yamiche Alcindor, Is the Hero
David Harsanyi, National Review
MyPillow CEO Michael Lindell, a self-made former crack addict, is going to transform 75 percent of his manufacturing capacity to make 10,000 cotton face masks per day by the end of the week, ramping up production to 50,000 a day in a month. That sounds like a patriotic act to me, especially given that Lindell is undertaking the effort without being forced to do so by a federal agency.
Research Reports and Polling
Coronavirus pandemic boosts popularity of Trump and Johnson
Kiran Stacey and Jim Pickard, Financial Times
The coronavirus pandemic has boosted the poll ratings of almost every major democratic leader, according to an FT analysis of polling data from around the world. The approval rating for the leaders of 10 of the biggest democracies has risen on average by nine points, according to an analysis of data from pollster Morning Consult.
|
