Guidance for reopening houses of worship amid the coronavirus pandemic has been put on hold after a battle between the CDC and the White House, which was resistant to putting limits on religious institutions, the Washington Post reports.
The Coronavirus Nearly Broke the Financial Markets
A must-read from the Wall Street Journal:
“March 16 was the day a microscopic virus brought the financial system to the brink. Few realized how close it came to going over the edge entirely…”
“The financial system has endured numerous credit crunches and market crashes, and memories of the 1987 and 2008 crises set a high bar for market dysfunction. But longtime investors and those who make a living on Wall Street say mid-March of this year was far more severe in a short period. Moreover, the stresses to the financial system were broader than many had seen.”
Loeffler’s Husband Gives $1 Million to Trump Super PAC
Embattled Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s (R-GA) husband, Jeff Sprecher, made his largest-ever political contribution last month with a seven-figure donation to a super PAC supporting President Trump’s re-election.
Second Wave of Coronavirus Is Likely
CDC Director Robert Redfield told the Financial Times that the rapid spread of coronavirus in the southern hemisphere suggests it is likely to flare up again in the US this autumn and winter, raising the possibility of a second round of lockdowns this year.
The warning from the CDC chief comes despite repeated efforts by President Donald Trump to convince Americans the worst of the pandemic is over, arguing the country was “transitioning to greatness”.
GOP Lawmaker Booted for Not Wearing Mask
Illinois state Rep. Darren Bailey (R) was removed from the state legislature after refusing to comply with a rule requiring all lawmakers to wear masks during the special session, NBC Chicago reports.
After the State House voted overwhelmingly to adopt the rule, Rep. Chris Welch (D) made a motion to remove Bailey from the House proceedings. After Bailey refused to put on a mask, the House voted 81-27 to remove him from the chamber.
Officials Advised Against Trump Arms Sales to Saudis
“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo disregarded the advice of high-level officials at the State Department, Pentagon and within the intelligence community in invoking an emergency waiver last year to circumvent congressional review of billions of dollars in arms sales to the Gulf,” Politico reports.
“That decision was under investigation by a government watchdog who was fired last week at Pompeo’s urging, and it has fueled renewed accusations from lawmakers that the Trump administration bucked the will of Congress and even violated the law when it fast-tracked the weapons sales.”
McConnell Vows End to Enhanced Unemployment Benefits
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) promised House Republicans that the beefed up unemployment benefits enacted earlier this spring “will not be in the next bill,” Politico reports.
Sanders Seeks to Turn Down Volume of His Supporters
“Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose delegates staged a raucous rebellion against Hillary Clinton at the 2016 Democratic convention, is trying to engineer a different outcome this year — by turning down the volume on his social media-driven army of 2020 delegates,” the Washington Post reports.
“The Vermont senator’s campaign has told some supporters picked to represent him this year to sign agreements barring attacks on other candidates or party leaders, combative confrontations on social media or talking to reporters without approval.”
Cohen Will Be Released to Home Confinement
President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen will be released from a federal prison due to coronavirus concerns and is expected to serve the rest of his three-year sentence from home, the Wall Street Journal reports.
His release appeared in doubt earlier this month, when he didn’t return home as scheduled.
Flashback Quote of the Day
“I think it’s fine. It’s the flu. It’s the flu… It’s going to be handled. It’s going to come. It’s going to be bad. And maybe it will be worse than the normal flu seasons. And it’s going to go away. I think it is being handled fine. I think the words are right.”
— Donald Trump, on Fox News, on April 24, 2009, commenting on the Obama administration’s response to H1N1 Swine Flu.
Michael Flynn’s Name Was Never ‘Masked’
“A Republican effort to determine who may have leaked the name of Michael Flynn in connection to his 2016 contact with the Russian ambassador has centered on the question of which Obama administration officials requested his identity be ‘unmasked’ in intelligence documents,” the Washington Post reports.
“But in the FBI report about the communications between the two men, Flynn’s name was never redacted.”
Southern Counties About to Get Hit Hard
“A new analysis being reviewed by the White House shows southern states that moved too quickly to relax social distancing guidelines face significant risk for a resurgence of the coronavirus over the next several weeks,” the Daily Beast reports.
Most See Wearing Masks as Public Health Issue
A new HuffPost/YouGov poll finds that Americans, by 62% to 29%, say that deciding to wear a face mask is more a matter of public health than a matter of personal choice.
Speculation Grows Trump Will Fire CDC Director
“A day after President Trump privately excoriated the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Republican senators during a lunch on Capitol Hill, the fate of the agency’s director, Dr. Robert Redfield, is in question,” CNN reports.
“As recently as last week, Redfield told colleagues he didn’t think he was in trouble or that his job was on the line… Over the weekend, the momentum appeared to have shifted. Redfield grew concerned he may have a target on his back.”
Michigan Attorney General Says Trump Must Wear Mask
Michigan Unemployment Rate Is 22%
“Michigan’s jobless rate topped 22% in April, likely an all-time high for the state, as widespread layoffs continued in the month as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,” the Detroit Free Press reports.
That’s one reason Michigan is no longer a Toss Up on the consensus electoral map.
Justices Block Disclosure of Mueller Materials
“The Supreme Court blocked Congress from receiving grand-jury materials from Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The court, in a written order Wednesday, granted an emergency request by the Trump administration to keep the materials secret while it mounts a full high court appeal against their release.”
“The high court’s action increases the chances that the information will remain shielded through the 2020 election.”
GOP Sends Contradictory Message on Mail Voting
A Republican campaign flyer in South Carolina simultaneously blasts vote-by-mail efforts while explaining how voters can get an absentee ballot.