The Chinese government announced that it will revoke press credentials for American journalists who work for the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal in retaliation for restrictions that the Trump administration placed on Chinese state media outlets operating in the U.S., Axios reports.
Iran Warns Virus Could Kill ‘Millions’
“Iran issued its most dire warning yet Tuesday about the outbreak of the new coronavirus ravaging the country, suggesting ‘millions’ could die in the Islamic Republic if the public keeps traveling and ignoring health guidance,” the AP reports.
“A state television journalist who also is a medical doctor gave the warning only hours after hard-line Shiite faithful the previous night pushed their way into the courtyards of two major shrines that had just been closed over fears of the virus. Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader issued a religious ruling prohibiting ‘unnecessary’ travel in the country.”
States Delaying Primaries May Face Delegate Penalty
The Guardian: “A new memo from the Democratic National Committee panel that handles delegate selection for the presidential nomination warns that state parties that hastily change the ‘first determining step’ of their own process could be subject to penalties – including a 50% reduction in delegates. The memo also says the panel is looking at ways to adjust how delegates are selected in response to the coronavirus pandemic.”
Duncan Hunter Sentenced to 11 Months In Prison
Convicted Ex-Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) was sentenced on Tuesday to 11 months in prison with three years of supervised probation after he pleaded guilty to a single corruption charge, NBC San Diego reports.
Economic Stimulus Balloons to More than $1 Trillion
“The government’s economic stimulus is set to quickly balloon into trillion-dollar territory in the coming days, the largest rescue in modern American history, as major industries flood the Trump administration and Capitol Hill for aid while huge swaths of the economy stall from the coronavirus crisis,” Politico reports.
“Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will meet with Senate Republicans behind closed doors on Tuesday to present lawmakers with options for aid to airlines, hotels, casinos and small-to-medium-sized businesses.”
Playbook: “This is a recognition of a few realities: Number one, the administration’s initial cure for the melting economy — a payroll tax cut — would not take hold quickly enough, and faced uncertain prospects on Capitol Hill. Number two: Republican senators like Mitt Romney of Utah and Tom Cotton of Arkansas support direct payments to taxpayers, suggesting the GOP will go along. And number three: This is, theoretically, a way to bring Republicans and Democrats together quite quickly. Mnuchin suggested the checks would be means-tested — he said people making $1 million a year would not get a check.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I have seen that where people actually liked it, but I didn’t feel different… I’ve always viewed it as very serious.”
— President Trump, quoted by the Washington Post, on taking a different tone yesterday on the global pandemic.
What Did the Primaries Change?
Peter Enns and Jonathon Schuldt: “Joe Biden is now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president — after a primary involving months of campaigning, 28 Democratic candidates and over $1 billion in ads. Did any of that affect the result? Not much, our research suggests — but they weren’t meaningless.”
Maryland Postpones Primaries
“Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced that he was postponing the state’s primaries, originally scheduled for late April, to June 2 as the country grapples with the spread of the coronavirus,” Politico reports.
“Maryland is now the fifth state to move its primaries, joining Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky and Ohio, which saw its primary originally scheduled for today pushed until June after an eleventh-hour legal battle.”
Republicans Remain Skeptical of Coronavirus
Washington Post: “Inside the Republican Party and the conservative movement that Trump commands, there is now a deep divide as the nation confronts the coronavirus. For weeks, many on the right, including Trump, minimized the virus, if they considered it at all. Even in recent days, as much of the world shuts down to try to stop its spread, some Republicans mocked what they saw as a media-generated frenzy.”
“Their reaction reflected how the American right has evolved under Trump, moving from a bloc of small-government advocates to a grievance coalition highly skeptical of government, science, the news and federal warnings.”
“Their conspiratorial unrest is particularly acute within right-wing media, where Fox Business removed a prime-time anchor for casting the coronavirus as ‘another attempt to impeach the president.’ Other right-wing personalities continue to call the coronavirus a ‘hoax’ or falsely blame George Soros, the billionaire investor and liberal donor, for causing it.”
“But conservatives and Republicans now face an undeniable reality as the pandemic’s death count here and abroad climbs — and the worldwide reach of the coronavirus defies the bounds of political debate.”
Democratic Race May Be Frozen In Place
First Read: “It’s likely — if not certain — that tonight’s Democratic presidential primaries in Arizona, Florida and Illinois will be the last ones for the next two months.”
“It all freezes into place a Democratic nominating contest — with uncertainty about when it all begins again.”
“And that raises questions about the state of Bernie Sanders’ campaign (given that Joe Biden’s lead is going to grow after tonight’s contests), about the Democratic convention in July (will the health landscape improve by then?), and about whether states and the federal government can institute a vote-by-mail system for November.”
Fed Unveils Emergency Lending Program
“The Federal Reserve announced Tuesday that it will try to keep credit flowing to households and businesses by buying up commercial paper, short term promissory notes companies use to fund themselves,” the New York Times reports.
“The program, enacted using the Fed’s emergency lending powers, pulls a page from the central bank’s financial crisis playbook. Putting it into action required the signoff of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Treasury will provide $10 billion of credit protection to the Fed, using Treasury’s Exchange Stabilization Fund.”
Wall Street Journal: “The Fed can’t lend directly to households and businesses, but it can invoke emergency powers to establish lending facilities that can, in turn, extend credit.”
Biden Gets Secret Service Protection
Joe Biden received Secret Service protection starting Tuesday, CNN reports.
“The development comes with Biden knocked off the campaign trail amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, instead holding online events for voters and donors.”
Poll Results on Joe Biden’s Likely Running Mate
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Trump Calls it the ‘Chinese Virus’ Again
Boris Johnson Jokes About U.K. Respirator-Making Project
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson “joked” on a Monday night conference call with manufacturers, who have been urged to join a national effort for the impending coronivirus crisis, that the emergency project to build more life-saving ventilators could be known as “Operation Last Gasp,” Politico reports.
House Democrats Scale Back Paid-Leave Program
“The Democratic-led House scaled back a paid-leave program that the chamber had tried to enact days earlier, following pressure from businesses worried about financial burdens from the sweeping bill in response to the coronavirus crisis,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“In revised legislation that Democratic leaders billed as a technical correction, but represented a significant rewrite, the House modified a program aimed at providing paid leave to people affected by the coronavirus. The new measure would still provide two weeks of sick leave to a wide swath of workers affected by the pandemic, including those who are in quarantine, caring for family members with Covid-19, and those who have children whose schools or day-care centers have closed.”
GOP Impeachment Votes Were Shortsighted
Michael Gerson: “Every time Vice President Pence appears for a coronavirus briefing, it is a reminder what the votes of just 20 Republican senators for impeachment might have accomplished for the republic.”
“Pence is no Franklin D. Roosevelt, but neither is he an obviously outmatched leader like his boss. The vice president is a sycophant but not an incompetent. He possesses the type of qualities one might find in an effective governor facing a hurricane. President Trump possesses the qualities one might expect in a shady businessman trying to shift responsibility for bad debt and mismanagement — which was the main leadership qualification on his pre-presidential résumé.”
“Never has the phrase ‘President Pence’ had a better ring to it. Never have Republican votes against impeachment seemed more shortsighted and damaging to the country.”
Trump Seeks $850 Billion In Emergency Stimulus
“The Trump administration is asking Congress to approve a massive economic stimulus package of around $850 billion to stanch the economic free-fall caused by the coronavirus,” the Washington Post reports.
“Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will present details to Senate Republicans later Tuesday. The package would be mostly devoted to flooding the economy with cash, through a payroll tax cut or other mechanism, with some $50 billion directed specifically to helping the airline industry.”
“The $850 billion package would come in addition to another roughly $100 billion package that aims to provide paid sick leave for impacted workers, though the details of that legislation remain very fluid as it moves through Congress.”
Playbook: “Sometimes — and it’s not often — members of Congress decide to go big and move quickly with a breakneck speed that’s hard to fathom. That may be happening right now with the Phase Three stimulus.”