memeorandum: The coronavirus outbreak won't peak in every state at once (Caitlin Owens/Axios)

2:15 AM ET, April 1, 2020

Top Items:

White House projects 100K to 240K US deaths from virus — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Americans to brace for a “rough two-week period” ahead as the White House released new projections that there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic …

Discussion: Breitbart and The White House

Calvin Woodward / Associated Press:

Viral virus briefing: Where science meets all things Trump — WASHINGTON (AP) — For a few moments in the Rose Garden, the coronavirus pandemic is a bucking bronco with President Donald Trump on its back. His arm swings an invisible rope. He seems to be hanging on for dear life.

Discussion: The Hill, Breitbart, One America News Network and IJR

Real Clear Politics:

Time for a Second Opinion — We are trying to stave off and arrest a pandemic. Given what is being recommended, we think we need some second or third opinions. This pandemic, now that it has reached America, has taken 3,173 lives here. This, from a tested population of 164,359 cases.

Discussion: Instapundit

Quint Forgey / Politico:
Fauci: Mask-wearing recommendation under ‘very serious consideration’

Discussion: Breitbart, NPR, The Hill, New York Post, Vox, Raw Story and IJR

Washington Post:
Trump projects up to 240,000 coronavirus deaths in U.S., even with mitigation efforts

Discussion: Politico, HuffPost, The Hill and Rolling Stone, more at Mediagazer »

Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
White House projects 100K to 240K coronavirus deaths as Trump tells US to prepare for ‘very painful two weeks’

Discussion: The Hill, Big League Politics and israpundit.org

Bill Gates / Washington Post:

Here's how to make up for lost time on covid-19 — Bill Gates is co-founder of Microsoft and a co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. — 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.

Discussion: The Week

Politico:

Pence task force freezes coronavirus aid amid backlash — 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 …

Washington Post:

From 'It's going to disappear' to ‘WE WILL WIN THIS WAR’ … The Washington Post is providing this story for free so that all readers have access to this important information about the coronavirus. For more free stories, sign up for our daily Coronavirus Updates newsletter.

Discussion: The Philadelphia Inquirer, Florida Politics and Gothamist

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
A Trump fireside chat — in his own (unfortunate) words

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

Wartime Production Law Has Been Used Routinely, but Not With Coronavirus — The Defense Production Act has been invoked hundreds of thousands of times in the Trump years. But with the pandemic, the president sees it as a “break the glass” last resort. — WASHINGTON — Chemicals used to construct military missiles.

Discussion: Law & Crime, Raw Story and The Week

Wall Street Journal:

Senator Reports $1.4 Million in Stock Trades During Coronavirus Panic — Georgia Republican Kelly Loeffler and her husband, New York Stock Exchange Chairman Jeffrey Sprecher, suffered losses but limited damage — Sen. Kelly Loeffler and her husband purchased and sold about $1.4 million …

Tia Mitchell / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Loeffler reports more stock sales amid insider trading allegations — 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.

Discussion: NPR and The Week

Susannah Luthi / Politico:

Trump rejects Obamacare special enrollment period amid pandemic — 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.

Discussion: HuffPost, ACA Signups and Raw Story

Tami Luhby / CNN: Trump administration won't reopen Obamacare enrollment for uninsured as coronavirus spreads

Caitlin Owens / Axios:

The coronavirus outbreak won't peak in every state at once — Although the coronavirus is expected to peak in the U.S. in two weeks, many states will see their individual peaks well after that, according to a model by the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Discussion: Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, WINK NEWS, KTLA and Washingtonian

Sophie Tanno / Daily Mail:

Suzanne Hoylaerts (pictured) from Binkom, near Lubbeek, was hospitalised on March 20 when her condition rapidly deteriorated after contracting COVID-19 — Hoylaerts sought medical attention after suffering from a lack of appetite and shortness of breath. She was admitted to hospital …

San Francisco Chronicle:

Exclusive: Captain of aircraft carrier with growing coronavirus outbreak pleads for help from Navy — The captain of a nuclear aircraft carrier with more than 100 sailors infected with the coronavirus pleaded Monday with U.S. Navy officials for resources to allow isolation of his entire crew …

Isaac Arnsdorf / ProPublica:

A Major Medical Staffing Company Just Slashed Benefits for Doctors and Nurses Fighting Coronavirus — Alteon Health, a staffing company backed by private-equity firm Frazier Healthcare Partners, will cut salaries, time off and retirement benefits for providers, citing lost revenue.

Discussion: Marginal REVOLUTION

Alexis C. Madrigal / The Atlantic:

Private Labs Are Fueling a New Coronavirus Testing Crisis — Editor's Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. — On the surface, the American COVID-19 testing regime has finally hit its stride.

Discussion: cdph.ca.gov

Bethany Biron / Business Insider:

Hobby Lobby quietly reopened stores in at least 2 states, defying coronavirus-related shutdowns and prompting police intervention — Hobby Lobby is defying state-mandated lockdowns by quietly reopening stores, including nearly all of its stores in Wisconsin and Ohio.

Discussion: Denver Post

Jim Tankersley / New York Times:

White House Economists Warned in 2019 a Pandemic Could Devastate America — A study published last fall went unheeded. Its lead author now says economic shutdowns to fight the coronavirus could last up to eight months. — WASHINGTON — White House economists published a study last September …

Aaron Holmes / Business Insider:

‘Alcohol is soooo good’: Trolls are breaking into AA meetings being held on Zoom video calls and harassing recovering alcoholics — Trolls broke into multiple Alcoholics Anonymous meetings being held via Zoom video conference and harassed participants with slurs and mentions of alcohol.

Discussion: Deseret News and WAVY-TV

The Intercept:
Zoom Meetings Aren't End-to-End Encrypted, Despite Misleading Marketing

Discussion: TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, Vox, The Verge, Input and Doc Searls Weblog, more at Techmeme »

Chris Kahn / Reuters:

With 2020 race all but halted over coronavirus, Biden quietly widens lead over Trump: Reuters/Ipsos poll — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden has quietly expanded his lead over President Donald Trump among registered voters, even as the rapidly spreading …

Discussion: The Hill

Joanna Kakissis / NPR:

Turkmenistan Has Banned Use Of The Word ‘Coronavirus’ — The Central Asian country of Turkmenistan claims it has no coronavirus cases. But if you happen to utter the word “coronavirus” while waiting, say, for the bus in the white-marbled capital Ashgabat, there's a good chance you'll be arrested.

George Conway / Washington Post:

Impeachment didn't distract from coronavirus preparations. Trump did. — George T. Conway III is a lawyer and an adviser to the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super PAC. He is a co-founder of Checks & Balances, a network of lawyers advocating for the rule of law.

Discussion: HuffPost, Florida Politics, Raw Story, Mediaite and Mother Jones

Miami Herald:

Epidemiologist behind COVID-19 model cited by White House advises Florida to shut down — One of the epidemiologists behind a coronavirus model cited by the White House over the weekend as a reason for extending national social distancing recommendations through the end of April …

Discussion: CNN, NPR, New York Times and Florida Politics

Lee DeVito / Detroit Metro Times:

Gov. Whitmer reverses course on coronavirus drugs, is now asking feds for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer drew fire from some on the right after the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) sent a letter last week threatening “administrative action” …

Discussion: Townhall, Instapundit and Reason

Reuters:

Special Report: The Mask Middlemen - How pop-up brokers seek big paydays in a frenzied market — (Reuters) - Brian Kolfage, a Florida military veteran, recently convinced Americans to donate millions of dollars for a privately built wall on the U.S. southern border.

Ishaan Tharoor / Washington Post:

Coronavirus kills its first democracy — Sign up for the Today's WorldView newsletter. — You could say that Hungary was already “immunocompromised.” A decade under the nation's illiberal nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, has corroded the state's checks and balances …

Discussion: Foreign Policy, Outside the Beltway, Financial Times, spiked, New Statesman, Mother Jones and Lawyers, Guns & Money, more at Mediagazer »

Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:

Infected but Feeling Fine: The Unwitting Coronavirus Spreaders — The C.D.C. director says new data about people who are infected but symptom-free could lead the agency to recommend broadened use of masks. — As many as 25 percent of people infected with the new coronavirus may not show symptoms …

Discussion: NPR and The Hill

Associated Press:

US alcohol consumption surges; companies revamp operations — The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments on Tuesday related to the global economy, the work place and the spread of the virus.

Discussion: New York Post and The Daily Caller

Wall Street Journal:

China's Coronavirus Count Excluded Infected People With No Symptoms — ‘This could be a hell of a bad two weeks,’ Trump warns, urging Americans to continue social-distancing measures — The White House projected the U.S. could face 100,000 to 240,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic …

Discussion: Fox News

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Elizabeth Warren to Trump and Mnuchin: We're watching you — In one of the least surprising moves ever, President Trump declared barely moments after Congress sent him its $2 trillion economic rescue package that he would not abide by a key restriction on all the money it contains for bailing out businesses.

Matthew Choi / Politico:

Biden: Difficult to imagine having Democratic convention as scheduled — Democrats are supposed to meet in Milwaukee in mid-July. — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Mark Makela/Getty Images — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Tuesday he wouldn't be surprised …

Discussion: Washington Post

CNN:

Major retailers have opened only 5 drive-thru testing locations, none available to the general public — (CNN)As he was facing intense criticism for a lack of adequate testing, President Donald Trump announced in the Rose Garden in mid-March that the federal government would partner …

David Harsanyi / National Review:

Mike Lindell, Not Yamiche Alcindor, Is the Hero — Why is a grandstanding journalist seen as more virtuous than a self-sacrificing business owner? — MyPillow CEO Michael Lindell, a self-made former crack addict, is going to transform 75 percent of his manufacturing capacity …

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

Are COVID-19 Models a Sound Basis For Public Policy? [with comment by Paul] — Most Americans are now subject to “stay-home” orders of one kind or another, issued by state and local authorities, and countless “nonessential” businesses have been shut down. Millions have been thrown out of work …

Discussion: Instapundit

Brian Stelter / CNN:

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo diagnosed with coronavirus; he will continue working from home — New York (CNN Business)CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has been diagnosed with Covid-19, the network said in a memo to employees on Tuesday. — He is feeling well, and will continue to anchor his 9 p.m. program “Cuomo Prime Time” from his home.

Matthew Haag / New York Times:

40% of N.Y. Tenants May Not Pay Rent This Month. What Happens Then? — Many unemployed tenants won't be able to pay April rent. There will be a domino effect on landlords, real estate industry officials said. — The true economic toll of all but shutting down New York City to stem …

Discussion: Curbed NY, Gothamist and American Prospect