Top Items:
New York Times:
Coronavirus Live Updates: Doctor Says He Was Removed From Federal Post After Questioning Controversial Treatment — The first known U.S. death from the illness came in early February in California. An order by Trump will impose a 60-day halt in issuing green cards. Some stability returned to the energy market.
Discussion:
Forbes, The Guardian, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, The Verge, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Twitchy
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Dan Diamond / Politico:
Ousted vaccine expert battles with Trump team over his abrupt dismissal — The abrupt ouster of a top vaccine expert at HHS has split officials who see it as either a boon for the nation's Covid-19 response or the latest indication of a dysfunctional health department.
Discussion:
Vox, National Review, Associated Press, The Hill, The Stranger, The Guardian and Mediaite
Orion Rummler / Axios:
Head of vaccine agency says he was ousted for resisting hydroxychloroquine — Rick Bright, former director of the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, said in a statement Wednesday that he believes he was removed from his role this week after clashing with HHS leadership …
Discussion:
CNBC, In the Pipeline, NPR and The New Civil Rights Movement
Reuters:
Special Report: HHS chief Azar had aide, former dog breeder, steer pandemic task force — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On January 21, the day the first U.S. case of coronavirus was reported, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services appeared on Fox News to report the latest on the disease as it ravaged China.
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Wall Street Journal:
Health Chief's Early Missteps Set Back Coronavirus Response — HHS Secretary Alex Azar waited for weeks to brief the president and oversold his agency's progress — WASHINGTON—On Jan. 29, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told President Trump the coronavirus epidemic was under control.
Gabby Orr / Politico:
Trump prepares to hit the road
Trump prepares to hit the road
Discussion:
NBC News, Daily Kos, Vanity Fair, Raw Story and Contemptor
Ariana Eunjung Cha / Washington Post:
A mysterious blood-clotting complication is killing coronavirus patients — Once thought a relatively straightforward respiratory virus, covid-19 is proving to be much more frightening — Craig Coopersmith was up early that morning as usual and typed his daily inquiry into his phone.
Discussion:
CBS Baltimore
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
A disturbing new study suggests Sean Hannity's show helped spread the coronavirus — Sophisticated new research links Hannity's coronavirus misinformation to “a greater number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.” — Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, media critics have warned that the decision …
Discussion:
NPR, Newsweek, Twitchy, The Verge, Conservative News Today and Bloomberg, more at Mediagazer »
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Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Fox News Stars Touted a Malaria Drug, Until They Didn't — Laura Ingraham called hydroxychloroquine “a game changer.” But after a month of coverage, she stopped discussing the drug on the air. — For a month's stretch, the Fox News star Laura Ingraham relentlessly promoted …
Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Biden leads Trump in battleground Pennsylvania — With most Pennsylvania voters concerned about catching coronavirus and nearly six-in-ten believing the Trump administration was too slow to act, Joe Biden leads Donald Trump in that battleground state.
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Ed Kilgore / New York Magazine:
Trump's Coronavirus Response May Be Turning Off Older Voters
Trump's Coronavirus Response May Be Turning Off Older Voters
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA
Timothy Bella / Washington Post:
Las Vegas mayor: Reopen casinos, let the ones with the most infections then close — Standing in front of an empty storefront along Main Street, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman was beaming with optimism, believing that businesses would make it through the coronavirus pandemic.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, CNN, The Guardian, NPR, The Hill, New York Post, Daily Kos, Gothamist, The New Civil Rights Movement, YouTube and Contemptor
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Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Oklahoma governor announces plans to start reopening state economy — Oklahoma is set to become the latest state to reopen some businesses on Friday amid the coronavirus pandemic after Gov. Kevin Stitt announced that hair salons, spas, nail salons and pet groomers can open their doors.
Discussion:
NBC News, Oklahoman.com and The Hill
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Burgess Everett / Politico:
Schumer's Senate Democrats show sharper edge in coronavirus era — Chuck Schumer and his Senate Democrats have found a go-to play in this pandemic: an old-school blockade. — Amid a coronavirus outbreak that's crippling the economy, Schumer's caucus is digging in for longer fights …
Discussion:
Vox, The Hill and Common Dreams
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Jim VandeHei / Axios:
Axios qualifies for PPP loan — Axios is among the small businesses that qualified for a PPP loan to protect existing jobs and help weather the coronavirus crisis. — Why it matters: We are in the somewhat unique position of being both a media company, which covers government and business …
Discussion:
The Hill and CNBC, more at Mediagazer »
Maya T. Prabhu / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia Democratic lawmaker announces resignation week after endorsing Trump — A little more than a week after he announced that he was endorsing President Donald Trump, Democratic state Rep. Vernon Jones announced Wednesday morning that he would not complete his term.
Discussion:
Washington Times, Raw Story, TheGrio, The Gateway Pundit, The Root, Fox News, Associated Press and New York Post
Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
CNN Boss Tells Staff They Will Not Return to Offices Until at Least September — STAY AT HOME — CNN won't send staffers back into its offices until at least September. In an internal email obtained by The Daily Beast, network chief Jeff Zucker told staff that the vast majority of company staff will …
Discussion:
Deadline, Mediaite and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
Coronavirus Death in California Came Weeks Before First Known U.S. Death — The earliest U.S. deaths publicly attributed to the virus had been on Feb. 26, when two people died in the Seattle area. Santa Clara County said an autopsy showed a Feb. 6 death was also related.
Discussion:
Sputnik News, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Vox, Raw Story, Michigan Advance and ABC17NEWS
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Washington Post:
States rushing to reopen are likely making a deadly error, coronavirus models and experts warn — By the end of the week, residents in Georgia will be able to get their hair permed and nails done. By Monday, they will be cleared for action flicks at the cineplex and burgers at their favorite greasy spoon.
Discussion:
CNN
Jonathan Tamari / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
A key Democratic group is suing to ease Pennsylvania's vote-by-mail laws — A major Democratic political group is backing a new lawsuit aiming to make it easier to vote by mail in Pennsylvania because of the coronavirus crisis. — The suit was filed Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Alliance …
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David Smiley / Miami Herald:
Mail voting expected to ‘explode’ in Florida as coronavirus reshapes 2020 elections
Mail voting expected to ‘explode’ in Florida as coronavirus reshapes 2020 elections
Discussion:
NBC News
Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
Pentagon plans to dispatch Blue Angels and Thunderbirds in coronavirus response — The Pentagon is planning a multi-city tour of the U.S. military's top flight demonstration teams to “champion national unity” amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to defense officials and a memo obtained by The Washington Post.
Discussion:
Axios, Mediaite and New York Post
MSNBC:
‘Frustrated’ Trump eager to get out of White House, aides exploring ways to allow him to leave D.C. — A “frustrated” President Donald Trump is growing restless after a month of nationwide shutdowns, and top aides and campaign officials are exploring ways to allow him to leave D.C..
Associated Press:
AP-NORC poll: Few Americans support easing virus protections — WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite pockets of attention-grabbing protests, a new survey finds Americans remain overwhelmingly in favor of stay-at-home orders and other efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Wall Street Journal:
Coronavirus Deaths in U.S. Nursing, Long-Term Care Facilities Top 10,000 — Industry says it is struggling to get the testing it needs to detect and contain outbreaks — The number of U.S. coronavirus-linked deaths in long-term care facilities including nursing homes has eclipsed 10,000 …
Anemona Hartocollis / New York Times:
Trump Says Harvard Must Pay Back Relief Money He Signed Into Law — Joining a chorus of critics, the president appeared not to realize that Harvard had received $8.6 million in stimulus funding as part of a federal aid package to universities. — President Trump joined mounting criticism …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, The College Fix, Fox News, Forbes, Raw Story, New York Daily News and Washington Post
Wall Street Journal:
Rikers Island Jail Guards Are Dying in One of the Worst Coronavirus Outbreaks — The New York City correctional complex is among the most-infected workplaces in the U.S. — When Quinsey Simpson relieved a colleague at New York City's Rikers Island jail complex in early March …
Discussion:
The Root
Jay Willis / The Appeal:
Judges Are Exploiting the COVID-19 Pandemic to Advance the Conservative Agenda — A trio of cases in Wisconsin and Texas illustrates how Republican judges are feigning helplessness in the face of a public health crisis while furthering their own ends. — This piece is a commentary …
Brian Klaas / Washington Post:
I live in Britain. Thank goodness there's no Fox News here. — The United Kingdom and the United States are both hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Both countries are run by populist blowhards whose larger-than-life hair and egos are inversely proportional to their regard for expertise.
Washington Post:
The anti-quarantine protests seem spontaneous. But behind the scenes, a powerful network is helping. — The ads on Facebook sounded populist and passionate: “The people are rising up against these insane shutdowns,” they said. “We're fighting back to demand that our elected officials reopen America.”
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, Redstate, The Stranger, Raw Story and Common Dreams
James Temple / MIT Technology Review:
California aims to quintuple its coronavirus testing — And it's striving to build a 10,000-person “army” of contact tracers. — California plans to significantly ramp up its coronavirus testing and tracing efforts, as the state strives to reach a point where it could relax stay-at-home rules implemented to contain the outbreak.
Discussion:
California Governor
John Cho / Los Angeles Times:
Op-Ed: John Cho: Coronavirus reminds Asian Americans like me that our belonging is conditional — I called my parents a few nights ago to tell them to be cautious when stepping out of the house, because they might be targets of verbal or even physical abuse. It felt so strange. Our roles had flipped.
Discussion:
Kaiser Health News
Sam Stanton / Sacramento Bee:
CHP bans protests at California Capitol after rally against Newsom's stay-at-home order — Following Monday's protest at the state Capitol where demonstrators defied Gov. Gavin Newsom's orders banning large gatherings, the California Highway Patrol says it will no longer issue permits …
CBS News:
Coronavirus updates: World sees growing toll amid warnings of second wave — As the number of deaths blamed on the coronavirus now tops 45,000 in the United States and 180,000 worldwide, California officials say COVID-19 started claiming lives on American soil more than three weeks earlier than previously thought.
Discussion:
National Review, The Gateway Pundit and Twitchy
Jason Samenow / Washington Post:
Washington has its cleanest spring air in 25 years: How air quality has improved during the coronavirus crisis — Washingtonians are breathing the cleanest spring air they have in decades, a likely side effect of orders to stay at home during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, along with favorable weather, air quality experts say.
Cindy Adams / Page Six:
Donald Trump and Cindy Adams reminisce about Miss Universe on birthday call — This is not to complain or moan. This is just to tell a story. Friday is my birthday. This special age usually gets you a statue in Central Park. I refused one because I hate pigeons leaving their opinions on me.
Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Opening up the economy won't save the economy — A customer waits for a takeout order at Kelly's Irish Times in Washington, DC, on March 24. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images — Trump and Republican governors can't make people eat at restaurants.
Henry Rodgers / The Daily Caller:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls For National Work Boycott Post-Coronavirus — Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for a national work boycott, saying when businesses re-open people should refuse to go back to work. — In the first episode of Seat at the Table …
Discussion:
Twitchy
Larry Elliott / The Guardian:
Top economist: US coronavirus response is like ‘third world’ country — Joseph Stiglitz attacks Donald Trump, saying US on course for second Great Depression — Donald Trump's botched handling of the Covid-19 crisis has left the US looking like a “third world” country and on course …
Discussion:
The Mahablog, Common Dreams, Raw Story, Mediaite and The Hill