memeorandum: How, exactly, did the LA Lakers get a ‘small business’ loan? (Chris Cillizza/CNN)

12:05 PM ET, April 28, 2020

Top Items:

Rebecca Traister / The Cut:

The Biden Trap As the candidate faces credible assault allegations, his progressive female colleagues are being offered a poisoned chalice. — In the world of political reporting on the presidential race, two seemingly divergent stories are taking shape and blowing up, respectively.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Townhall, Fox News, Bad News and PJ Media Home

Politico:

Oppo dumps and behind-the-scenes lobbying: Biden's VP search heats up — Joe Biden's advisers and allies have become torn over whether it is more important to choose an African American or a progressive running mate. — While the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive …

Discussion: CNN, Fox News and Daily Kos

Matt Viser / Washington Post:
Trump allies highlight new claims regarding allegations against Biden

Discussion: The Federalist, Fox News, The Daily Dot, PJ Media Home, Twitchy, Townhall, The Week, Associated Press, Business Insider, IJR, TheBlaze, The Wrap, New York Post, Just The News, Reason, Raw Story, Redstate, Mother Jones and Power Line

Joseph Wulfsohn / Fox News:
Washington Post blasted for claiming ‘Trump allies’ are ‘amplifying’ Biden accuser Tara Reade

Discussion: The Hill

Amber Athey / Spectator USA:
What Biden's recent endorsers said about Kavanaugh and #MeToo

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Ben White / Politico:

Trump faces the risk of a coronavirus cliff — Republicans are trying to pull off a high-wire act over the next three months: Reopen the economy enough to get most jobless Americans back to work and off the public dole, while resisting another giant stimulus package.

Discussion: Raw Story, New York Times, The American Independent, HuffPost, The Week and Axios

Burgess Everett / Politico:
McConnell dangles aid to states — with a catch

Discussion: National Review, Daily Kos, PJ Media Home, One America News Network, Los Angeles Times, Axios, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Slate and Vox

Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:
‘Pathetic’: Schumer slams Trump's coronavirus testing blueprint

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

The Daily Beast:
McConnell to Move Quickly on Confirming His 38-Year-Old Protégé to the Bench

Discussion: The Hill and Raw Story

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.

Discussion: CNN

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

Fox News Poll: Biden tops Trump in Michigan, where Gov. Whitmer is more popular than president — Judge Jeanine: Michigan Gov. Whitmer was taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis until she got caught — Majorities of Michigan voters are concerned about coronavirus, think President Trump …

Cristina Cabrera / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Says He ‘Never Even Thought Of’ Delaying The 2020 Election

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

Washington Post:
Americans support state restrictions on businesses and halt to immigration during virus outbreak, Post-U. Md. poll finds

Discussion: ImmigrationProf Blog

Jonathan Capehart / Washington Post: ‘We really are on our own here’ in fight against coronavirus, says Michigan governor

Washington Post:

President's intelligence briefing book repeatedly cited virus threat — U.S. intelligence agencies issued warnings about the novel coronavirus in more than a dozen classified briefings prepared for President Trump in January and February, months during which he continued to play down the threat …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Mediaite, TheBlaze, CNN, Letters from an American, Al Jazeera, The Week, Vanity Fair, POLITICUSUSA, his vorpal sword, The Wrap, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Kos, The Hill and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Trump reportedly ignored intel briefings on coronavirus threat

Discussion: The Federalist, Washington Post, Raw Story and Mediaite

Chloe Taylor / CNBC:

Belgians urged to eat fries twice a week as coronavirus creates massive potato surplus — Belgians are being called upon to eat fries at least twice a week as more than 750,000 tons of potatoes are at risk of being thrown away. — Romain Cools, secretary general of Belgian potato …

Veronica Stracqualursi / CNN:

Arizona GOP chair encourages anti-stay-at-home protesters to dress like health care workers — Washington (CNN)The chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party is encouraging people planning to protest stay-at-home orders imposed amid the coronavirus pandemic to dress like health care workers.

KK Ottesen / Washington Post:
Jeff Flake on Trumpism: 'I don't know anyone who thinks that this is the future of the party'

Discussion: Raw Story

Christina Maxouris / CNN:

Reopening states too early will bring deadlier outcomes, coronavirus projection models show — (CNN)Seven coronavirus models show US coronavirus deaths will rise in coming weeks, but how sharply depends on how much “contact reduction” Americans practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Discussion: The Week

John Daniel Davidson / The Federalist:
Will Texas Lead The American Resurgence From Coronavirus Lockdown?

Discussion: The Texas Tribune, Off the Kuff and The Gateway Pundit

Daniel G. Murphy / New York Post:

I've worked the coronavirus front line — and I say it's time to start opening up — I'm an emergency physician at St. Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx. I have been in the ER every day these last few weeks, either supervising or providing direct care. I contracted a COVID-19 infection …

Financial Times:

Virtual rate cut forces Nintendo gamers into riskier assets | Free to read — Shock among users as Animal Crossing's Bank of Nook slashes rates to near zero — Savers at the Bank of Nook are being driven to speculate on turnips and tarantulas, as the most popular video game …

Trip Gabriel / New York Times:

Ohio's G.O.P. Governor Splits From Trump, and Rises in Popularity — Mike DeWine, a low-key career politician, has followed health experts' guidance as Ohio confronts the coronavirus. His constituents are overwhelmingly appreciative. — For 40 years, Mike DeWine rose steadily if blandly …

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump campaign lashes out over 'Don't defend Trump' memo — Earlier this month, the Senate Republican campaign arm circulated a memo with shocking advice to GOP candidates on responding to coronavirus: “Don't defend Trump, other than the China Travel Ban — attack China.” — The Trump campaign was furious.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Week, Raw Story, Daily Kos and The American Independent

Chris Cillizza / CNN:

How, exactly, did the LA Lakers get a ‘small business’ loan? — (CNN)The Paycheck Protection Program had a very simple goal: Keep small businesses afloat during the economic strife caused by the nationwide quarantine put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Discussion: Bloomberg, American Greatness and The Rundown via Elizabeth …

Zachary Warmbrodt / Politico:
Mnuchin warns big companies of criminal penalties over small business loans

Discussion: One America News Network

Anna Royal / McSweeney's:

Emails from My Children's School Before 8:00 AM During the COVID-19 Crisis — Good morning! This is an email to let you know that we will be sending another email later this afternoon. That email will contain a special passcode, and in a separate email, we will send you the link that requires this passcode.

New York Times:

N.Y.C. Deaths Reach 6 Times the Normal Level, Far More Than Coronavirus Count Suggests — More than 27,000 New Yorkers have died since the start of the novel coronavirus outbreak in March — 20,900 more than would be expected over this period and thousands more than have been captured by official coronavirus death statistics.

Discussion: Raw Story, National Review and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

Trump has played the media like a puppet. We're getting better — but history will not judge us kindly. — Traditional journalism is under siege, NBC News chief Andy Lack wrote this week: President Trump continues to “put the bully in bully pulpit,” and the coronavirus crisis has taken a toll.

Discussion: Raw Story, Redstate and Deadline

The Daily Beast:

Fox News Cuts Ties With Diamond & Silk, Unofficial Trump ‘Advisers’ Who Spread Bonkers Coronavirus Claims — The MAGA superstars lost their Fox gig after pushing absolutely bonkers conspiracy theories about the coronavirus pandemic. — Fox News has cut ties with MAGA vlogging superstars Diamond & Silk …

Discussion: The Guardian, Politico, Big League Politics, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, Deadline, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Mediaite, PJ Media Home, The Week and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »

Sam Stein / The Daily Beast:

Fox-Loving Parents Are Driving Coronavirus-Paranoid Kids Insane — FAMILY FEUD — Ehrin Van Marter hasn't had outside contact with anyone in five weeks. Her boomer parents are hosting weekly parties. — When it comes to precautions against the spread of the coronavirus …

Discussion: Raw Story

Christian Toto / Hollywood in Toto:

The Obamas Produce Their Own Michelle Obama Documentary — We may have to redefine the term “hagiography.” For years conservatives gritted their teeth while filmmakers fawned over a procession of progressive figures. Ruth Bader Ginsburg - “RBG,” “On the Basis of Sex” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez …

Scott Feinberg / Hollywood Reporter:
Top-Secret Michelle Obama Doc to Hit Netflix on May 6

Discussion: Netflix Media Center, NB Blog, Associated Press, On My Plate, Washington Post, The Week, NBC News and The Verge

New York Times:

How Trump and His Team Covered Up the Coronavirus in Five Days — The president and senior officials manipulated Americans and played down the severity of the pandemic. — Mr. Goodman is a professor at New York University School of Law, where Ms. Schulkin is a student.

Discussion: ABC News, Raw Story and The Bulwark

Politico:

POLITICO's reporting on President Trump and the Bank of China — POLITICO published an article Friday morning on President Donald Trump's business dealings with China. ("Trump owes tens of millions to the Bank of China - and the loan is due soon.") Since then, new reporting and information …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Federalist

Rachel Bitecofer / Niskanen Center:

Negative Partisanship and the 2020 Congressional Elections — Despite always-robust fundraising numbers by the known-to-be competent Republican National Committee, the 2020 cycle was destined to be a rough one for the Republican Party's congressional caucus, as evidenced by another six …

Discussion: Raw Story and Blue Virginia

Brakkton Booker / NPR:

Tennessee Restaurants Reopen As State Sees Biggest 1-Day Jump In COVID-19 Cases — Restaurants across Tennessee are able to welcome dine-in customers Monday for the first time in nearly a month as the state eases restrictions put in place to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Discussion: The Tennessean and The Hill

Sara Fischer / Axios:

What experts say works for combating coronavirus misinformation — When it comes to combating misinformation, research shows that it's more effective for authoritative figures to present accurate facts early and routinely alongside misinformation, rather than to try to negate every piece …

Alexander Nazaryan / Yahoo News:

The coronavirus enemy remained ‘invisible’ because the Trump administration didn't make the effort to see it — WASHINGTON — In late February, Vice President Mike Pence was — appointed to lead the White House coronavirus task force by President Trump. He became immediately alarmed by the shortfalls in testing availability.

Discussion: Vox