memeorandum: Republicans now want us to embrace mass death (Paul Waldman/Washington Post)

7:25 PM ET, May 7, 2020

Top Items:

AP Exclusive: Admin shelves CDC guide to reopening country — GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A set of detailed documents created by the nation's top disease investigators meant to give step-by-step advice to local leaders deciding when and how to reopen public places such as mass transit …

CNN:

One of Trump's personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus — (CNN)A member of the US Navy who serves as one of President Donald Trump's personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus, CNN has learned Thursday, raising concerns about the President's possible exposure to the virus.

Discussion: Vox, JustOneMinute, The Week, The Hill, CNBC, Politico, FOX40, WBRZ, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Raw Story, Political Flare, Forbes, Daily Kos, Breitbart, WGN-TV, The Daily Caller, Just The News, The Intellectualist, HuffPost, The Sun, Deadline, Axios, The Root, IJR, New York Post and Washington Post

Associated Press:

Face masks make a political statement in era of coronavirus — WASHINGTON (AP) — The decision to wear a mask in public is becoming a political statement — a moment to pick sides in a brewing culture war over containing the coronavirus. — While not yet as loaded as a “Make America Great Again” …

Discussion: Washington Post, NBC News, Forbes, Political Flare, Raw Story, The Capitolist, Washington Monthly, Progress Pond, The Week, Fox News and KTLA

Paul Waldman / Washington Post:

Republicans now want us to embrace mass death — The message from President Trump and Republicans on coronavirus has gone through multiple phases, each as misleading and/or bizarre as the last. First they told us the virus would barely touch us. Then they said it was serious, but Trump's management would quickly make it disappear.

Discussion: Vanity Fair, Twitchy, Politico, Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The sharp hypocrisy of the White House position on testing

Discussion: New York Times, CNN, ABC News, CNBC, Raw Story, The Hill, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite

NBC News:
Trump's personal valet tests positive for coronavirus

Discussion: The Week

Associated Press:
Trump tells allies his wearing a mask would ‘send the wrong message’, make him look ridiculous

Discussion: Redstate, POLITICUSUSA and The American Independent

Justin Caruso / The Daily Caller: Former CDC Official: Trump Should Quarantine For 14 Days, Could Have Coronavirus

NBC News: White House considers measures to boost economy without Congress

Associated Press:

AP Exclusive: Justice Dept dropping Flynn's criminal case — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday said it is dropping the criminal case against President Donald Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, abandoning a prosecution that became a rallying cry for Trump …

New York Times:

Justice Dept. Drops Case Against Michael Flynn — The extraordinary move came after the former national security adviser had fought the case in court for months, a reversal after pleading guilty twice and cooperating with investigators. — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is dropping …

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Atlantic, Common Dreams and Discourse.net

Brooke Singman / Fox News:

DOJ drops case against Michael Flynn, in wake of internal memo release — The Justice Department on Thursday moved to drop its case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, in a stunning development that comes after internal memos were released raising serious questions …

Discussion: Spectator USA, Politico, NBC News, Power Line, The Daily Signal, Sean Hannity, The Hill and americandigest.org

Zachary Basu / Axios:
Top Michael Flynn prosecutor moves to withdraw from case

Discussion: Townhall, Breitbart and Raw Story

Washington Post:
Justice Dept. moves to drop case against Michael Flynn, former Trump adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI

Discussion: Vox, Fox News, Sean Hannity and The Mahablog

Politico:
DOJ drops criminal case against Michael Flynn

Discussion: Fox News, Townhall, Talking Points Memo, Redstate, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, The Hill and Sean Hannity

Morgan Chalfant / The Hill:
Trump cheers DOJ move to drop Flynn case

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Business Insider: The Justice Department dropped its case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn

Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
Justice Department drops criminal case against Michael Flynn

Discussion: Axios, Rolling Stone and Patterico's Pontifications

Nancy Rommelmann / Reason:

She Said Anthony Fauci Sexually Assaulted Her. Now She Says Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman Paid Her to Lie. — I'd just finished Saturday morning's second cup of coffee when an email popped through, subject line: “Exposing Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman.” — “Hi Nancy, I hope you are having a nice weekend.

Discussion: The Intellectualist, Digby's Hullabaloo and Mediaite

Travis Gettys / Raw Story:
Woman who accused Fauci of sex assault now says Trump supporters paid her to lie

Discussion: Political Flare

Laura McGann / Vox:

The agonizing story of Tara Reade — Tara Reade, a former staff assistant in Joe Biden's Senate office, on April 11. Max Whittaker/New York Times/Redux — I started reporting on Tara Reade's story a year ago. Here's what I found, and where I'm stuck.

Discussion: HuffPost, Balloon Juice and The Bulwark, more at Mediagazer »

Matt Fountain / San Luis Obispo Tribune:

Exclusive: 1996 court document confirms Tara Reade shared Biden harassment allegation — The San Luis Obispo County court filing is the first official public record confirming she made allegations at that time. — A court document from 1996 shows former Senate staffer Tara Reade told …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Forbes, Variety, New York Post and The Nevada Independent

Alana Wise / NPR:
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Says Biden Sexual Assault Allegation ‘Not Clear-Cut’

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Breitbart, IJR, The Hill and VICE

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Tara Reade calls for Biden to drop out of presidential race

Discussion: Axios, The Federalist, Washington Post, NBC News and The Daily Caller

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump intensifies war with Democrats over voting laws — The GOP has doubled its budget to fight Democratic lawsuits to $20 million. — President Donald Trump. President Donald Trump's political operation is expanding its legal effort to stop Democrats from overhauling voting laws in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Discussion: Raw Story

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump campaign to unload on Biden with negative ad onslaught — It marks a turning point in the president's reelection campaign. — President Donald Trump. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images — Donald Trump's reelection campaign is about to unleash a massive negative ad campaign against Joe Biden …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post and The Hill

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
House Republicans should be getting nervous about November

Discussion: New York Magazine, CNN and POLITICUSUSA

Robert Stacy McCain / The American Spectator:
Has Trump Already Won Reelection?

Discussion: Instapundit, The Other McCain, Vox and Twitchy

New York Times:

Travel From New York City Seeded Wave of U.S. Outbreaks — The coronavirus outbreak in New York City became the primary source of infections across much of the country by early March, researchers have found. — Munich — Paris — London — Rome — Barcelona, Spain — Rafina, Greece

Discussion: New York Post, National Review, Townhall, Twitchy, Louder With Crowder and Instapundit

CNN:

Kayleigh McEnany called Trump comment ‘racist,’ ‘hateful’ and ‘not the American way’ in 2015 — White House Press Secretary didn't support candidate Trump — (CNN)New White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was a harsh critic of then-candidate Donald Trump before she became a fierce advocate for him …

Discussion: Mediaite and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to stop release of Mueller material — The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block a ruling that requires the Justice Department to give Congress certain secret grand jury material from the investigation conducted by former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

Discussion: Axios and Second Nexus

Politico:
Supreme Court overturns ‘Bridgegate’ convictions as Christie slams ‘political crusade’

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, Fox News, Althouse, NBC News and Axios

Andrew Joseph / STAT:

A snapshot of coronavirus in the U.S.: A high plateau of new cases portends more spread — For all the talk of a second wave of coronavirus cases hitting the United States this fall, one consideration is often lost: The country is still in the throes of the first wave of this pandemic.

Michael Grabell / ProPublica:

What Happened When Health Officials Wanted to Close a Meatpacking Plant, but the Governor Said No — New documents obtained by ProPublica show public health officials in Grand Island, Nebraska, wanted the JBS meatpacking plant closed. But Gov. Pete Ricketts said no. Since then, cases have skyrocketed.

Matt Olberding / Lincoln Journal Star: Health district to stop reporting meatpacking cases

Charles M. Blow / New York Times:

The Killing of Ahmaud Arbery — Another black man falsely assumed to be a criminal is dead. — The video is short and shocking. — It's taken from the perspective of a vehicle following a young black man running at a jogger's pace. The jogger is 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery.

Discussion: The Federalist, NBC News, Washington Post, Hotair, The Bread Line, Daily Kos, The Week, ABC News and The Sun

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:

“I Feel Like This Is End Times”: Will the Coronavirus Crisis Finally Crush New York's Tabloids? — The Post and the News, crucial pillars of the city's mindset, are reeling, with little hope in site. Could Rupert Murdoch sell the Post? — On March 25, as death and disease were consuming New York City …

more at Mediagazer »

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

McConnell under mounting GOP pressure to boost state aid — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is facing growing calls within his own conference to increase financial assistance to state and local governments, something the GOP leader shut down during recent coronavirus relief talks with Democrats.

Discussion: One America News Network

Billy House / Bloomberg:
Pelosi Dismisses Trump Call on Payroll, Capital Gains Taxes

Discussion: The Hill

John Myers / Los Angeles Times:

Coronavirus plunges California into worst budget deficit in state history — California's government faces a $54.3-billion budget deficit through next summer according to an analysis released Thursday by advisors to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the deepest projected fiscal hole in state history.

Discussion: Mother Jones

CNBC:
California faces a staggering $54 billion budget deficit due to economic devastation from coronavirus

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Axios

Ed Mazza / HuffPost:

James Carville Warns Trump: Your ‘Grifter’ Campaign Aides Are Lying To You — Trump aides are “giving him fake polls” so they can continue to make money off the failing campaign, the Democratic political consultant says. — Democratic political consultant James Carville said President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Palmer Report

Noah Bierman / Los Angeles Times:

Can't decipher Trump-speak? Meet Margaret, the computer bot — Bill Frischling's moment of inspiration came three years ago, when Margaret, his artificial intelligence bot, tried to transcribe a 127-word section of a speech by President Trump. — The passage, ostensibly commemorating a World War II battle, careened wildly.