memeorandum: Democrats launch investigation into Mike Pompeo's firing of State Department inspector general (USA Today)

6:30 PM ET, May 16, 2020

Top Items:

Obama Says U.S. Lacks Leadership on Virus in Virtual Commencement Speech — The virus has “torn back the curtain on the idea that the folks in charge know what they're doing,” the former president said. “A lot of them aren't even pretending to be in charge.”

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Wrap, Bloomberg, Blue Virginia, The Root, Variety and CBS New York

Katie Mettler / Washington Post:

Obama speaks on systemic racism for virtual HBCU commencement, citing covid-19 and Ahmaud Arbery — Former president Barack Obama headlined a virtual commencement ceremony Saturday afternoon for graduates of the 74 historically black colleges and universities across the United States …

Discussion: Raw Story

Axios:
Obama virtual commencement speech: “You're all role models now ... like it or not”

Discussion: Associated Press and Breitbart

New York Times:
Read the Full Transcript of Obama's H.B.C.U. Commencement Speech

Discussion: Vox and New York Post

USA Today:

Democrats launch investigation into Mike Pompeo's firing of State Department inspector general — WASHINGTON - Top congressional Democrats opened an inquiry Saturday into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's ouster of a government watchdog and accused Pompeo of trying to shield himself from an internal probe.

Hannah Knowles / Washington Post:
Top Democrats launch investigation into late-night firing of State Department inspector general

Discussion: Politico and Mother Jones

Politico:
Trump ousts State Department watchdog

Discussion: New York Post, Redstate, Reuters, CNN, New York Times, Vox, House Foreign Affairs …, The Hill, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Townhall, Slate, Letters from an American, Mother Jones, The Guardian, IJR, Associated Press, NBC News, Axios, Breitbart and Mediaite

Conor Finnegan / ABC News: Trump fires IG said to be investigating Pompeo, involved in impeachment probe

Michele Kelemen / NPR:
Trump Removes State Department Inspector General Steve Linick

Discussion: Law & Crime, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and Balloon Juice

ProPublica:

Two Coasts. One Virus. How New York Suffered Nearly 10 Times the Number of Deaths as California. — California's governor and San Francisco's mayor worked together to act early in confronting the COVID threat. For Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio, it was a different story, and 27,000 New Yorkers have died so far.

David Weigel / Washington Post:

Rep. Justin Amash says he won't run for president — Rep. Justin Amash, the Michigan congressman who left the Republican Party last year, said on Twitter that he will not run for president this year after saying last month that he would seek the Libertarian Party's nomination.

Discussion: Associated Press, Vox, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, Politico and The Hill

Alexander Burns / New York Times: Justin Amash Abandons 2020 Campaign, Citing Pandemic and Polarization

Matt Welch / Reason:
Justin Amash Drops Out of Presidential Race

Discussion: Mother Jones, Breitbart and New York Post

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

Donald Trump Jr. Smears Biden With Baseless Instagram Post — Signaling the increasingly dark tactics of the Trump campaign, the president's oldest son falsely accused Mr. Biden of preying on children. — WASHINGTON — President Trump's eldest son on Saturday posted a social media message …

Discussion: Mediaite and Raw Story

James Brooks / Anchorage Daily News:

Alaska legislator compares pandemic safety measures at Capitol to Nazi treatment of Jews — JUNEAU — A Nikiski Republican lawmaker opposed to pandemic safety measures at the Alaska Capitol compared them to Nazi Germany's labeling of Jews in an email exchange Friday with fellow members of the Alaska House of Representatives.

Discussion: The Hill and Raw Story

Washington Post:

We could stop the pandemic by July 4 if the government took these steps — A $74 billion investment in testing, tracing and isolation could rescue the economy — quickly — With the unemployment rate at its highest level since the Great Depression — 14.7 percent and climbing …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Balloon Juice and Marginal REVOLUTION

Rory Appleton / Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Horsford admits to extramarital affair after podcaster discloses relationship — Congressman Steven Horsford is seen at Kiel Ranch Historic Park on May 29, 2019. (El Tiempo) — Nevada Rep. Steven Horsford on Friday acknowledged that he'd carried on a longstanding affair with a former intern …

Discussion: Fox News

Corey Williams / Associated Press:

Man charged in death threats to Michigan governor, AG — WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — A man accused of making credible death threats against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel has been charged on a terrorism count, the Wayne County prosecutor's office said Friday.

Discussion: The Daily Caller and New York Times

Harmeet Kaur / CNN:

A salon owner who reopened despite Oregon's stay-at-home orders has been fined $14,000 — An Oregon salon owner defied the governor's quarantine order because she says she needs to feed her family — (CNN)A salon owner who reopened her business in defiance of Oregon's stay-at-home order has been fined $14,000.

Jon Levine / New York Post:

YouTube censors epidemiologist Knut Wittkowski for opposing lockdown — Big Tech companies are aggressively tamping down on COVID-19 “misinformation” — opinions and ideas contrary to official pronouncements. — Dr. Knut M. Wittkowski, former head of biostatistics, epidemiology …

Discussion: Just The News

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

Trump's GOP ‘party of health care’ has no coverage plan for millions amid pandemic — President Trump left no doubt what he wanted his GOP allies to focus on, diverting to the TV cameras before he entered a private huddle of Senate Republicans. — “Let me tell you exactly what my message is …

Dánica Coto / Associated Press:

Puerto Rico to hold statehood referendum amid disillusion — FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2019 file photo, Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vazquez speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at the official residence La Fortaleza, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Vazquez announced on Saturday, May 16 …

ABC News:

Texas COVID-19 cases rise, governor's office says more testing being done — The deaths are also steadily increasing. — Texas has seen a steady rise in novel coronavirus cases and fatalities since reopening just over two weeks ago. — There are now 45,198 confirmed cases of COVID-19 …

Discussion: New York Post

Karolina Modig / NBC News:

Lockdown protesters shout ‘be like Sweden’ — but Swedes say they are missing the point — “The Swedish strategy is very much relying on the individual's trust in the state,” one Swede told NBC News. — STOCKHOLM — Known for its socialized health care, progressive tax system and liberal social policies …

Chris Joyner / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Georgia candidates embrace group with extremist ties — A Georgia state representative running for Congress is facing criticism from across the political spectrum for a photo showing him alongside a longtime white supremacist activist from Dahlonega. — The photo shows Rep. Matt Gurtler …

Discussion: Raw Story

USA Today:

I sent masks to health workers but the Trump administration seized them instead of helping — One month ago, as COVID-19 spread across the county and critical personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks, gloves, surgical gowns and face shields continued to be in short supply …

Discussion: Raw Story

Andrew Desiderio / Politico:

Trump pushes McConnell to embrace ‘Obamagate’ — “Time is running out. Get tough and move quickly, or it will be too late,” the president tweeted. — Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell. Alex Wong/Getty Images — President Donald Trump is appealing directly …

Discussion: ABC News, Mediaite, Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit

WSMV-TV:

Tennessee to lift capacity restrictions on restaurants & retail, to allow large attractions to open — NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - The governor's office announced Tennessee will lift capacity restrictions on restaurants and shops and instead focus on social distancing best practices.

Discussion: WBIR-TV and The Hill

Hunter Walker / Yahoo News:

Amid reports of White House clashes with CDC, experts raise alarms about lack of coronavirus screening at airports — WASHINGTON — As the nation begins to reopen amid — the coronavirus pandemic, some people are looking to the skies — and experts don't necessarily like what they see …

Discussion: Gizmodo

Wall Street Journal:

Ahmaud Arbery Shooting Spurs Calls to Disband Police Force — The Glynn County Police Department is faulted for a culture of past coverup and abuse of power — The fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in southeastern Georgia is fueling calls to disband the Glynn County Police Department …

Eric Spitznagel / New York Post:

Why American life went on as normal during the killer pandemic of 1969 — Patti Mulhearn Lydon, 68, doesn't have rose-colored memories of attending Woodstock in August 1969. The rock festival, which took place over four days in Bethel, NY, mostly reminds her of being covered in mud and daydreaming about a hot shower.

Mitch Leslie / Science:

T cells found in COVID-19 patients ‘bode well’ for long-term immunity — Science's COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center. — Immune warriors known as T cells help us fight some viruses, but their importance for battling SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been unclear.

Discussion: In the Pipeline, Balloon Juice, Cell, Reason, Gizmodo and Vox