Thursday News: “Trump Didn’t See It Coming: Coronavirus Deaths Increased Tenfold This Month”; “It’s Too Soon to Reopen States. The Coronavirus Is Not Under Control.”; “There are protests, but this isn’t a movement, and it’s not the Tea Party 2.0”

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise (e.g., COVID-19), for Thursday, April 23.

• When $8 Trillion in Global Fiscal Stimulus Still Isn’t Enough
• ‘Sadness’ and Disbelief From a World Missing American Leadership
• Europe Suffers Record Collapse in Economic Activity
• Don’t let those animal comeback photos fool you. Nature is still under siege. (“Spare the sentiment. It’s time to get angry about saving the earth.”)
• Wind, solar help push grid emissions to record low, prices to four year low (In Australia…this is what we need in the U.S. and around the world, ASAP.)
• Fox & Friends is behind Trump’s tweet about an Iran order to the Navy
• Dr. Anthony Fauci: ‘We Will Have Coronavirus In The Fall’
• On This 50th Earth Day, It’s Not Just the Seabirds Anymore. It’s Us.
• The Russia hoax was never a hoax. An encouraging bipartisan report confirms it.
• A ‘U,’ a ‘V’ or maybe a Nike swoosh? Economists try to predict what a recovery will look like
• There’s a growing possibility of a W-shaped economic recovery — and it’s scary
• Stop Looking on the Bright Side: We’ll Be Screwed By the Pandemic for Years
• Under Trump, coronavirus scientists can speak — as long as they mostly toe the line (Banana republic stuff.)
• Record U.S. jobless claims wipe out post-Great Recession employment gains
• ‘A race against time’: Results expected soon on experimental coronavirus drug (“Investigators studying remdesivir say they’re working as quickly — and as accurately — as possible.”)
• House to Vote on $484 Billion Relief; States Are Left Wanting (“Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, said states should consider declaring bankruptcy.” Brilliant!)
• Trump Didn’t See It Coming: Coronavirus Deaths Increased Tenfold This Month
• Analysis: Risky Strategy Has Produced Wins for Democrats (“Another struggle looms as Senator Mitch McConnell threatens a go-slow approach on the next round of economic stimulus, including aid to states.”)
• Top Government Vaccine Expert Fired for Questioning Trump’s Fake Science
• Trump’s false claims about governors not wanting tests, Pelosi and Michelle Obama
• Health Dept. Official Says Doubts on Hydroxychloroquine Led to His Ouster
• Ousted vaccine expert battles with Trump team over his abrupt dismissal
• Health Chief’s Early Missteps Set Back Coronavirus Response
• Special Report: HHS chief Azar had aide, former dog breeder, steer pandemic task force
• It’s Too Soon to Reopen States. The Coronavirus Is Not Under Control.
• States rushing to reopen are likely making a deadly error, coronavirus models and experts warn
• Trump’s Latest Attempt To Limit Immigration Isn’t Really About The Coronavirus
• The Extremists And Grifters Behind Many Of The Anti-Lockdown Protests
• There is no anti-lockdown protest movement (“There are protests, but this isn’t a movement, and it’s not the Tea Party 2.0.”)
• The Koch network, avatar of the tea party, rejects shutdown protests
• Santa Clara County: First Known U.S. Coronavirus Death Occurred on Feb. 6
• California governor orders autopsies back to December to find out how long coronavirus has been in the state
• A Top Immunologist on Why Coronavirus Is Killing More African-Americans
• COVID-19’s recent spread shifts to suburban, whiter, and more Republican-leaning areas
• ‘Frustrated’ Trump eager to get out of White House, aides exploring ways to allow him to leave D.C. (Brilliant, eh?)
• Trump’s GOP Goes From Live Free or Die to Live Free and Die (“Societies have values, and often they clash. That’s what political fights are about. But I’d have thought protecting living human beings from needless death was the highest value.” Death cult.)
• 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”)
• From now on, Pelosi is playing hardball
• Trump Admin Looks to Use Federal COVID Relief Funds to Prop up Oil and Gas Industry (Hell no.)
• Exclusive: Poll signals strengthening support for Biden over Trump in three Midwest battleground states (“The poll, which ran from April 15-20 in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, showed 45% of registered voters said they would support Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, while 39% said they would support Trump. It also found that Biden, vice president under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, has an advantage of 3 percentage points among registered voters in Wisconsin, 6 points in Pennsylvania and 8 points in Michigan.”)
• Trump and Biden are deadlocked in six key 2020 election states, CNBC/Change Research poll finds
• Fox News Poll: Biden tops Trump in Michigan, where Gov. Whitmer is more popular than president
• Fox News Poll: Biden leads Trump in battleground Pennsylvania
• If We’re Giving Trump a Show, We Should Give Biden One, Too (“The president is hitting the virtual campaign trail every night.”)
• Trump reverses course, says ‘too soon’ for Georgia Gov. Kemp to reopen state (Haha, when even Trump thinks you’re too stupid and irresponsible.)
• What Biden’s VP search committee will tell us (“Gaining buy-in for the vice presidential pick is key.”)
• States That Asked First Got the Most Coronavirus Disaster Relief
• A New York breakthrough on testing and tracing
• Testing is crucial. But so is tracking. (“We need an army of trackers.”)
• Sheriffs Buck the Law, Refuse to Enforce Lockdown Orders (“The trend has been visible in most states where protests have erupted and it’s part of a movement on the far right that views these officials as the ultimate arbiters of the law.”)
• Fox News Stars Trumpeted a Malaria Drug, Until They Didn’t
• Two states: one Democrat, one Republican. Two very different outcomes (“Kentucky governor Andy Beshear took early measures to halt the spread of Covid-19 while Tennessee limited government mandates”)
• Republican lawmakers sue to stop governors from protecting the public (“State legislators in Virginia and Wisconsin are suing to overturn orders designed to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.”)
• Seven more big cats test positive for coronavirus at Bronx Zoo
• New study finds that Hannity viewership correlates with more COVID-19 cases and fatalities
• Video: Sen. Kamala Harris *Tries* to Teach Sen. Mark Warner How to Make a *Good* Tuna Melt (We’ll see if this video “breaks the internet” again.)
• Video: Sen. Kaine Announces “Everybody’s the Graduation Speaker” Video Contest for Virginia High School Seniors
• Top Democrat Warns Against Reopening Economy Too Soon
• On Earth Day, Rep. Luria weighs in on effects of climate change in Hampton Roads
• Lawmakers delay minimum wage, maintain election schedule in extraordinary session
• Live Thread: Virginia General Assembly Holds “Reconvene”/Veto Session
• Virginia lawmakers meet to consider halting millions in new spending and shifting some to coronavirus response
• Amid Coronavirus Fears and Circled by Protestors, Virginia’s General Assembly Meets (“A surreal scene at the state capitol Wednesday: Almost 100 members of Virginia’s House of Delegates met outside under a giant tent for their one day veto session, amid fears about COVID-19 and with social distancing in effect.”)
• Lawmakers back Northam on key changes to budget and minimum wage during a veto session like no other (“A briefly unconscious House leader, a senator inside a plexiglass box and incessant honking from protesters contributed Wednesday to one of the most extraordinary gatherings of the Virginia legislature in recent memory.”)
• Virginia lawmakers freeze spending plan as uncertainties of pandemic continue (“The session was marked by protests and technological glitches as lawmakers met outside the Capitol.”)
• General Assembly delays minimum wage boost, approves casino amendments to finance school construction
• State Senate blocks Northam’s proposal to move May elections to November amid push for June alternative (“‘Let’s not emulate those places where poll workers and citizens have contracted COVID-19,’ Del. Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax, said. “There is a poll worker in Illinois who died of the virus, several people sick in Wisconsin. ‘There is too much at stake.'”)
• Wednesday (4/22) Virginia Data on COVID-19 Finds +636 Confirmed/Probable Cases (to 10,266), +78 Hospitalizations (to 1,659), +25 Deaths (to 349) From Yesterday
• Gov. Ralph Northam’s Chief of Staff, Trumpster Radio Host Both Debunk Travel-to-Outer-Banks Rumor as “Fake News,” “Nonsense,” etc. [UPDATED – Even Amanda Chase Says It’s Not True]
• The spiteful horns of the unhelpful (“… as we watch incredulous as our some of fellow Virginians and Americans rage against the very measures intended to save the lives of themselves and their families, it’s worth remembering that there ARE lots of helpers, from the delivery drivers working long hours to bring packages and food to our doors, grocery store staff and convenience store clerks, food processing workers, funeral home employees, trash collectors, police, firefighters and EMTs, and, most importantly, the scientists and doctors developing tests, treatments and vaccines.”)
• Flaw in Northam’s amendment foils bid to regulate state’s largest dog-breeding center
• Editorial: Nursing homes bear brunt of virus’ harm
• Editorial: Five questions for Northam
• A briefly unconscious House leader, a senator inside a plexiglass box and incessant honking from protesters contributed Wednesday to one of the most extraordinary gatherings of the Virginia legislature in recent memory.
• ACLU asks Virginia Supreme Court to order protection of inmates from COVID-19 as cases climb in state prisons
• Opponents worry pandemic will have ‘chilling effect’ on participation in gas expansion hearings
• Coronavirus Latest: Republican State Senators Sue Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam On Behalf Of Gold’s Gym Franchises (I missed this story the other day.)
• Metro Closing Silver Line This Summer, Along With Previously Planned Orange Line Work
• How UPS workers are dealing with the coronavirus crisis in Hampton Roads
• Top technology official out at Fairfax Schools, as fallout continues from online learning disaster
• Fairfax County schools top technology official steps down amid distance learning woes
• CNU plans to freeze all tuition and fees for next school year
• ‘No one’s excited about budget reductions’ – Chesterfield Board of Supervisors adopt revised budget, remove utility fee increases
• Rain late today into Friday morning, then another soaking Saturday night and Sunday (“Two inches or so of rain could fall by Sunday night.”)