May 7, 2020

The State of the States: The Governors

UVA Center for Politics (Larry Sabato)

As noted in a previous edition of the Crystal Ball, even at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, it was clear that, politically, the biggest beneficiaries seemed to be governors. With few exceptions, governors across the board have seen their approval ratings rise, often by double-digits.

It remains unclear whether these ratings will stay elevated. Additionally, most gubernatorial elections are held in the midterm year as opposed to the presidential — so there’s still plenty of time for new developments to change people’s perceptions of their governors.

That said, it is difficult to imagine a new state political issue, beyond coronavirus, that puts governors on the spot in such a way. One possibility is that the immediate response to the coronavirus, which has united many voters behind their governors, gives way to thornier, more divisive arguments about how to handle the process of reopening states and dealing with the economic fallout. That may provide challengers to now-popular incumbents with an avenue of attack that they don’t possess now.

Only 11 states will hold gubernatorial elections this fall. From what we’ve seen so far, it makes sense that, given the elevated standing of chief executives across the county, we’d reconsider some ratings. This week, we have three rating changes, each in favor of an incumbent.

May 7, 2020

Travel From New York City Seeded Wave of U.S. Outbreaks

Source: New York Times

New York City’s coronavirus outbreak grew so large by early March that the city became the primary source of new infections in the United States, new research reveals, as thousands of infected people traveled from the city and seeded outbreaks around the country.

The research indicates that a wave of infections swept from New York City through much of the country before the city began setting social distancing limits to stop the growth. That helped to fuel outbreaks in Louisiana, Texas, Arizona and as far away as the West Coast.

The findings are drawn from geneticists’ tracking signature mutations of the virus, travel histories of infected people and models of the outbreak by infectious disease experts.

“We now have enough data to feel pretty confident that New York was the primary gateway for the rest of the country,” said Nathan Grubaugh, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health.


Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/us/new-york-city-coronavirus-outbreak.html

May 7, 2020

The Women of Maine Versus Susan Collins

Politico

Earlier this spring, Heidi Sampson, a Maine state house representative, and I were both rushing between town meetings, that iconic form of New England government where communities assemble to vote on hundreds of issues ranging from Independence Day fireworks to costly infrastructure projects.

Sampson, a registered Republican who thinks of herself as a conservative libertarian, told me I could expect to hear her constituents, many of whom are elderly, press her on VA benefits and Medicare coverage and access to libraries and food pantries—increasingly common concerns in a state with a poverty rate of 12 percent. But during breaks for bean suppers and chats in Grange Hall parking lots, what I kept hearing were informal referendums on the job performance of Susan Collins, Maine’s senior senator.

Sampson, who is a longtime supporter of Collins, said she wasn’t surprised. “I get phone calls from upset people. I get emails from people. Constituents will come right up and complain about Susan to my face,” she told me. “People get really emotional.”

For most of her nearly 24-year Senate career, Collins has been a quiet, head-down, never-miss-a-vote lawmaker known for an unwaveringly moderate approach that balances ardent fiscal conservatism with a liberal-pleasing reputation for supporting women’s reproductive rights. Then came the polarizing Trump presidency, and suddenly Collins found herself at the consequential center of bitter political battles—on issues ranging from the proposed repeal of Obamacare, which she resisted, to tax cuts and the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, which she supported. She is far from the only lawmaker to have cast deciding votes; however, Collins’ reputation has taken a conspicuously harsh hit. In 2015, after winning reelection with about 70 percent of the vote, she was considered one of America’s most beloved senators. Today, she is the most reviled, derided for her increasingly lock-step party line votes and for the often belabored manner in which she has justified herself. She’s been lampooned by Saturday Night Live; The New Yorker recently satirized her for taking hours of deep reflection before deciding to order whatever Mitch McConnell is having for lunch.

May 7, 2020

Admin shelves CDC guide to reopening country

Source: Politico

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, day care centers and restaurants during the still-raging pandemic has been shelved by the Trump administration.

The 17-page report by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team, titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework,” was researched and written to help faith leaders, business owners, educators and state and local officials as they begin to reopen.

It was supposed to be published last Friday, but agency scientists were told the guidance “would never see the light of day,” according to a CDC official. The official was not authorized to talk to reporters and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The AP obtained a copy from a second federal official who was not authorized to release it. The guidance was described in AP stories last week, prior to the White House decision to shelve it.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/07/admin-shelves-cdc-guide-to-reopening-country-242008

May 7, 2020

The U.S.' coronavirus recovery is way behind Europe's

Source: Axios

Other countries — even some hit hard by the coronavirus — are beating back their outbreaks more successfully than the U.S.

Why it matters: The number of new cases every day is holding steady in the U.S., but it's not going down — a key benchmark many other countries achieved before loosening their lockdowns and social distancing measures.

In some of Europe’s hardest-hit countries, case counts seemed to skyrocket uncontrollably even amid some of the world’s strictest lockdowns.
* Italy and Spain followed a similar pattern. New cases climbed over about a month from under 100 per day to terrifying peaks of roughly 8,000 per day in Spain and 6,000 per day in Italy.
* The fall was nearly as sharp. Within two weeks of the peak, the rates of daily recorded cases had been halved. They’ve continued to fall since.
* Other hard-hit countries like France have followed a similar trajectory, though the U.K. — which now has the highest official death toll in Europe — has yet to do so.

America’s daily rate climbed faster and higher (due in part to its larger population), but appears to have peaked at around 30,000 new cases per day in the first week of April.
* But rather than falling, the rate stagnated. Outside of New York (which has bent its curve) the rate is actually continuing to climb.
* The U.S. continues to record several times as many new cases each day as any other country has at any time during the pandemic.


Read more: https://www.axios.com/us-coronavirus-italy-spain-reopening-cases-deaths-55ba1472-42a9-4806-bee0-ed50072f4326.html

May 7, 2020

Trump and some top aides question accuracy of virus death toll

Axios

President Trump has complained to advisers about the way coronavirus deaths are being calculated, suggesting the real numbers are actually lower — and a number of his senior aides share this view, according to sources with direct knowledge.

What's next: A senior administration official said he expects the president to begin publicly questioning the death toll as it closes in on his predictions for the final death count and damages him politically.
* The U.S. death toll has surpassed 71,000, with more than 1.2 million confirmed cases, according to the latest figures.
* Trump's engagement could amplify a partisan gulf we saw in this week's Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index over believing the death statistics.

Reality check: There is no evidence the death rate has been exaggerated, and experts believe coronavirus deaths in the U.S. are being undercounted — not overcounted.

May 6, 2020

Despite Delays Caused By Coronavirus, Regular Season Baseball Starts In Korea Facebook Twitter Fl

Source: NPR

For sports-starved fans it was a welcome sight — even if delayed a few more hours by rain and a cloud of thick black smoke.

It was all part of opening day for the Korean Baseball Organization, which got underway Tuesday after a five-week delay caused by the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Thanks to a newly-inked deal ESPN deal announced on Monday, people outside of South Korea will have a chance to get to know the league, known for allowing epic bat flips, if they're willing to stay up late for it.

The network will broadcast live six regular season KBO games during its 2020 season. One game per day will be televised Tuesday through Sunday with start times beginning between 1 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. ET.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/05/850712890/despite-delays-caused-by-coronavirus-regular-season-baseball-starts-in-korea

---

당신은 장님 심판입니까?

May 6, 2020

Buffalo Catholic Diocese Lawyers Ask for Abuse Lawsuits To Be Put on Hold

Specturm Local News



I'm thinking.....no?

May 5, 2020

Does Andrew Yang Want to Be New York's Post-Coronavirus Mayor?

New York Times

On Monday, Mr. Yang, 45, unveiled two projects: a podcast to amplify his ideas and core philosophies, and a campaign aimed at combating racism toward Asian-Americans and others who have faced discrimination during the outbreak. Mr. Yang has maintained that his initiatives represent an attempt to simply help as many people as possible in what he called a “brutally difficult time.”

“This is a catastrophe,” Mr. Yang said, “and there are certain aspects of the catastrophe that I’m actually like one of the best-positioned people in the country to try and tackle.”

Mr. Yang, who was born in upstate New York but has spent most of his adult life living in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, has repeatedly said he would not rule out a mayoral run on the grounds that the job would allow him to quickly help a lot of people. In an interview last week, he reiterated that point and also acknowledged, “I am more attracted to executive roles generally because I feel like you can get more done.”

The New York Times had reported that advisers to Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York and fellow former presidential candidate, reached out to Mr. Yang after he withdrew from the presidential race to offer counsel about a possible mayoral campaign.

May 4, 2020

The less obvious running mate Joe Biden should pick

CNN

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is right to narrow his vice presidential selection to a woman. After decades of other countries electing women to lead on the global stage, it is time for the United States to get on the right side of history.

And though she is not the most obvious choice, there is one contender who we should all be pulling for: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

When Biden committed to choosing a female running mate in mid-March, the coronavirus pandemic had not yet reached its peak in the US. However, in light of both the ongoing public health crisis and the economic free fall, the stakes of his selection for the number two spot are even higher. And people of all political stripes are craving strong leadership.

Governors, like Lujan Grisham, are flexing their leadership muscles in response to the coronavirus crisis, and the American people are responding positively. America's governors currently have much higher approval ratings than President Donald Trump and slightly higher than federal health agencies for their pandemic response, according to a poll from Monmouth University, as well as several state surveys.