A Look at Phase One of North Carolina's Plan to Reopen

The White House has deferred to states about reopening their economies. This week, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced that his state would move to phase one of their plan to reopen. Phase one will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, May, 8th. While the stay-at-home order will still be in effect, there will no longer be a distinction between essential and non-essential businesses. 

Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, shares what metrics the state used to determine that it's the right time to begin phase one. 

Phase one of North Carolina’s reopening includes a relaxation of restrictions on social gatherings, including worship services. Services with more than 10 people can take place as long they are outside and social distancing is respected. Spence Shelton, lead pastor at Mercy Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, shares what it's like to lead group worship remotely and how he's navigating phase one. 

Dr. Lucian Conway is a professor of Social Psychology at the University of Montana studying what shapes human thoughts and communications at the Political Cognition Lab. He shares what's driving the gap between what liberals and conservatives think about how seriously to take the threat of COVID-19 and how the government should respond to it.

Small business owners have been saddled with the enormous responsibility of managing their businesses during the pandemic. They've seen a sharp decline in sales with no end to the public health crisis in sight. This week, we hear from two small business owners trying to navigate the new normal. Lenore Estrada is the owner of Three Babes Bakeshop in San Francisco and Abigail Opiah is the cofounder of Yeluchi by Unruly, a mobile hairstyling service. 

This week, the Justice Department announced that they were dropping the criminal case against Michael Flynn, President Trump’s first national security adviser. Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI twice regarding conversations he’d had with a Russian diplomat in 2016. Katie Benner, who covers the Justice Department for The New York Times, shares how the decision came about and whether or not it undermines the credibility of the Russia investigation.