As the number of Covid-19 related deaths in the US inches toward 100,000, President Donald Trump announced defiantly that he would not “close the country” if there was a second wave of infections. Trump’s remarks were made during a tour of a Ford factory in Michigan when he was asked about a possible resurgence of infections. Trump failed to mention the fact that he did not impose a national lockdown at all – it was state governors who made individual decisions to close businesses in the absence of federal action. He said on Thursday, “We can put out the fires. Whether it is an ember or a flame, we are going to put it out. But we are not closing our country.” He did not say how the nation would “put out the fires” as there is no systematic federal program to document and trace infections. Upon the urging of Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, Trump announced he would lower flags on federal buildings to half-mast over 3 days to mourn the US coronavirus deaths. 

During his visit to the Ford plant Trump refused to wear a mask in violation of the factory’s rules, as well as state law and in defiance of the Michigan Attorney General’s demand. He apparently wore a mask for a brief moment during a private part of the tour but left it off for most of the visit. As an explanation for his behavior he said, “I didn’t want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it.” Michigan’s AG Dana Nessel called Trump, “a petulant child who refuses to follow the rules,” and said she was, “ashamed to have him be president.” Trump lashed back at her on Twitter. During his speech to workers Trump paused to go off script when discussing Henry Ford. Critics immediately pointed out that Mr. Ford was a notorious anti-Semite, favored by Adolf Hitler and was awarded the highest Nazi honor for non-Germans. Trump also claimed he had won a “man of the year” award in Michigan years ago but such an award does not exist. 

After weeks of delays, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose reputation under Trump has deeply suffered, has revised its guidelines for human interactions saying that while the Covid-19 virus, “is spreading very easily and sustainably between people,” “[t]he virus does not spread easily in other ways,” notably from surfaces. On its website the CDC now says, “It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus.” The CDC still recommends that people, “Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.” 

A new study on how Covid-19 damages the human body has found that the virus attacks the lining of blood vessels in the lungs – a critica...

FEATURING ELIZABETH SHACKELFORD – The State Department’s new Acting Inspector General is also its head of the Office of Foreign Missions. Stephen Akard, who is a Senate-approved political appointee was picked to replace the recently fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. 

But by retaining his other post at the department, Akard is now effectively overseeing himself. And that appears to be the pattern within the Trump administration which has in just six weeks purged 4 Inspectors General. 

Mr. Linick’s removal—which is the latest instance—appears to be the direct result of his inquiry into State Secretary Mike Pompeo’s potential abuses of power. What does such a pattern of actions mean for the federal government? 

Elizabeth Shackelford, fellow with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of “The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age.” She was a U.S. diplomat until December 2017 when she resigned in protest of the Trump administration.

FEATURING NANCY MANCIAS – CNN Business reports in glowing terms that Blackrock, the world’s largest asset management company is “the new king of Wall Street.” The company’s CEO Larry Fink has made a name for himself for encouraging socially responsible investing. But, a prominent peace group, which has become a shareholder in the company, has done so with the idea of demanding the company divest from all the destructive industries it currently pours money into – most prominently military weapons manufacturing. 

Nancy Mancias, campaign organizer for CODEPINK, doctoral student in Anthropology and Social Change at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

The Labor Department just released its latest figures on the numbers of Americans that applied for jobless benefits last week and found that 2.4 million more people reported having lost their jobs. This brings the US’s total official unemployment figure to more than 38 million over 9 weeks since the coronavirus pandemic began. Economists worry that many of the lost jobs will never return. The US Census Bureau also released figures based on its Household Pulse Survey finding that nearly half of American households have been financially impacted by the pandemic. Forty seven percent of respondents report that they or someone in their household has lost their job since March 13th. Those living in tourism-reliant states were particularly hard hit. 

Several more polls illustrate how Americans are behaving during the pandemic. Gallup’s new survey found that 65% of Americans are now avoiding public places – that’s down from 71% a week ago. Only 55% of people are in complete isolation. Disturbingly, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found that a quarter of Americans have little to no interest in getting vaccinated if a Covid-19 vaccine is developed. Indicating how President Donald Trump has corroded public trust in science and government institutions, “Some 36% of respondents said they would be less willing to take a vaccine if U.S. President Donald Trump said it was safe, compared with only 14% who would be more interested.” Many are worried about the speed at which the vaccine is being developed as the President continues to tout his vaccine project as “Operation Warp Speed.” 

And, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that about 2/3rds of Americans do not expect their lives to return to normal for at least six months. About half of those polled say they would vote by mail in their state if that option was made available to them. President Trump has railed against voting by mail claiming it feeds into voter fraud and disproportionately helps Democrats. But Trump himself votes by mail and now, according to The Hill, “At least 32 million people have already received or will soon receive absentee ballot applications in the mail, either for upcoming primary elections or November’s general elections.” Utah Senator Mitt Romney pointed out that in his very Republican state, a majority vote by mail.

Scientific researchers in Philadelphia, using anonymous cell phone tracking data to predict the spread of the virus based on people’s movements, are warning of a second wave of infections in Southern States in particular.

FEATURING DR. ABRAHAM VELA – In our on-going series examining nations that have successfully tackled the coronavirus pandemic, we turn today to Cuba, a nation that has been hindered for decades by crippling US sanctions, and which nonetheless prides itself for a highly educated population and a large proportion of skilled doctors. 

The rate of Covid-19 infections in Cuba has been lower than many Latin American nations and very early government action has helped the infection rate to drop. Cuban doctors, who are famous for their “medical-diplomacy” have been flying to nations like South Africa to assist in the pandemic. 

Dr. Abraham Vela, a physician who has treated COVID-19 patients, a graduate of the Cuban Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM).

FEATURING JONATHAN HENNESSEY – In the midst of the worst public health crisis in recent memory President Donald Trump took the time to warn Virginia’s farmers that their governor wanted, “to take your Second Amendment,” and that there would be nobody, “guarding your potatoes.” 

Virginia’s governor Ralph Northam responded saying, “I grew up on a Virginia farm, Mr. President—our potatoes are fine. And as the only medical doctor among our nation’s governors, I suggest you stop taking hydroxychloroquine.” 

Gun owners across America stockpiled on firearms in the early days of the pandemic while the rest of us were worried about toilet paper. Many of those have been on display at pro-Trump anti-lockdown protests in states like Michigan, wielded by flack-jacketed men. 

Now, a timely new film says to ardent proponents of the right to buy as many guns as possible, to stockpile military-grade weapons and ammunition, and walk around showing off such weapons of mass death, that, “You Don’t Understand the Second Amendment.” 

Find the movie HERE.

Jonathan Hennessey, filmmaker and documentarian, author of several books addressing American history, including: The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation, Alexander Hamilton: The Graphic History of an American Founding Father and The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation and more. His new film is called You Don’t Understand the Second Amendment.

Two dams have failed in central Michigan following massive flooding and causing thousands of people to evacuate. The Edenville and Sanford Dams, which are about 140 miles from Detroit, were breached after record breaking rainfall. The towns of Edenville, Sanford, and Midland were under evacuation orders as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared an emergency and warned that the land could be under as much as 9 feet of water. Whitmer also implored evacuating residents to continue practicing social distancing and wear masks to protect from the on-going threat of the coronavirus. The midweek rainfall came just days after several inches of rain on Sunday and Monday. 

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, who has routinely targeted and attacked Gov. Whitmer has now threatened to withhold federal funding from Michigan as well as the state of Nevada over the decision to hold elections by mail. In separate tweets (here and here), he slammed what he called “illegal vote by mail ballots,” that would lead to “a great Voter Fraud scenario.” It is not clear which federal funds Trump has the authority to withhold. The President also failed to mention that he votes by mail. And in Texas, a federal judge ruled that residents fearful of becoming infected by Covid-19 are eligible to vote in elections by mail. The judge slammed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton who had threatened to criminally prosecute local election supervisors who were encouraging vote by mail. The judge called Paxton’s actions akin to voter intimidation.  

As the coronavirus death toll in the US moves past 92,000 and the number of infections past 1.5 million – the highest total of any nation by far – Trump on Tuesday expressed pride in the grim statistics saying he considers the US’s high numbers of Covid-19 infections a “badge of honor.” Although there has been a high number of tests conducted in the US, per capita it is 16th in the world on testing. As most states around the nation reopen businesses, the number of infections and deaths is expected to rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the weekend quietly posted its detailed guidelines for states and institutions to reopen – guidelines which the White House had initially censored but been leaked to the press. The 60-page document fills out many missing details from the barebones set of charts the once-prestigious government agency posted last week. Tom Frieden, former CDC Director under President Obama, gave an interview on CBS saying that, “If people don’t feel safe, they don’t go out and the economy doesn’t recover,” He added, “This isn’t about health versus economics. This is about being in it together to control the virus as well as possible so that we can reopen.” Mr. Frieden was responding to White House trade advisor Peter Navarro’s bizarre and unfounded claim that continuing lockdowns would, “indirectly … kill a lot more people.”

FEATURING JOY MING KING – As infections and deaths from the coronavirus continue to rise in the US and nations like Russia, India, and Brazil, some parts of the world are offering a model for how to beat the deadly disease. One major success story is Hong Kong where out of more than 7 million residents there have been only 4 deaths attributed to Covid-19. 

The backdrop for this stunning statistic is that the past year saw Hong Kong all over international news headlines for a persistent pro-democracy movement that refused to back down in the face of police heavy handedness and a pro-China government. 

Now, it appears as though that very movement, rather than Hong Kong’s discredited government, is responsible for organizing a successful response to the coronavirus. 

Joy Ming King, activist born and raised in Hong Kong and participating in the pro-democracy protests through organizing and direct action both outside and inside Hong Kong through his work in Lausan Collective.

FEATURING HELEN PILCHER – The development of the novel coronavirus that has plunged the world into a pandemic has increased the public interest in the human relationship to the natural world, to animals and plants. A timely new book explores how humans have, from the start domesticated, and inextricably changed life on the planet, impacting not just our own species but many many others.  

Helen Pilcher, former reporter for Nature, and contributor to New Scientist and BBC Focus. She has a PhD in Cell Biology from London’s Institute of Psychiatry and also happens to be a comedy writer. Her new book is Life Changing: How Humans are Altering Life on Earth.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell were questioned by Senators on Tuesday in a virtual hearing on the pandemic-related economic responses of their two agencies. Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown grilled Mnuchin on the health risks to workers from reopening businesses. It was the first time that lawmakers held an accountability hearing on the financial implementation of several economic stimulus packages passed into law to tackle the impacts of the coronavirus. Mr. Mnuchin during the hearing warned that states would not be able to recover economically if they remained on lockdown, while Fed Chair Jerome Powell suggested that more was needed from Congress to help the economy remain afloat. Meanwhile, Monday was Mnuchin’s deadline for large publicly traded corporations to voluntarily return the taxpayer backed loans they applied for and received – loans that were intended for small businesses. According to the New York Times, out of $1.52 billion in loans, only $512 million has been returned. 

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow spoke to reporters at the same time as the Senate hearing and was asked what ideas he had to help low income Americans suggesting a payroll tax cut for low income workers which would lead to cuts in their Social Security and Medicare plans. Kudlow specifically said on Fox News that Trump wants a 7.6% payroll tax cut. Progressive Democratic members of Congress have suggested another option: to cut military spending. Representatives Barbara Lee and Mark Pocan laid out the demand ahead of the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act which is an annual bi-partisan giveaway of taxpayer dollars to the military. In a letter that 29 members of Congress signed, they said, “Right now, the coronavirus is our greatest adversary…We must remain focused on combating the coronavirus and not on increasing military spending that already outpaces the next 10 closest nations combined. . . . At some point, spending more than every other nation on earth must be enough.”

Republicans have refused to take up any more stimulus bills with House minority leader Kevin McCarthy saying, “”I don’t see the need right now.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell similarly said, “I don’t think we have yet felt the urgency of acting immediately. That time could (come), but I don’t think it has yet.” Meanwhile more than 90,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus as per a tracker by Johns Hopkins University. The state of New York still leads within the US with more than 28,000 deaths, followed by New Jersey where more than 10,000 have died. In the nation’s most populous state of California, about 3,200 people have died from the virus. A number of activist groups including MoveOn, Indivisible, and the Center for Popular Democracy have organized a nationwide “day of mourning” on Wednesday with funeral processions in about 20 states.

The state of