A new memo issued Monday by Attorney General Bill Barr told federal prosecutors nationwide to “be on the lookout” for COVID-19 public health measures that “could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.”
Continue reading “Barr Issues BOLO For COVID-19 Public Health Measures That ‘Overreach’”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Meat isn’t going to disappear from supermarkets because of outbreaks of the coronavirus among workers at U.S. slaughterhouses. But as the meat plants struggle to remain open, consumers could face less selection and slightly higher prices.
Industry leaders acknowledge that the U.S. food chain has rarely been so stressed and that no one is sure about the future, even as they try to dispel concerns about shortages.
Continue reading “Coronavirus Likely To Make Meat More Expensive And Harder To Find”
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil is emerging as potentially the next big hot spot for the coronavirus amid President Jair Bolsonaro’s insistence that it is just a “little flu” and that there is no need for the sharp restrictions that have slowed the infection’s spread in Europe and the U.S.
As some U.S. states and European countries moved gradually Monday to ease their limits on movement and commerce, the intensifying outbreak in Brazil — Latin America ‘s biggest country, with 211 million people — pushed hospitals to the breaking point, leaving victims to die at home.
The Wisconsin Department of Health is reporting that 40 people who voted in or worked the April 7 election have since tested positive for COVID-19.
Continue reading “A Jump In Wisconsin’s Election-Related COVID Cases Brings Total To 40”
These points from TPM Reader JL are all, I think, well-taken. We shouldn’t assume that the states that are in the process of opening up will quickly see dramatic resurgences or outbreaks. There’s a lot of complexity under the hood distinguishing one state’s plan from another. And in many cases, the real restraint isn’t public orders as public fear and resistance to going back to normal.
I heard a news report of states planning substantial reopens in first week of May, and with the caution that unnamed and uncharacterized ‘public health officials’ were worried about it. (Another example, IMHO, of the BS corporate ‘information product’ slop we flatter as news reporting in the US)
The selection of states mentioned included CO, MN, MT, FL, GA, TN. And it occurred to me that is a collection of good, bad and ugly state political leadership.
So, I hope TPM keeps an eye on the whole range of ‘early reopen’ states and reports out the range of outcomes from a comprehensive representation of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, has cancelled its already once-delayed presidential primary.
Continue reading “New York Becomes First State To Outright Cancel Presidential Primary”
Michael Fowler, a coroner in Albany, Georgia, warned on Monday that shopping at the businesses that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has allowed to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic could come at a heavy price.
Continue reading “Georgia Coroner Pleads Against Going Outside: ‘You’re Playing Russian Roulette’”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Monday noted an increase in New York City residents who tested positive for the presence of COVID-19 antibodies in recent days. According to state survey data that he described at a press conference, nearly a quarter of Big Apple residents showed signs of an immune response to the disease.
New serology/antibodies data from New York State is out today. This is the second round of serology testing. Gov. Cuomo said the state has now tested 7,500 people. Presumably that’s a rough count and I assume it is inclusive of the previous number, which was 3,000 tests. This second round had 14.9% positive statewide, up from 13.9%. In New York City, the number is 24.7%, up from 21.2%.
This piece is part of our weekly Prime series on voting rights, but it has been moved outside of the paywall while we cover COVID-19.
Continue reading “Florida GOP’s Ex-Felon ‘Poll Tax’ Law Goes On Trial”
