Today’s edition of quick hits:
* When testing goes down, and cases go up, it’s an unsettling combination: “The U.S. reported more than 34,000 new coronavirus cases, higher than the daily totals of the past few days even as testing slowed over the holiday weekend.”
* On a related note: “As the United States heads into flu season, Americans can’t let up in the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday…. ‘We need to hunker down and get through this fall and winter, because it’s not going to be easy,’ Fauci said during a panel of doctors from Harvard Medical School.”
* This was a bad bill: “Senate Democrats scuttled a scaled-back GOP coronavirus rescue package on Thursday, saying the measure shortchanged too many pressing needs as the pandemic continues its assault on the country.”
* USPS: “Changes to the U.S. Postal Service instituted by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy have caused ‘significant delays’ in the delivery of mail-order prescriptions to millions of Americans, according to the results of an investigation by two Senate Democrats released Wednesday.”
* Florida: “One month into the forced reopening of Florida’s schools, dozens of classrooms — along with some entire schools — have been temporarily shuttered because of coronavirus outbreaks, and infections among school-age children have jumped 34 percent. But parents in many parts of the state don’t know if outbreaks of the virus are related to their own schools because the state ordered some counties to keep health data secret.”
* Why hasn’t Trump said this? “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged Wednesday that there is a ‘substantial chance’ senior Russian officials were behind the poisoning of the Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.”
* In a normal political environment, her resignation at this point would be a given: “When Seema Verma, the Trump administration’s top Medicaid official, went to a reporter’s home in November 2018 for a ‘Girl’s Night’ thrown in her honor, taxpayers footed the bill to organize the event: $2,933. When Verma wrote an op-ed on Fox News’ website that fall, touting President Donald Trump’s changes to Obamacare, taxpayers got charged for one consultant’s price to place it: $977.”
* Speaking of controversial members of Team Trump, remember Rick Perry? “When the then-energy secretary accidentally helped lead the president into impeachment, he was simultaneously trying to help his friends cash in on a big gas deal.”
* Breonna Taylor case: “The Kentucky attorney general is preparing to present evidence from the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor to a grand jury as early as next week, according to two sources familiar with the matter.” * A case we’ve been keeping an eye on: “A judge denied a bid Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee and the Trump Organization misused nonprofit funds to enrich the president’s family business.” * Hopefully, people will have the good sense to ignore his bad advice: “Rep. Andy Biggs is neither a physician nor a scientist but he continues to attack public health advice and scientific evidence on COVID-19. Biggs, R-Ariz., in recent days has posted a string of pro-hydroxychloroquine and anti-mask messages on social media.” * Something to keep an eye on: “The State Department has informally confirmed to Congress that Republican super-donor Sheldon Adelson is the buyer of the U.S. ambassador’s official residence in Israel, a congressional aide told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Lawmakers in the House and Senate are now looking into whether the deal complied with regulations.” See you tomorrow.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
Latest Post
Recommended
