Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Travel advisory: “The U.S. State Department raised the global travel advisory Thursday to Level 4: Do Not Travel, citing the coronavirus pandemic.”
* Italy overtakes China: “Italy’s death toll from the coronavirus epidemic appears to have overtaken that in China, the latest official data shows, as Chinese fatalities fall sharply and Europe becomes the epicenter of a pandemic that is killing thousands and devastating the global economy.”
* I can’t understand why these beaches would be open: “Local officials in Florida towns and cities are taking it upon themselves to close beaches amid the coronavirus outbreak after Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to, even as spring breakers and others crowd the shores.”
* On the Hill: “Two members of the House of Representatives have tested positive for the coronavirus illness COVID-19 and are self-quarantining, the lawmakers said Wednesday.”
* CDC: “As the United States enters a critical phase in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the country’s leading public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, appears to be on the sidelines, with its public messages increasingly disrupted or overtaken by the White House.” * Bizarre priorities: “As of Tuesday morning, Idaho Gov. Brad Little had declared a state of emergency in the state over the coronavirus outbreak. Some school districts have closed. But the state legislature hadn’t yet taken action to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. It has, though, passed two anti-transgender bills.” * Oh my: “President Donald Trump on Thursday was photographed reading from notes at the daily coronavirus task force press conference where the word ‘corona’ was crossed out and replaced with ‘Chinese’ to described COVID-19.” 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."
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