Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Staggering numbers: “There are 4,820 long-term care facilities with coronavirus cases in the U.S. and 10,892 residents have died, according to data from state agencies collected by NBC News.”
* Not how this is supposed to work: “The federal government’s $349 billion aid program for small businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic was advertised as first-come, first-served. As many business owners found out, it was anything but. That’s because some of the nation’s biggest banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and U.S. Bank, prioritized the applications of their wealthiest clients before turning to other loan seekers, according to half a dozen bank employees and financial industry executives who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the banks’ operations.”
* On a related note: “The Federal Reserve will disclose the names of companies that benefit from its lending programs, it announced Thursday, a sign that the central bank is willing to provide the kind of transparency lawmakers have been urging.”
* As Trump eyes the end, Merkel recognizes the beginning: “German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday warned that the battle against the coronavirus was in its early stages and that the pandemic looked set to be part of life for the long term. The leader of Europe’s largest economy also lent her support to the embattled World Health Organization, which has come under fire from President Donald Trump for its handling of the global pandemic.”
* On a related note: “China has committed $30 million to the World Health Organization one week after President Trump halted U.S. funding to the U.N. agency that has emerged as a battleground for influence between the two powers.” * On the Hill: “The House voted to approve the creation of a new subcommittee to oversee the Trump administration’s disbursement of $2 trillion in coronavirus relief funds and its response to the pandemic. No Republicans voted in favor of the new panel, which passed along party lines, 212 to 182.” * Remember when Trump wanted to buy Greenland? “The Trump administration is poised to announce an expanded diplomatic presence in Greenland and a new assistance package for the vast island aimed at thwarting growing Chinese and Russian influence in the Arctic.” 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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