1 SCOTUS Issues Ruling About Making President's Finances Public
The Supreme Court has offered a mixed bag of decisions for President Trump as it relates to his personal finances – neither was a close call. In a 7-2 ruling, the high court has ruled that investigators in New York can seek Trump's records. Justices said the President is not above the law and is not immune to investigations by the Manhattan District Attorney's office. But another case got kicked back to lower courts – the one involving House demands for access to the President’s records. Justices said lower courts need to give more consideration to "significant separation of powers concerns" involved in congressional subpoenas for the President's tax and financial records. That was also a 7-2 ruling. His reaction? One could say “not amused.” Taking to Twitter Trump offered a series of fiery posts complaining about political prosecutions and "presidential harassment." “Courts in the past have given ‘broad deference,’ he wrote. “BUT NOT ME!” That’s not true, of course. In the past, Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton both tried and failed to withhold evidence against them, but SCOTUS forced their hand.
2 White House Plays Down Apparent Rift Between Trump, CDC
The White House is playing down an apparent rift between President Trump and the CDC over reopening schools. Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters that the two camps are on the "same page" and said getting back to school is an imperative for the health and well-being of children. Trump has insisted that schools reopen in the fall, despite ongoing concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. He also said that the current plan was unworkable and too expensive. And while CDC Director Robert Redfield originally said that ‘revised’ guidelines for schools would be on the way, that’s apparently no longer the case. Redfield tells ABC's “Good Morning America” that his agency will continue working with local officials to refine school reopening guidelines for practical use. On Wednesday, Trump had threatened to withhold funding from any school districts that did not open on time.
3 Fauci Notes Some States Skipped Steps To Safely Reopen
The number of coronavirus cases around the world is now more than 12-million. That's double what it was six weeks ago and why the World Health Organization says the outbreak isn't under control. At a briefing, the director tearfully pleaded for global unity to fight the pandemic – this, a day after the U.S. began its withdrawal. He asked during a briefing, "How difficult is it for humans to unite to fight a common enemy that's killing people indiscriminately?" Here at home, the nation's top infectious disease specialist says some states reopened too quickly from coronavirus shutdowns. On FiveThirtyEight's podcast, Dr. Anthony Fauci noted some states skipped federal guidelines on gradually reopening safely. He singled out Arizona and Florida, which have both had surges in COVID-19 cases. Fauci also said divisiveness in the country made it more difficult to have a coordinated response to the virus.