3 things To Know Today

1 States Mount Plan To Re-Open Their Economies

As the nation looks ahead to a more normal state of affairs, some states are already plotting their course to restart their economies – specifically Washington, Oregon and California. California Governor Gavin Newsom confirms he’s working with Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Washington Governor Jay Inslee to establish a timeline for potentially reopening the West Coast states. Newsom says the Western States Pact is a shared vision on how to ease restrictions and begin reopening the economy once the stay-at-home orders are lifted. Governor Newsom says the pact will be guided by facts, evidence and science, and not politics. Inslee agrees and says his intent to prioritize public health and science in the state’s approach. He adds, “The rate of infection has to be low enough that we know that it’s not going to simply rebound.”

2 Deaths From Storms Up To 33

The death toll from severe storms across the South on Easter Sunday is up to at least 33. As we told you before, a string of powerful storms spawned dozens of tornadoes across the Deep South over the weekend and at last count? As many as 41 have been confirmed...though some suspect the tally is actually 50. And while more than a million people started their Monday without power, that number has receded to about 300-thousand this morning. The governors of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama have all declared states of emergency to help recover from the damage caused by the storms. Of course, there’s never a good time for such storms, but placing residents in safety has become even more complicated by coronavirus – as it makes the regular practice of shelters inappropriate. What to do? Mayors in the hardest hit areas of Louisiana and Tennessee were forced to ask local hotels to house residents.

3 President Defends Coronavirus Response, Slams Reporter As “Disgraceful”

President Trump doesn’t appreciate it when people question his methods. That’s something CBS News reporter Paula Reid learned yesterday, after she pressed the President about his response to the COVID-19 crisis, and what the White House did with the time it “bought” after closing the borders to China. First, he pushed back and played a campaign-style video. When Reid pressed further, Trump lashed back calling her “disgraceful.” Beyond that, more people were surprised to hear that the President believes he has “total” authority over the country...specifically, the reopening. “When somebody is president of the United States,” he noted. “Your authority is total.” Either way, Anthony Fauci is defending the White House's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci told reporters President Trump has taken action on the mitigation advice he's been given by health experts. Clarifying comments he made the day before on CNN, (where he mentioned that starting mitigation efforts sooner obviously would have saved lives), Fauci described it as a poor choice of words. As for the President’s claim that he has the sole authority about opening the country, a number of Constitutional experts including Dr. Kevin Gutzman disagree. The authority to require businesses to close in a public health crisis is what is a known as a "police power," and it is reserved by the Constitution to the states, not to the federal government. “He can't make a state discontinue its shutdown, nor can he make it continue one it wants to discontinue,” Gutzman notes. “Merely asserting that ‘there are lots of good reasons’ for the president to have such authority doesn't make it so.”


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