Playbook PM: Trump cedes the stage

Presented by UnitedHealth Group: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington

May 14, 2020 View in browser   By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross Presented by PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP and his administration have decided that the HOUSE is filled with "Trump haters," and is not worth their time, energy or attention. TELEVISED HEARINGS while the nation is working from home? Eh, they'll skip them. AND, IN DOING SO, TRUMP has completely ceded wall-to-wall cable coverage to his opponents -- whistleblowers like RICK BRIGHT and the HOUSE DEMOCRATIC majority. THIS MORNING, we saw the fruit of that strategy when BRIGHT was allowed a practically unfettered opportunity to rip apart the TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S response to the coronavirus, which has now killed more than 84,000 Americans. Many Republicans focused on hydroxychloroquine, and one quizzed BRIGHT on whether he was taking sick leave or vacation during his three-week absence from the government. BRIGHT seized the opportunity. He said the government could've done better in its response to the deadly virus. He said they've known for a long time that the federal stockpile is "insufficient" and did not have enough masks. He said the government has no "plan on how to fairly and equitably distribute" remdesivir, the most promising drug in combating Covid-19. HE CAST DOUBT ON THE ADMINISTRATION'S estimate that a vaccine will be ready by the end of the year. He said if "everything goes perfectly," they may be able to have sufficient data within 12 to 18 months. "WE'VE NEVER SEEN EVERYTHING go perfectly," he said. BRIGHT said there are hospital workers across the country who are using foreign-made masks that they erroneously believe will protect them from the virus. "THE WINDOW is closing to address this pandemic because we still do not have a standard, centralized, coordinated plan to take our nation through this response," BRIGHT said to the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee. "I believe with proper leadership and collaboration across government with the best science leading the way, we can devise a comprehensive strategy. … Time is running out because the virus is still spreading everywhere." More from Sarah Owermohle and Dan Diamond W.H. RESPONSE …. FROM ALYSSA FARAH, W.H. director of strategic communications: "Bright has a lot of ideas about what he and HHS could have/ would have / should have done differently. But the reality is the incredible professionals at HHS, the W.H. task force, and the whole of government have been working tirelessly to address the very issues he raised. POTUS is in Pennsylvania today highlighting that we have rebuilt and modernized our national stockpile, he's announced Operation Warp Speed - led by HHS and DOD -- to develop a vaccine, we've initiated a national testing strategy and have met the request for support from every state and territory." BREAKING -- "Burr to temporarily step down as intel panel chairman amid stock investigation," by Marianne LeVine, Andrew Desiderio and Burgess Everett: "Sen. Richard Burr will temporarily step down as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee amid an ongoing investigation over his stock trades, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "'We agreed that this decision would be in the best interests of the committee and will be effective at the end of the day tomorrow,' McConnell said in a statement." POLITICO -- @burgessev: "Asked if she's had any contact with the FBI, Sen. Loeffler doesn't answer." -- NYT'S KATIE BENNER and NICK FANDOS: "Federal investigators have also scrutinized stock trades by other senators around the same time, including Senators James Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma; Kelly Loeffler, Republican of Georgia, and Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, according to a person briefed on those cases. All three have said they did nothing wrong. "In April, law enforcement officials asked Ms. Feinstein 'basic questions' about stock transactions made by her husband during the time period in question, a spokesman for her said on Thursday. He said Ms. Feinstein complied and provided documents that showed she had no involvement. A spokeswoman for Ms. Loeffler said federal authorities had not contacted the senator." SO, TO REVIEW: BURR got his cellphone taken. FEINSTEIN has handed over paperwork to the FBI. LOEFFLER refused to tell BURGESS about whether she's had contact with the FBI. MEANWHILE … TRUMP suggested on Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria" that BARACK OBAMA and JOE BIDEN should be jailed. "PEOPLE SHOULD BE going to jail for this stuff," TRUMP said, referring to the "unmasking" of Mike Flynn. "This was all Obama, this was all Biden. These people were corrupt, the whole thing was corrupt, and we caught them. We caught them." WITH FRIENDS LIKE THIS … @realDonaldTrump at 10:21 a.m.: "If I were a Senator or Congressman, the first person I would call to testify about the biggest political crime and scandal in the history of the USA, by FAR, is former President Obama. He knew EVERYTHING. Do it @LindseyGrahamSC, just do it. No more Mr. Nice Guy. No more talk!" -- ANDREW DESIDERIO, 12:02 p.m.: "Graham shoots down Trump's call for Obama testimony on Russia probe origins" MORE FROM TRUMP ON FOX BIZ … THE PRESIDENT said that there will be "close to" 500 miles of border wall by early next year. He said there are 182 miles now. MEANWHILE … 2.98 MILLION more jobless claims filed last week. 36.5 MILLION people are currently unemployed. More from Rebecca Rainey Good Thursday afternoon. A message from UnitedHealth Group: The United Health Foundation is collaborating with the AARP Foundation to provide meals and social connection support to more than one million seniors impacted by COVID-19. Learn more.   SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER on CNBC, speaking about Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL wanting to wait for more stimulus: "What alternative universe is he in?" SHOT … TRUMP on Wednesday: "[Airlines] have great confidence. And they have great confidence in us, and they have great confidence in the airlines. We've saved the airlines with $25 billion and another $25 billion. And we have airlines that are now in good shape. I mean, they -- obviously, they're going to pick up with the fares and with the seats." CHASER … DELTA CEO ED BASTIAN announced this morning his airline is retiring the "iconic" 777 aircraft. "Delta is currently burning about $50 million every day, and steps like this help us stem the bleeding, in an effort to safeguard Delta jobs and our future. Delta went into this crisis in a position of strength, and this will be an important step to ensure we remain in a relatively strong industry position as demand recovers." SCOOP: "Pentagon fires its point person for Defense Production Act," by Lara Seligman and Daniel Lippman: "Jennifer Santos, the Pentagon's industrial policy chief who oversees efforts to ramp up production of masks and other equipment to help fight Covid-19, was fired from her job this week and will move to a position in the Navy, according to two people familiar with the matter. ... "Santos announced tearfully during a Thursday morning staff call that she had been fired and would leave her post at 5 p.m. on Friday, according to one person close to the Pentagon. A Pentagon spokesperson didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Santos, when reached by phone, did not have a comment. It's not yet clear why she was let go or who will replace her." POLITICO HAPPENING TODAY -- ANNA will host a Women Rule virtual event on women and criminal justice reform at 3 p.m. Watch IN THE COURTS … JOSH GERSTEIN: "Appeals court greenlights emoluments suit against Trump": "A lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of violating the Constitution by accepting foreign government money through his luxury Washington hotel can proceed to fact-gathering about Trump's profits, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. "The Richmond-based 4th Circuit Court of Appeals voted, 9-6, to reject Trump's bid to shut down the lawsuit the governments of Maryland and the District of Columbia brought alleging violations of the Constitution's emoluments clauses. Trump, who has vigorously fought a series of similar lawsuits for years, will now need relief from the Supreme Court if he wants to block Maryland and D.C. from pressing demands for his business records as his re-election campaign gets into full swing." POLITICO … The ruling IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING -- "White House: No plans for a President Pelosi if Trump, Pence are incapacitated by coronavirus," by Quint Forgey   JOIN TOMORROW - HOW DOES THE GLOBAL ECONOMY START MOVING AGAIN? The pandemic has caused the global economy to come to a halt, triggering economic crises around the world. What happens next? Join Global Translations author Ryan Heath tomorrow at 1 p.m. EDT for a virtual discussion with Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, focused on the trade-offs and investments needed to get the global economy moving again, the role that China can be expected to play, and how growing debt and deficits will impact the developing world. Have questions? Submit yours by tweeting it to @POLITICOLive using #AskPOLITICO. REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE.     THE REOPENING ... NBC'S @GeoffRBennett: "NEWS: Two admin officials tell me the CDC is expected to release today the detailed guidance for states about how and when to reopen public places like schools, stores and restaurants -- parts of which were shelved by the White House over concerns it was too 'restrictive.'" -- MEANWHILE … AP: "Emails: Trump nominee involved in shelving CDC virus guide," by Jason Dearen and Michael Biesecker: "A former chemical industry executive nominated to be the nation's top consumer safety watchdog was involved in sidelining detailed guidelines to help communities reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, internal government emails show. Now the ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is questioning the role played by nominee Nancy Beck in the decision to shelve the guidelines. "Beck is not a medical doctor and has no background in virology. President Donald Trump has nominated Beck to be chairwoman and commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a position that requires Senate confirmation. Beck is scheduled to appear before the Senate committee later this month. Emails obtained by The Associated Press show that Beck was the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's main point of contact in the White House about the proposed recommendations." AP THE LATEST RESEARCH -- "Convalescent Plasma Is Safe to Treat Covid-19, National Study Shows," by WSJ's Amy Dockser Marcus: "A study of thousands of Covid-19 patients who received blood plasma transfusions from recovered patients indicates the experimental therapy appears to be safe, paving the way for future studies and clinical trials. "A team of researchers at Mayo Clinic, Michigan State University and Johns Hopkins University examined health outcomes of 5,000 hospitalized patients around the U.S. who received convalescent plasma treatment, and found the transfusions resulted in few serious side effects and there wasn't an excessive mortality rate. The study, posted Thursday on a public server called Medrxiv, hasn't undergone peer review or publication in a scientific journal. Researchers found serious adverse events occurred in fewer than 1% of the treated patients, and the mortality rate seven days after transfusion was 14.9%." WSJ THE TROUBLE WITH TRACKING -- "The limits of smartphone data are on display as the country seeks to reopen," by WaPo's Craig Timberg: "Where people travel and how long they stay away from home can be measured with smartphone location data. But the increasingly popular movement maps derived from this data don't reveal how well people maintained social distancing once they reached their destinations — something key to understanding the transmission of the coronavirus, epidemiologists say." WaPo   POLITICO Magazine Justice Reform: The Decarceration Issue, presented by Verizon: Over the past decade, the longstanding challenge of criminal-justice reform has emerged into the spotlight with a new twist: Both Republicans and Democrats are onboard. But if both parties want to lower the incarceration rate, why are our jail and prison populations still so high? The latest series from POLITICO Magazine works to answer this important question and take a deeper look into what it will take to make progress in the policy and politics of justice reform. READ THE FULL ISSUE.     ICYMI ... MELANIE ZANONA and JOHN BRESNHAN: "Steve King makes new push for committee reinstatement despite racist remarks": "House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has agreed to let Rep. Steve King formally make his case for why his committee assignments should be restored — but the controversial Iowa Republican wouldn't be able to get his seats back until the next Congress, and only if his colleagues agree to it." JOHN BRESNAHAN: "Senate Democrats push for regulation of 'ghost guns'": "With U.S. gun sales soaring during the coronavirus pandemic, a group of 15 Senate Democrats is introducing legislation calling for new restrictions on untraceable 'ghost guns.' Made using gun kits or by 3D printing — and sometimes referred to as "80 percent guns" because they haven't reached a level of manufacturing that meets the legal definition of a firearm — these weapons have no serial numbers, as compared to guns sold by federally licensed gun dealers. "There's also no requirement to obtain a federal background check for anyone who buys a kit and builds such a weapon, and they can be sold by unlicensed dealers. Led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, these Senate Democrats — who include Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York — want to require that all guns sold in the United States after Jan. 1, 2022, can be traced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives." POLITICO BRUTAL FOR ELIOT ENGEL … THE ATLANTIC'S ISAAC DOVERE: "Why This Democrat Won't Go Home": "A member of Congress since 1989, Engel is facing his first serious primary challenge in years, in a district next door to the one where Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated another longtime incumbent in a primary two years ago. Yet Engel hasn't been in his district since at least the end of March, according to his communications director, Bryant Daniels. … "So most of Engel's House colleagues have spent most of their time living among their constituents, experiencing the panic and confusion and boredom alongside the people they represent. Many of them, like other elected officials around the country, have transformed their offices into community help centers, and thrown themselves into makeshift social-work efforts. … Daniels suggested to me that other committee chairs stayed in D.C. after the CARES Act passed. But I checked, and Engel is the only committee chair in the New York delegation who has remained in Washington the entire time since that vote." Atlantic TRANSITION -- Joe Hockey is now a special adviser for global financial services firm Macquarie Group's Infrastructure and Real Assets Americas business. He is the former Australian ambassador to the U.S. BONUS BIRTHDAYS: Brian Canfield … Todd Reid   A message from UnitedHealth Group: The United Health Foundation and AARP Foundation are collaborating to help address food insecurity and social isolation among seniors impacted by COVID-19. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Anna Palmer @apalmerdc Jake Sherman @JakeSherman Eli Okun @eliokun Garrett Ross @garrett_ross   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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NI Virologist warns: ‘We need to drive the virus down with testing, tracing and isolating before we can think about opening society up again’

NI death toll with COVID-19 now 454 after another 5 deaths reported - see how many have tested positive for coronavirus in your area

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News   What's On   Lifestyle              May 14, 2020           Dear reader There was some positive news out of Stormont on Thursday evening as First Minister Arlene Foster announced the reopening of garden centres and household recycling centres in Northern Ireland from Monday. Marriage ceremonies involving someone who is suffering from a terminal illness will also be allowed from next week after ministers in the Stormont executive discussed the plan on Thursday. Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the changes had been informed by medical and scientific advice. Meanwhile, the fall-out from the postponement of the 2020 post primary transfer tests in the Province continued on Thursday as the mother of a 10-year-old child launched a legal challenge.  The absence of many friends and relatives from funeral services here was dealt with by Northern Ireland's Attorney General. John Larkin said there are no upper limits to how many close family members can attend the funeral of a relative.. Mr Larkin told the Committee for Justice that no specific numbers are mentioned in the social distancing regulations. Stay safe Alistair Bushe Editor   Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster has said the power-sharing executive has approved the reopening of garden centres and household recycling centres from Monday Marriage ceremonies involving someone who is suffering from a terminal illness will also be allowed from next week. Ministers in the executive discussed the plan on Thursday. Mrs. Foster and deputy First Minister, Michelle O'Neill briefed the media on the measures being lifted at the daily Coronavirus briefing in Belfast. Mrs Foster said the announcement represented "very tentative first steps toward recovery". The region's lockdown exit plan sets out a five-step process but does not assign projected dates for any of the stages. "We hope to reveal more about the implementation of stage one on Monday," said Mrs Foster. Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the changes had been informed by medical and scientific advice. "Every decision is carefully judged on an evaluation of risk and potential benefits," she said.Ms O'Neill said the executive would "move towards step one" of the exit plan on Monday. Another five people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in NI The latest report from the Department of Health reveals that three people died within the last 24 hours and another two people died outside that period, but were reported to the DoH.The statistics reveal that 233 men have died after contracting COVID-19. Dr Connor Bamford, a virologist at Queen's University and an expert in respiratory illness is approving of the NI Executives plan to ease our society from lockdown While Boris announced unlimited exercise time outside the home, urged workers to return to their jobs if they could not work from home, and even spoke of potential school openings from June, Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill gave a clear, decelerated and measured five-step roadmap to the long road back to normality. They announced that their guidlines would be led by the science and by the health service's ability to cope. Dr Bamford said: "I think it is great to finally have a plan and on face value this roadmap looks sensible as there are no time commitments, it is moderate and flexible." The coronavirus "may never go away", the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned Speaking at a briefing yesterday (Wednesday), WHO emergencies director Dr Mike Ryan warned against trying to predict when the virus would disappear. He added that even if a vaccine is found, controlling the virus will require a "massive effort". Almost 300,000 people worldwide are reported to have died with coronavirus, and more than 4.3m cases recorded Coronavirus: Plan to have care workers sleep overnight in homes for a week at a time 'not scuppered by unions' Denise Walker of the GMB said that the planned trial, which would have seen staff sleeping in care homes for a week at a time, simply had too many unresolved details. But she indicated that the union was not inherently opposed to the concept. She was reacting to claims from Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots, which he had made on Facebook this week. He had written the following late on Monday night: "Given care homes are in the frontline in the battle against Covid, I was pleased that a number of homes had organised staff to work and sleep at the care home for one week at a time.           NI Virologist warns: 'We need to drive the virus down with testing, tracing and isolating before we can think about opening society up again'           Dr Connor Bamford, a virologist at Queen's University and an expert in respiratory illness is approving of the NI Executives plan to ease our society from lockdown.                 NI death toll with COVID-19 now 454 after another 5 deaths reported - see how many have tested positive for coronavirus in your area   Another five people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in NI.           Hundreds of calls about standards in care homes in NI during pandemic, committee is told   Inspectors have fielded hundreds of recent calls for help from whistle blowers or staff about standards in care homes during the pandemic in Northern Ireland.           Hundreds of ex pupils help teacher with cancer op he had to pay for out of own pocket due to Covid-19 cancellation   Hundreds of former pupils of a much-loved art teacher have contributed to a fundraising drive to help cover the cost of his cancer treatment.           Sammy Wilson criticises Stormont's recovery plan for Covid-19, saying it has proved almost impossible to relax lockdown   People across the UK and in Northern Ireland will be disappointed at the message sent by Westminster and Stormont on lockdown, Sammy Wilson says today.                 View more on Coronavirus

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