“Trump gambled very early and very often on the idea that the coronavirus wouldn’t turn out to be nearly as severe as some health officials have warned it could get,” Aaron Blake writes.
LaunchArchdiocese of Seattle suspends liturgies, tells region’s Catholics: Don’t come to church
“I am going to ask that all of our parishes in western Washington, in the Archdiocese of Seattle, effective today, suspend the celebration publicly of the Eucharist,” Archbishop Etienne said.
LaunchFor Trump, coronavirus proves to be an enemy he can’t tweet away
“A president who is at his strongest politically when he has a human target to attack has found it harder to confront a growing outbreak that has rattled the country,” The New York Times assesses.
LaunchGovernor Jay Inslee appears on CBS’ Face the Nation to talk about coronavirus response with Margaret Brennan
Read a transcript of Governor Jay Inslee’s appearance on one of the nation’s major Sunday morning talk shows.
LaunchLooking at how diseases spread, canceling SXSW was the right call
“No doubt canceling SXSW was a tough call for the city,” data scientist Spencer Fox writes. “But public health concerns must take priority.”
LaunchInside China’s all-out war on the novel coronavirus
Via The New York Times: “Dr. Bruce Aylward, of the World Health Organization got a rare glimpse into Beijing’s campaign to stop the epidemic. Here’s what he saw.”
LaunchJohn Oliver tackles coronavirus myths and scams on Last Week Tonight
As coronavirus spreads to the United States, John Oliver discusses what’s being done to fight the illness, what’s gone wrong, and how to stay safe.
LaunchFBI arrests gang of right wing neo-Nazis after they threatened activists and KING5’s Chris Ingalls
Defendants are charged with conspiring to mail threatening communications and stalking.
LaunchYour pricey outdoor gear may have been made in factories where workers are abused
“Allegations of abuse have surfaced at a Bangladeshi factory whose multinational owner manufactures for some of the most popular outdoor brands we love. Here’s why that should surprise no one,” Joe Lindsey writes.
LaunchScience under attack: How Trump is sidelining researchers and their work
In three years, the administration has diminished the role of science in policymaking while disrupting research projects nationwide.
LaunchEx-Senator Jeff Flake: Trump is on trial; so are my Senate Republican colleagues
“Personally, I have never met anyone whose behavior can be described as perfect, but so often has the president repeated this obvious untruth that it has become a form of dogma in our party. And sure enough, as dogma demands, there are members of our party denying objective reality by repeating the line that ‘the president did nothing wrong.’ My colleagues, the danger of an untruthful president is compounded when an equal branch follows that president off the cliff, into the abyss of unreality and untruth.”
LaunchOur country is accepting the unacceptable
“Slowly, gradually, but inexorably, our country is accepting the unacceptable. We thought we had a consensus about basic norms that protect freedom and self-government. That consensus has been swept away by Republican partisans who value political power over the constitutional liberties they have always claimed to revere above everything else.”
LaunchAs Australia burns, its right wing prime minister Scott Morrison refuses to act on climate
The United States isn’t the only prominent democracy with a fossil fuel loving chief executive who refuses to act on climate. Australia’s current prime minister is an ignoramus who has no solutions to offer as the country chokes on horrific smoke from devastating brushfires.
LaunchRudy Giuliani butt-dials NBC reporter, heard discussing need for cash and trashing Bidens
In the call, “Giuliani can be heard discussing overseas dealings and lamenting the need for cash, though it’s difficult to discern the full context of the conversation,” NBC’s Rich Schapiro reports.
LaunchThis photo of Nancy Pelosi *literally* standing up to Donald Trump is everything
This is one of the most striking photos of the Trump error.
LaunchCalifornia just legalized public banking, setting the stage for more affordable housing
The Guardian explains why Governor Gavin Newsom’s approval of AB 857, the Public Banking, is such a big deal. The bill will allow city and county governments to create or sponsor public banks.
LaunchPolitico’s Jack Shafer: Trump won’t be able to tweet his way out of his deepening problems
“Trump’s old techniques are failing — and not just due to the volume of the bad news,” Shafer says.
LaunchProgress *is* possible: Major cruise line to abandon plastic water bottles
Norweigan Cruise Line is phasing out plastic water bottles and switching to lower impact containers made by Just Water.
Launch‘Total panic’ as ‘shell-shocked’ White House struggles to find impeachment footing
While many in the Trump White House are battle-tested from the Mueller investigation, this is starting to feel different, aides and advisers told NBC News.
LaunchCivil rights icon John Lewis: It’s time for impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump
WATCH: Georgia Democratic Representative John Lewis takes to the House floor to call for the beginning of impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.
LaunchJohn Bolton leaves the Trump regime
Another rat flees the sinking ship.
Launch