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Blaming China for the coronavirus pandemic has become something of a rallying cry for Donald Trump and his supporters. And indeed, China is far from blameless in its specious management of the crisis. But Trump has actually mirrored China's own delayed action and blame-shifting rhetoric on the issue from the beginning. He initially praised China effusively for its "efforts and transparency." Now he accuses China of refusing to admit that its "incompetence" led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands around the world. Either way, the president is suggesting that he was duped, and he is using China as an excuse to cover up his own mismanagement. —Evan McMullin
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1. It's all up to us now
Connecticut became the final state to begin lifting coronavirus restrictions today, meaning all 50 states have now at least partially emerged from lockdowns. But with only a handful of states showing significant improvement in infection rates, some experts caution it could be too soon. As of yesterday, at least 17 states had registered an upward trend in average daily cases of COVID-19 over the previous seven days, according to an analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Health officials say Americans can't let their guard down, and collective commitment to wearing masks, social distancing, and personal hygiene will be even more critical to lowering the risk of catching the highly transmissible and sometimes deadly virus. —CNN
- — CDC issues new guidelines. To aid states with the transition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has laid out a detailed road map for reopening schools, child-care facilities, restaurants, and mass transit. The CDC cautions that some institutions should stay closed for now and said reopening should be guided by coronavirus transmission rates. —The Washington Post
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- — DOJ warns California. In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Justice Department's civil rights division said Newsom had shown "unequal treatment of faith communities" in restricting their ability to gather and may be violating their constitutional rights. While California worshippers cannot gather in person, even while following social distancing protocols, the state has deemed employees in the entertainment and e-commerce industries essential and allowed them to continue working in person. —Los Angeles Times
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- — Florida scientist fired over data? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration fired Dr. Rebekah Jones from the state Department of Health on Monday, and Jones claims she was sidelined after refusing to "manually change [coronavirus] data to drum up support for the plan to reopen" the state. A spokesperson for DeSantis denies the allegation. —The Guardian
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- — Oregon gov's orders get a stay. After Baker Co. Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff ruled against Gov. Kate Brown on Monday when she failed to seek the state legislature's approval to extend stay-at-home orders beyond a 28-day limit, Brown's lawyers appealed the ruling. Yesterday, the Oregon Supreme Court put a hold on Shirtcliff's decree until the high court's justices can review the matter. —KATU
More: Trump says the US leading the world in coronavirus cases is 'a badge of honor' because it reflects success in testing (Business Insider)
4. Trump fires blank shot in vote-by-mail battle
In the midst of catastrophic flooding, Michigan got a dire but entirely flawed warning from President Trump early this morning. He claimed on Twitter that the state is mailing election ballots to its voters (this is false—registered voters were mailed applications, not ballots). Then he wrote, "This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!"
- — Nevada. Trump also tweeted about Nevada, which is planning an all-mail election for its June 9 primary. "State of Nevada 'thinks' that they can send out illegal vote by mail ballots, creating a great Voter Fraud scenario for the State and the U.S. They can't! If they do, 'I think' I can hold up funds to the State." Elections are run by state and local governments, so it's unclear how Trump could legally withhold funds from the states. —MarketWatch
- — Texas. Yesterday, Texas District Judge Fred Biery ruled that voters wary of catching coronavirus can request absentee mail-in ballots. Biery ruled that the "disability" provision in the state's vote-by-mail election code applies to all registered voters who "lack immunity from COVID-19 and fear infection at polling places." —CNN
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- — Wisconsin. In the state's recent April 7 election, nearly 2,700 absentee ballots in Milwaukee were not sent, and about 1,600 in the Fox Valley were not processed, because of computer glitches and mailing problems, according to a report on the election. The report highlights the kind of difficulties states could face in the November presidential election without proper preparation. —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
More: Freed by court ruling, Republicans step up effort to patrol voting (The New York Times)
I really appreciated your "An American Story: Helping each other one slice at a time." It should have been first, not tenth. Thank you. —Virgene L., Washington
I enthusiastically agree with Steven R. from Calif., writing in "What's Your Take" yesterday. —Linda M., Oregon
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