Masks, State Aid, Ahmaud Arbery: Your Monday Evening Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/briefing/masks-state-aid-ahmaud-arbery.html

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Good evening. Here’s the latest.

1. “We have prevailed” on testing, President Trump declared.

At a Rose Garden news conference, above, flanked by large posters that proclaimed “America leads the world in testing,” the president said more coronavirus tests had been completed in the U.S. per capita than in South Korea, Britain, France, Sweden, Finland or elsewhere.

He did not mention several other countries where testing on a per-capita basis was higher, including Germany, Russia, Spain, Canada, Switzerland and at least 20 others, according to statistics compiled by Our World in Data.

The White House plans to ask most employees to wear face masks when inside the West Wing. The new rules are not expected to apply to Mr. Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, who have downplayed the need to wear masks.

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2. Scientists see a nation caught between a rock and a hard place: reopening and causing a “second wave.”

Evidence is mounting that masks are far more effective at stopping transmission than was previously realized. But outside of New York, California and a few other states, many Americans refuse to wear them, and officials have waffled over whether to order them to. Above, customers were masked at an Austin, Texas, barbershop today.

Masks, testing, social distancing, lost jobs and bankrupt businesses: These are among the many life-and-death issues around the coronavirus that are gripping governors and mayors, even as scientists and medical experts urge a slower pace for reopening.

3. “Blue states aren’t the only ones who are screwed.”

That was the message from Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, above, at a luncheon with fellow Republicans last week. Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, is making the opposite pitch: Why bail out Democratic strongholds with histories of fiscal mismanagement?

Republicans are divided over which states will get coronavirus financial aid. Much of the dispute is being driven by the political bent of the states that stand to benefit or lose.

Five Western states asked Congress for an additional $1 trillion in assistance to states nationwide, even as President Trump and other Republicans argue that the government should wait before enacting another sweeping stimulus law.

4. A few steps forward — and a few back — on the road to life as usual.

Three upstate New York regions got the go-ahead to partly reopen this weekend, with limited construction, manufacturing and curbside retail, 10 weeks after the state’s first confirmed case of coronavirus. The regions include Rochester, above, along the Genesee River.

But Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City said a ban on large gatherings and the widespread closing of nonessential businesses were not likely to end in the city before June. And cases of the virus are climbing steadily in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

While Shanghai Disneyland became the first of Disney Company’s 14 closed theme parks to let visitors back in, the annual Calaveras Jumping Frog Jubilee, which has been held in California since 1928 to honor a Mark Twain story, was canceled.

5. The Supreme Court takes on President Trump’s financial records.

The arguments Tuesday morning will set the stage for a highly anticipated ruling on the power of presidents to resist demands for information from prosecutors and Congress.

Broadly speaking, the issues concern whether Mr. Trump can block subpoenas to his accountants and bankers from House committees and New York prosecutors.

You can listen in on the hearings. Here is a look at the proceedings, the players and the issues.

6. Joyette Holmes became the fourth prosecutor in the Ahmaud Arbery murder.

The Atlanta-area district attorney was tapped to take over a case that has stirred protests over its handling, like the one above over the weekend in Brunswick, Ga., and the Justice Department said it was weighing hate crimes charges.

Ms. Holmes will take on the prosecution of Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, who were charged with murder and aggravated assault after they pursued Mr. Arbery in a pickup truck in Glynn County, Ga., two months ago.

Travis McMichael fatally shot Mr. Arbery after getting out of the truck, the authorities said.

7. Iran’s “friendly fire” deaths are just its latest missteps.

For the second time this year, Iran appears to have fired a missile at the wrong target with deadly consequences, fueling public disillusionment with the government and undermining faith in its military.

A missile from an Iranian Navy frigate struck another Iranian vessel, above, during a military exercise in the Sea of Oman on Sunday, killing at least 19 sailors, the navy said.

In January, Iran shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane with two missiles, killing the 176 passengers and crew onboard. Iran blamed the shooting on human error.

8. In memoriam: Jerry Stiller, a comedian across generations.

The Broadway, movie and TV actor who was best known as a comedian died at age 92. He became a comedy star twice — in the 1960s in partnership with his wife, Anne Meara, and in the 1990s with a memorable recurring role as Frank Costanza on “Seinfeld.”

He was nominated for an Emmy in 1997 for his “Seinfeld” role as the short-tempered and not entirely sane father of George Costanza, played by Jason Alexander.

His son, the actor Ben Stiller, announced his death on Twitter, saying he passed away from natural causes.

9. The internet has long been a breeding ground for public shame, but the coronavirus has advanced the game.

Images of unmasked people — strolling on a boardwalk in Dorset, England, relaxing on a beach in Orange County, Calif., or shopping at a flower market in London — have been dragged around social media for rounds of judgment.

Amanda Hess, critic-at-large for our Arts desk, writes that indoor finger-pointing is one of the few hobbies still accessible to those sheltering in place.

10. And finally, you bought 50 pounds of potatoes. Now what?

The pandemic has turned many people into big-volume shoppers in response to the demands of the moment: more mouths to feed, more meals at home, less income, fewer shopping excursions and the scarcity of staples.

Now they are figuring out how to use up all those ingredients — and where to put them.

“My refrigerator is bursting at the seams,” said one bulk convert. “If I open it, three things fall out.”

Have a bountiful evening.

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