THE READ-THE-FINE-PRINT PRESIDENCY: President DONALD TRUMP stood in the Rose Garden on Monday and said that his coronavirus strategy has saved hundreds of thousands of lives. “In every generation, through every challenge and hardship and danger, America has risen to the task. We have met the moment and we have prevailed,” the president said.
IT SEEMED LIKE A GRAND PRONOUNCEMENT — another “Mission Accomplished” moment from an administration eager to move on from the pain of the coronavirus to reopening America and revving the engine of the stalled economy. BUT … when pressed on what exactly he meant, TRUMP said he was simply talking about the administration’s testing strategy. “Prevailed on testing is what I’m referring to,” he said.
SIMILARLY, the president again said that any American who wants to be tested for Covid-19 can be. When pressed, he stuck to that Monday. BUT … when he turned the microphone over to Adm. BRETT GIROIR, the testing czar added a caveat: If you are “symptomatic with a respiratory illness,” you can get a test.
THE WHITE HOUSE trumpeted that the U.S. has the most tests in the world. BUT … as the NYT points out, they ignored “the early failures to provide testing that allowed the virus to spread invisibly for months.” Plus, there are many countries that have more tests per capita than the United States, including Canada, Germany, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and 20 other nations, per the NYT.
WITH TWO POSITIVE COVID-19 TESTS in the White House, the administration trumpeted that now, masks would be required around the West Wing. But the president? He was exempt from that rule, per WaPo’s Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey and Phil Rucker.
— THE POST also notes: “In a sign of the haphazard effort to impose more stringent safety standards inside the White House, one senior administration official and several other aides were still arguing that masks were unnecessary for people getting regular testing just moments before the memo was sent.”
EVERY ADMINISTRATION SPINS. But this administration is trying to will its reality into existence.
NEW … SNEAK PEEK … JOE BIDEN is expected to use an appearance this morning on “Good Morning America” to call for an inspector general to investigate “every stimulus loan given to every big company or political insider.” THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN will release a video, as well, of BIDEN talking about this plan. This has echoes of the 2009 stimulus, when Republicans targeted the Obama administration for loans made under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 1-minute clip
YOWZA! … MAY 11 … ON THE RECORD FROM THE NRCC, via PBS: “‘If the economy continues to crater, I think that presents serious problems for the president,’ said Michael McAdams, the press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP’s campaign arm. McAdams added that he thinks ‘hands down Republicans win the issue of the economy overwhelmingly’ and ‘Republicans and President Trump have shown they have the ability to steer the economy back to the record highs we saw before the pandemic,’ McAdams said.”
THE CA-25 SPECIAL — the Los Angeles County seat that KATIE HILL vacated — is tonight. Republican MIKE GARCIA and Democrat CHRISTY SMITH appear to be neck and neck. If Republicans can upset Dems here, it will be the only seat that they hold that HILLARY CLINTON won with over 50 percent of the vote, and you’ll hear a lot of “if we can win here, we can win anywhere” talk from the GOP. If Democrats win, they’ll play it as proof positive of the toxicity of the president in swing-district America. There’s also a special election in WI-07, which is a solidly Republican district that TRUMP won by more than 20 points in 2016.
Good Tuesday morning.
HAPPENING TODAY … NYT’S SHERYL STOLBERG: “Fauci Plans to Use Hearing to Warn of ‘Needless Suffering and Death’”: “Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and a central figure in the government’s response to the coronavirus, plans to deliver a stark warning to the Senate on Tuesday: Americans would experience ‘needless suffering and death’ if the country opens up prematurely.
“Dr. Fauci, who has emerged as the perhaps nation’s most respected voice during the worst public health crisis in a century, is one of four top government doctors scheduled to testify remotely at a high-profile — and highly unusual — hearing on Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He made his comments in an email to a New York Times reporter late Monday night.
“‘The major message that I wish to convey to the Senate HELP committee tomorrow is the danger of trying to open the country prematurely,’ he wrote. ‘If we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to “Open America Again,” then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country. This will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal.’”
AT THE SAME TIME — “Distribution of Key Drug Was Flawed, Says White House Official,” by WSJ’s Stephanie Armour and Joseph Walker: “The White House coronavirus response coordinator, in an email to senior colleagues, said the way the administration initially distributed supplies of the promising new drug remdesivir shouldn’t happen again, according to an email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
“Dr. Deborah Birx, in the May 7 email sent to fellow Trump administration task force members and other senior officials, said her colleagues would review how the decision-making led to a ‘misalignment’ of the drug’s allocation in the days after the government began distribution.
“‘We can later review the decision-making process, the lack of engagement of Task Force, and the methodology and analysis used by the data and modeling group that resulted in the misalignment of the therapeutic and on-the-ground current need in the first shipment so we can be assured this doesn’t occur in the future,’ Dr. Birx said in the email, according to an official who read the email to a Journal reporter.” WSJ
NEW … THE SELECT SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CORONAVIRUS will hold its first briefing Wednesday at 3 p.m. WITNESSES: Former FDA Commissioners Scott Gottlieb and Mark McClellan, Ashish Jha, Tom Inglesby and George Benjamin.
— A DYNAMIC TO WATCH FOR: If the administration doesn’t participate in this committee’s hearings, it could be gold for Democrats and TRUMP’S opponents. The live events will turn into a televised stage to dump all over the administration’s coronavirus response.
SCOTUS PREVIEW: “Trump’s effort to block tax subpoenas meets the Supreme Court he shaped,” by Josh Gerstein, Kyle Cheney and Zachary Warmbrodt
NEW JOHN LEWIS DOCUMENTARY: “John Lewis: Good Trouble” … online July 3. The 2:31 trailer
BIG APRIL FOR DEMS — “Trump, RNC narrowly outraise Biden, Dems in April,” by Marc Caputo and Alex Isenstadt: “President Donald Trump’s political operation narrowly outraised Joe Biden in April, according to fundraising totals released Monday. The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee raked in $61.7 million, they said late Monday, while Biden and the Democratic National Committee announced they took in $60.5 million.
“The total raised in April — Biden’s first as the lone Democratic candidate — has helped fuel the former vice president’s recent hiring spree and nearly matched the combined $61.8 million that was raised in April 2016 by Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders.” POLITICO
FALSE START! — “Trump visit to Pennsylvania factory that produces PPE materials was scuttled after plant officials expressed concerns about health risks,” by WaPo’s Carol Leonnig: “President Trump was pushing to get out in the public eye in recent weeks and tout his leadership during the pandemic, and White House staff thought they had hit on the ideal event: a presidential visit to thank the Pennsylvania factory workers who had recently taken herculean steps to ramp up U.S. supplies of protective equipment.
“Workers had received national attention after dozens of them lived for 28 days inside their factory so they could ensure they were virus-free and their production was not contaminated or disrupted by illness.
“White House officials pressed to hold an event at the Braskem factory, initially scheduled for last Friday. But after extensive back and forth, factory officials ultimately asked to postpone, worried that a visit from Trump could jeopardize both the safety of the workers and the plant’s ability to produce special material for masks and other medical gear, according to two people familiar with the decision and documents reviewed by The Post.” WaPo
BURGESS EVERETT and HEATHER CAYGLE: “McConnell brushes off Pelosi as she finalizes relief package”: “Hopes are fading on Capitol Hill for a deal on the next round of coronavirus relief before an approaching Memorial Day recess, raising the prospect that Congress won’t clinch a new spending agreement until June or beyond.
“While the Democratic-controlled House is aiming to pass a multitrillion-dollar package as soon as this week without GOP or White House input, the Senate Republican majority has no timeline for delivering its own bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the party is still ‘assessing what we’ve done already,’ referring to the nearly $3 trillion in aid delivered by Congress thus far.
“‘I’m in constant communication with the White House and if we decide to go forward we’ll go forward together,’ McConnell told reporters on Monday. ‘We have not yet felt the urgency of acting immediately. That time could develop, but I don’t think it has yet.’” POLITICO
MEADOWS GETS GOOD MARKS — “Mark Meadows finds his inner pragmatist,” by Melanie Zanona and Burgess Everett: “Mark Meadows spent his entire congressional career trying to divorce the Republican Party from its moderate wing. Now he’s trying to make it work with centrist Republicans and even Democrats on Capitol Hill.
“So far, as President Donald Trump’s new chief of staff, Meadows is receiving bipartisan praise as accessible, personable and good-natured. It’s a surprise for the man who previously chaired the hard-line House Freedom Caucus and once helped take down a speaker from his own party.
“It’s unclear how long the political honeymoon will last, and Meadows hasn’t completely shed his old Freedom Caucus ways. Not only did Meadows bring some of his trusted allies to the White House, but he also recently rejected Democrats’ push to have a top health official testify on Capitol Hill — a reminder that Meadows is still a fierce partisan warrior for Trump. …
“The stakes in the near term are huge for Meadows, who declined comment for this story. He’s assumed one of the top jobs in government as the coronavirus kills thousands of Americans each week and threatens an economic depression in the run-up to the 2020 election. Plus, he’s got his own future to think of as one of the best-known conservatives in Washington.” POLITICO
NYT’S REID EPSTEIN: “Democrats Will Take Their First Step Toward a Virtual Convention”
TRUMP’S TUESDAY — The president will meet with GOP senators at 4 p.m. in the Cabinet Room.
— W.H. PRESS SECRETARY KAYLEIGH MCENANY will hold a press briefing at 2 p.m.
ANDREW DESIDERIO and KYLE CHENEY: “Senate Republicans break with Trump over ‘Obamagate’”: “President Donald Trump’s aggressive campaign to encourage sweeping investigations of his predecessor Barack Obama met a unanimous response from Senate Republicans: No thanks.
“Trump’s Senate allies on Monday stopped short of echoing Trump’s frenetic and unsubstantiated claim that Obama acted illegally when the Justice Department began probing incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn in late 2016. And they indicated that the Senate would pass on investigating the former president as they conduct their own investigations that could soon ensnare other senior Obama administration officials.
“‘I’m not anticipating calling President Obama,’ said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), whose panel is investigating the origins of the 2016 Russia investigation, even as he vowed to bring in former senior Obama administration officials as witnesses. Those ex-officials include former FBI Director James Comey and former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates.” POLITICO
PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Northam confirms Northern Virginia likely to be excluded from initial reopening,” by WaPo’s Michael Miller, Gregory Schneider and Fenit Nirappil: “Gov. Ralph Northam confirmed Monday that he expects to hold Northern Virginia out of the gradual, ‘phase one’ reopening of the rest of the state later this week, describing a state starkly cleaved in two by the novel coronavirus.
“Of nearly 1,000 new coronavirus infections reported in the state Monday, almost three-quarters of them were clustered in the D.C. suburbs, which account for about 40 percent of the state’s population. So were all but two of the state’s newly reported Covid-19 deaths. (The state reported 12 new deaths but removed an earlier death from its tally, leaving a cumulative increase of 11.)” WaPo
— NYT’S JENNIFER STEINHAUER: “Washington, the Nation’s Capital, Moves to Reopen. Washington, the City, Is Not Ready.”
ACROSS THE POND — “Europe fears coronavirus second wave,” by Carmen Paun
BILL GATES INTERVIEW … WSJ’s BETSY MCKAY: “Five years ago, Bill Gates warned that the biggest potential killer the world faced wasn’t war, but a pandemic. The billionaire spent hundreds of millions of dollars to find faster ways to develop vaccines and create disease-tracking systems. He urged world leaders to build national defenses against new infectious diseases.
“Looking back, Mr. Gates said, ‘I wish I had done more to call attention to the danger.’ The Microsoft Corp. co-founder is now squaring off against the scenario he sought to forestall.
“‘I feel terrible,’ he said in an interview. ‘The whole point of talking about it was that we could take action and minimize the damage.’” WSJ
MEDIAWATCH — “Twitter says it will label misleading coronavirus tweets — even if they’re from Trump,” by CNN Business’ Donie O’Sullivan … The announcement
— WSJ: “Congress Weighs Coronavirus Aid for Local Newspapers, Broadcasters,” by Keach Hagey and Lindsay Wise: “Congress is looking to help struggling local newspapers, TV and radio stations qualify for federal coronavirus aid, according to people familiar with the matter.
“The coming coronavirus legislation expected to be introduced in the House as soon as this week will include a provision to expand newspapers’ and broadcasters’ eligibility for forgivable small business loans, the people said.
“Meanwhile, Sens. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.) and Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) are working to find ways to move the proposal forward in the Republican-controlled Senate. ‘The Covid-19 crisis has shown us how essential local news and information is to us,’ Ms. Cantwell said. ‘Now is not the time to cut newsroom jobs critical to giving the public regional data and news on Covid-19 outbreaks.’” WSJ
Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at [email protected].
WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Michael Burley has left the White House, where he was deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Presidential Personnel Office. He has been named regional HUD administrator for Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
TRANSITIONS — Jimmy Thomas is now director of government affairs at Leidos. He previously was deputy assistant secretary of Defense for legislative affairs at the Pentagon and is a Bush Commerce and Duncan Hunter alum. … Sam Nitz’s Asgard Data and Analytics has been acquired by Fireside Campaigns, where Nitz will now be a partner. He is also a DCCC and EMILY’s List alum. … David Glawe is now president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. He previously was undersecretary and chief intelligence officer at DHS.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Megan Newhouse, senior director for corporate comms at GE, and Robert Newhouse recently welcomed Robert Franklin “Trip” Newhouse. He came in at 7 lbs, 13 ounces and 20 inches long. Pic
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Penny Lee, head of public affairs at Invariant. What she’s been reading: “I belong to a book club and we have been meeting virtually during Covid. Last month’s book was ‘The Watergate Girl’ by Jill Wine-Banks. An interesting firsthand look from the only woman on the special prosecutor’s Watergate team. While some things have progressed, others feel like we are repeating history in that absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Playbook Q&A
BIRTHDAYS: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is 45 … Paul Begala is 59 (h/t Jon Haber) … Yahoo News’ Michael Isikoff is 68 … POLITICO’s Natasha Bertrand … Allison Turner … Joe DeFeo … POLITICO’s Alexandra Levine is 3-0 … Patricia Zengerle of Reuters … NPR’s Miranda Kennedy … Jonathan Kaplan, comms officer for the Open Society Foundations (h/t Jill Zuckman) … Amanda Christine Miller, head of global corporate comms at PayPal … Kim Dixon … Andrew Thorne is 3-0 … author James Rosen is 65 … Stephanie Z. Smith … former Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) is 74 … Hardy Spire … Erica Arbetter, civics outreach manager at Google … Kevin Fox, senior legislative assistant for Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) (h/t Heather Purcell) … Stan Olshefski of DOL … Mike Wessel … Derron Parks, senior strategist at Federal Street Strategies, is 41 … Charity Wallace … Amanda Schechter, director of member relations at the National Association of Manufacturers (h/t Shannon Foley) … Allie Kimmel …
… Matthew Hiltzik, president and CEO of Hiltzik Strategies, is 48 … Philip Wegmann, White House reporter at RealClearPolitics … Rebecca Cantrell (h/t husband Ben) … Elizabeth Campbell, associate producer for CBS’ “Face the Nation” … Scott Weldon, deputy COS for Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) (h/t Laura Lyon) … Brett LoGiurato is 31 … Kevin O’Malley is 73 … Thomas Pudney … Charlie Dixon … Talley Diggs … former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman is 72 … Liza Donnelly … Tom Strong-Grinsell … Matthew Wagner … Lawrence Grayson, SVP at Bank of America … Jeff Holmes is 28 … Leah Chandler … Josh Cohen, principal at New Heights Communications … Charles Stine is 3-0 (h/t Alexandra Levine) … Michael Overton is 3-0 … Gallup’s Riley Brands … Leigh Szubrowski … Pete Haviland-Eduah … Victoria Lion-Monroe … Patrick King … Lyle Canceko … Tommy Gardner is 35 … Starbucks’ Casey Castello … Rachel McGreevy … Alicia Kolar Prevost … Robert Crawford is 64 … Joyce Deep
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