How….?
….is it that Your President is constantly all over the place and yet doing nothing at the same damn time? Here’s a recap of all of Trump’s shenanigans from the last week:
During a press briefing, he released a propaganda video full of mistruths about his response to the Coronavirus. In his alternate universe, he never downplayed the pandemic.
He claimed, in the same press briefing, to have total authority over when to get the country back up and running. The Constitution says: that's a lie. Moving on to those who do have the power to get things back up and running, clusters of states on the West and East coasts have established pacts to determine when & how they will safely reopen their economies.
Trump also announced funding cuts for the World Health Organization (WHO) because he alleges they covered up the virus. The truth is, he was already planning to reduce funding back when HE was ignoring the virus and this is a way to shift the blame from himself.
He’s still beefing with New York City and New York State. Nothing new there.
But he and California’s governor seem to be building a bromance. 2020 really is a strange place.
Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci is still out here spreading factual information. This week, he chopped it up with The Breakfast Club and said it could be 18 months before everything is completely reopened.
Check on Your Friends and Family in Florida
Because nothing there makes any sense. They've reopened beaches against the advice of experts and their governor is out here for the Rona's taking.
Poof! Be Gone
That’s the story of the last 10 years of job growth in only a month’s time. Over 22M people have filed for unemployment since March 19, indicating COVID-19’s economic impact is greater than that of a typical recession. To further drive home the point, the reported numbers don't include those who’ve been unable to file an unemployment claim due to states’ inability to manage the overwhelming demand. It’s really real out here and we’ll see continued job losses in April. If you or someone you know is looking for a job, check out Candor’s real-time list of who’s hiring and who’s not.
Congress, What’s Good? Last week, Congressional leaders extended their recess until at least May 4.
2020 Watch
If you’ve been wondering why Joe Biden isn’t seizing this moment to show the nation his potential to lead the country through a crisis, this video might give you a clue. Warning: it’s not a good look.
Plus, we’ve all heard the many accusations of inappropriate contact against Joe Biden, but now a woman has come forward with a sexual assault allegation. Could this be another “I told you so” moment for the Bernie fans?
The latest predictions are showing that the 2020 elections may not be favorable to Trump and his Republican buddies.
But, Trump’s reelection campaign raised $212M in the first quarter of 2020, so take the above information with as many grains of salt as necessary.
Around the Diaspora
Ugandan politician Bobi Wine is partnering with the CEO of the Atlanta Black Star to get Black folks out of China. Bobi and the media executive are offering to airlift Black Guangzhou residents to any African country that will accept them. They are also willing to bring those who are citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. back to the States.
Barbados clocked it’s 4th consecutive day without any new positive COVID-19 cases. Could it be due to their strict quarantine rules and 8pm curfew?
The governor of Nairobi, Kenya is distributing Coronavirus relief packages to his constituents. The packages will include essential food items and bottles of Hennessy. The governor claims Henny is a great “throat sanitizer” to help fight against the virus. Research suggests that, in this case, Hennything is not possible.
Culture that Pops
Childbirth carries disproportionate risks if you’re Black. Just ask Beyonce or Serena Williams. Thankfully, two Black women realized this and decided to create a safe space for us to talk about our experiences. That safe space is NATAL, a new podcast series about having a baby while Black. It’s launching on Wednesday, April 22. Check it out on any platform that streams podcasts.
After losing his grandmother to the Coronavirus, SNL comedian Michael Che pays rent for all 160 tenants in her apartment building.
Were you one of the 400K people who tuned in to see Teddy “Doin' the Most” Riley against Babyface on IG Live? Well, the match is back on tonight and less will allegedly be more this time around. Will you watch again or will you just wait for the results?