Coronavirus disaster in the USA, update

This 30 April 2020 video from the USA says about itself:

How Many Americans Will Die Because Of Citizens United?

Brutal capitalism is being exposed in these historic times, as families are being left with nothing to pay rent while corporations are getting bailed out.

Has the Republican administration turned America into the most corrupt government in the world?

Why is Trump blaming his incompetence on the World Health Organization?

U.S. CASES DOUBLE TO 1 MILLION IN UNDER 3 WEEKS The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States surpassed 1 million, more than doubling in less than three weeks. The U.S., with about 4% of the global population, has reported about one-third of the world’s more than 3 million confirmed coronavirus infections. The first known cases of the virus in China began appearing in December. It took nearly four months for the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. to hit 500,000 on April 10. [HuffPost]

SENATE DEMS URGE LINDSEY GRAHAM TO FOCUS ON COVID-19, NOT TRUMP JUDGES Every Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee urged the chair, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), to focus hearings on the coronavirus as soon as the Senate returns next week ― and to delay a confirmation hearing he is already planning to hold for another of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees. “We … urge you to delay the May 6 nominations hearing and instead focus the Committee’s efforts on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and protecting the lives and livelihoods of all Americans,”  read a new letter to Graham from all 10 committee Democrats. [HuffPost]

PENCE IGNORES MAYO CLINIC’S MANDATORY MASK POLICY Vice President Mike Pence opted not to wear a face mask during a visit to the Mayo Clinic’s campus in Minnesota, bucking the organization’s mandatory masking policy amid the pandemic. Video showed Pence, whose face was fully exposed, surrounded by masked staff members and a masked patient while touring the clinic. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the patient was infected with the coronavirus. The Mayo Clinic informed Pence of the masking policy prior to his visit. [HuffPost]

DEMOCRATS THINK REPUBLICANS OPPOSE STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS. MOST DON’T. In a new HuffPost/YouGov survey, 82% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans say it’s the right decision for state governments to tell residents to stay at home unless they have an essential reason for going out. The poll suggests Republicans may have largely tuned out Trump’s inflammatory messaging. While Democrats believe Trump and his party are itching to open the country, most Republicans say they see support for continued coronavirus restrictions as the mainstream view of the GOP. [HuffPost]

MOST STATES EXEMPT HOUSES OF WORSHIP FROM STAY-AT-HOME Most states have built these religious exemptions into the guidelines they’ve issued on the coronavirus, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. About one-third of states haven’t imposed size restrictions on religious gatherings, fully exempting houses of worship from state regulations on social distancing. Some of these states ― places like Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee ― have deemed religious gatherings to be “essential”, lumping houses of worship together with health care facilities. Meanwhile, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio freaked out when he saw a rabbi’s crowded funeral in Brooklyn Tuesday, and ordered police to disperse the crowd and issue summonses.[HuffPost]

Trump wants to use coronavirus aid as leverage to force blue states to change their immigration policies.