Don Hewitt, the executive producer of CBS News and the creator of its most successful program, 60 Minutes, died today. He was 86. [CBS]
Related: Don Hewitt’s 59th Minute [NYM]
vision 2020
Could Texas Be a Swing State in November?
THE FEED
coronavirus
Trump Administration Transitions From Ignoring to Undermining Anthony Fauci
The island ahead of the world
New Zealand has lifted almost all of its coronavirus restrictions after reporting no active cases in the country. At midnight local time, all of New Zealand moved to level one, the lowest of a four-tier alert system. Under new rules, social distancing is not required and there are no limits on public gatherings, but borders remain closed to foreigners.
New Zealand has reported no new Covid-19 cases for more than two weeks. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters she did “a little dance” when she was told the country no longer had any active virus cases.
the top line
How Ski Resorts Hope to Operate Under COVID-19 This Winter
Great, hard-earned news
Yesterday was the first day since March that there were no new Covid-19 deaths in New York City. Keep wearing your masks and keep social distancing. It works.
—@MarkHarrisNYC
coronavirus
Coronavirus Hot Spot States by the Numbers
coronavirus
Florida Sets New U.S. Record With Over 15,000 COVID-19 Cases
Full of beans
Illustration: Screencap/Twitter
the pandemic president
99 Days Later, Trump Finally Wears a Face Mask in Public
Not waving but drowning
[A]fter a prolonged battle against what Trump’s biggest supporters see as a rigged judicial system staffed by Obama-era bureaucrats, [Michael] Flynn’s status as a deep state-fighting warrior has only grown. And with Flynn on the verge of potentially having criminal charges dismissed altogether, Trump allies are pushing the campaign to give Flynn the ultimate comeback: hitting the campaign trail for the president, according to nine people inside or close to the Trump campaign. …
Three people affiliated with the campaign said they would welcome Flynn back — perhaps reprising his role as an opening act at Trump rallies or a TV surrogate — between now and Election Day, although a Trump campaign official said the campaign has not approached Flynn about taking a formal position.
The move would bring Flynn back to where it all started in 2016, but this time emboldened by his journey — from little-known campaign surrogate, to White House national security adviser, to indicted Russia probe target, to, potentially, the man who defeated Robert Mueller’s prosecutors.
And here comes the heat
A long-lasting, widespread and intense heat wave is set to swallow the nation, arriving right at the historical peak in annual temperatures. While hot weather is expected in the summertime, the magnitude, duration, and intensity of the upcoming heat wave will be impressive.
A wide swath of the Lower 48 will be engulfed by temperatures 10 or more degrees above normal, with a sprawling heat dome likely to park over the nation’s heartland, lingering for weeks. The combination of heat and stifling humidity could even catapult heat index levels into the triple digits near the coasts. …
With the heat will come collateral impacts, including the risk of strong to severe windstorms for some. Climate change continues to worsen and extremity heat events, increasing their severity. A recent analysis by Climate Central found that the number of days each year with overlapping high heat and humidity has doubled across much of the United States since 1980.
The death tolls are catching up
BREAKING: 188 new deaths reported in Florida. Highest single day toll yet.@CNN
—@JohnBerman
Simply put
An American private citizen worked with foreign spies to damage one presidential candidate and help the other. That president accepted the help. When caught, the private citizen lied. When the private citizen was punished, the president commuted his sentence.
vision 2020
State and Local Budget Shortfalls Adding to Potential Election Chaos
joe biden
The Biden-Trump Race Is a Tale of Two Populisms
How high will the second peak of U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations go?
Illustration: Screencap/Twitter
This may or may not come as a surprise
The top writer for Fox News host Tucker Carlson has for years been using a pseudonym to post bigoted remarks on an online forum [called AutoAdmit, also known as XOXOhth,] that is a hotbed for racist, sexist, and other offensive content, CNN Business learned this week.
Just this week, the writer, Blake Neff, responded to a thread started by another user in 2018 with the subject line, “Would u let a JET BLACK congo n****er do lasik eye surgery on u for 50% off?” Neff wrote, “I wouldn’t get LASIK from an Asian for free, so no.” (The subject line was not censored on the forum.) On June 5, Neff wrote, “Black doods staying inside playing Call of Duty is probably one of the biggest factors keeping crime down.” On June 24, Neff commented, “Honestly given how tired black people always claim to be, maybe the real crisis is their lack of sleep.” On June 26, Neff wrote that the only people who care about changing the name of the NFL’s Washington Redskins are “white libs and their university-’educated’ pets.”
And over the course of five years, Neff has maintained a lengthy thread in which he has derided a woman and posted information about her dating life that has invited other users to mock her and invade her privacy. There has at times also been overlap between some material he posted or saw on the forum and Carlson’s show.
obstruction of justice
Trump Commutes Sentence of Roger Stone, Who Refused to Testify Against Him
the top line
COVID-19 Is Changing Many Things — But Not Apartment Rents
Georgia reported another record number of cases on Friday (almost 5,000)
[Atlanta] Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is preparing to roll back the city’s reopening plans as coronavirus cases surge, a spokesperson told Channel 2 Action News Friday. The city will go back to Phase 1, in which all residents are ordered to stay home except for essential trips. Atlanta entered Phase 2 at the end of May, which was described as an “easing” of restrictions phase. …
On Wednesday, Mayor Bottoms signed an executive order mandating that people wear face masks or coverings in the City of Atlanta. Bottoms and her family members have tested positive for the virus. The Mayor’s orders are just guidelines and are not enforceable. Gov. Brian Kemp’s executive orders, which have allowed many businesses to fully reopen with new safety and social distancing guidelines, supersede any orders by Mayor Bottoms.
covid-19
Disney World Is Reopening. Some Workers Are Worried.
Not shady at all
Just had a long talk with #RogerStone. He says he doesn’t want a pardon (which implies guilt) but a commutation, and says he thinks #Trump will give it to him. “He knows I was under enormous pressure to turn on him. It would have eased my situation considerably. But I didn’t.”
—@howardfineman
It’s normal in some other countries
NEW: Facebook is considering a ban on political ads on its social network in the days leading up to the U.S. election in November. No decision yet, but it’s being discussed, according to sources
—@KurtWagner8
coronavirus
When (and How) Sports Are Returning Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
Chaotic planning? That’s not like this White House at all
New: Per source in New Hampshire familiar, this decision to postpone Trump’s rally tomorrow was a last minute decision, shocking some in the state who had been finalizing plans #nhpolitics
—@HCTrudo
intelligencer chats
The Pandemic Is Putting Parents in an Impossible Situation
interesting times
Andrew Sullivan: Coronavirus Will Be the Real Swing Voter in November
Whitmer isn’t messing around
BREAKING: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer toughens a requirement to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic, mandates that businesses open to the public deny service or entry to customers who refuse to wear one.
—@DavidEggert00
trump tweets
Trump Likes Tweet Praising ‘Stripper’ Vibes in New Summer Walker Song
the national interest
Trump Keeps Boasting He Passed Cognitive Impairment Test
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