The Rundown: Trump Takes Swipe At Fauci

President Trump took a swipe at Dr. Anthony Fauci Wednesday as he called for governors to work to reopen schools, telling reporters, "Our country’s got to get back and it’s got to get back as soon as possible. And I don’t consider our country coming back if the schools are closed."

In Senate testimony one day earlier, Fauci had urged caution, saying, "the idea of having treatments available or a vaccine to facilitate the re-entry of students into the fall term would be something that would be a bit of a bridge too far." He later clarified he wasn't saying students shouldn't return to school until there's a coronavirus vaccine. But some conservatives criticized his response, and Trump accused him yesterday of wanting, quote, "to play all sides of the equation," adding, "To me, it's not an acceptable answer." Trump also said the virus has, quote, "had very little impact on young people." However, there's concern about cases of a mysterious inflammatory syndrome in children that's thought to be linked to the virus.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Governor Tony Evers' stay-at-home order yesterday in a 4-3 decision that essentially reopens the state, allowing businesses to open their doors and lifting limits on the size of gatherings. The court said Evers' administration went beyond its authority when the health secretary extended the order for another month without consulting state lawmakers. However, local governments can still put their own restrictions in place. Evers, who's a Democrat, blasted the decision, saying, "Today, Republican legislators convinced four members of the state Supreme Court to throw the state into chaos. They have provided no plan. There’s no question among anybody that people are going to get sick."

President Trump and White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx have pushed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work with states to change how they're counting deaths from the virus to lower the number, according to The Daily Beast, which said Trump has privately been questioning if the count is inflated. Birx has pressured the CDC to stop including people who were presumed to have the virus but didn't have a confirmed test, as well as those who do have the virus but, quote, "may not have died as a direct result of it." Five officials at the CDC told the Daily Beast they're resisting the pressure, as experts largely believe coronavirus deaths are undercounted, not overcounted. As of last night, there have been more than 84,100 deaths in the U.S. from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University's count.

In other developments:

• Top WHO Official Warns Coronavirus Might Not Go Away: Dr. Michael Ryan, a top official at the World Health Organization, warned yesterday that it's possible the coronavirus might stay with us. He told reporters, "This virus may never go away. I think it’s important to put this on the table. This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities," like other once new diseases like HIV, which haven't disappeared, but for which we've developed effective treatments.

• Fed Chair Warns of Prolonged Recession: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned yesterday about the threat of a prolonged recession from the pandemic, and urged Congress and the White House to take more action. Powell said that more legislation that provides aid either through spending or tax policy would be costly, but, quote, "worth it if it helps avoid long-term economic damage and leaves us with a stronger recovery." Powell also noted some of the damaging economic effects of the pandemic, saying that among people who'd been working in February, nearly 40% of households earning less than $40k a year lost a job in March.

➤SUPREME COURT JUSTICES WORRY ABOUT BRIBERY, 'CHAOS' IF ELECTORS NOT REQUIRED TO VOTE FOR WINNER: The Supreme Court heard a case yesterday (May 13th) about whether presidential electors can be required by states to vote for the state's popular vote winner in the Electoral College, with justices bringing up concerns about bribery and "chaos" if they're not. There have been instances of "faithless electors" in the past, who vote for a different candidate in the Electoral College, but they've never been consequential to the outcome of a presidential election. However, there is the possibility they could be in a very close election. There are 32 states that require electors to vote for the popular vote winner. The case came out of lawsuits filed by three Hillary Clinton electors in Washington state and one in Colorado who refused to vote for her in 2016, even though she won the popular vote in both states.

➤ARBERY SUSPECT CALLED 911 ON MAN AT CONSTRUCTION SITE 12 DAYS BEFORE FATAL SHOOTING: One of the two men arrested in the February fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery outside Brunswick, Georgia, called 911 less than two weeks earlier after having a confrontation with an African-American man who'd gone into a nearby house that was under construction, an attorney for the owner of the house said yesterday. 

Homeowner Larry English got a text on February 11th from a neighbor who'd agreed to watch the property after motion-sensor security cameras showed a man on the property. The neighbor said police were called and showed up, but the man was gone, and said, "I think he got spooked and ran after Travis confronted him." Travis McMichael and his father, Greg McMichael, have been charged with murder in Arbery's death. English's attorney, J. Elizabeth Graddy, said English doesn't know if the man on his property in the February 11th incident was Arbery. She also said there had been four or five instances of people going on the property before Arbery was killed, but nothing had ever been taken. She added, "Mr. English is deeply distressed by Mr. Arbery's death." The McMichaels, who weren't arrested until last week, had told police they chased after Arbery because there'd been several break-ins and they thought he looked like a suspect seen on surveillance video.

➤JUDGE QUESTIONS IF FLYNN PERJURED HIMSELF, APPOINTS RETIRED JUDGE TO ARGUE AGAINST DOJ'S DISMISSAL REQUEST: Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan questioned yesterday (May 13th) whether Michael Flynn, President Trump's first national security adviser, perjured himself and could be held in contempt of court. That's because Flynn has told the judge under oath both that he's guilty and not guilty of lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the post-2016 election transition. Sullivan also appointed a retired judge, John Gleeson, to look into Flynn's case and present arguments against the Justice Department's request last week to dismiss it. Gleeson co-wrote a Washington Post op-ed Monday in which he laid out options Sullivan had to learn more about the case, resolve questions about it, and could sentence Flynn. The op-ed was critical of the Justice Department's request to dismiss the case, saying, "The record reeks of improper political influence." 

After pleading guilty in December 2017 and cooperating in the Russia probe, Flynn asked to withdraw his plea. The Justice Department said the FBI interview with Flynn should never have taken place because his contacts with the ambassador were "entirely appropriate," and also said the lie he told wasn't "material" to an investigation.

➤FLORIDA GOV. READY TO WELCOME TEAMS BACK FOR SPORTS: One day after Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said pro sports could resume in his state without fans, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he's ready to do the same thing. DeSantis said during a news conference yesterday (May 13th), "One thing I am going to do, probably this week, is all professional sports are welcome here for practicing and for playing. Now, we’re not going to necessarily have fans." He added, "I think we can certainly do it in a way that’s been safe."

➤PGA TOUR OUTLINES SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR RETURN: The PGA Tour on Wednesday (May 13th) outlined the safety procedures it's going to have in place when it returns to holding golf tournaments next month. They include: players, caddies and key staff will be tested once a week for the coronavirus; everyone at the golf course will have their temperatures taken every day; no spectators for at least a month; no family members; and social distancing everywhere. The first tournament back will be the Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, from June 8th to 14th.