Coronavirus hijacks cells to turn our immune systems against us . . . The novel coronavirus 'hijacks' our body's cells by blocking certain genes that fight against infections, a new study suggests.  Viruses, such as the flu, usually interfere with two sets of genes: one that prevents viruses from replicating and the other that sends immune cells to the infection site to kill viruses. But researchers found SARS-CoV-2 behaves differently, inhibiting the genes that stop the virus from copying itself but allowing the genes that call for immune cells to behave normally. This causes the virus to multiply and an overproduction of immune cells to flood the lungs and other organs, which leads to unmitigated inflammation. Daily Mail

 

 

White House staffer who served 11 presidents dies of coronavirus . . . Wilson Roosevelt Jerman’s family announced his death after contracting coronavirus at the age of 91 last Saturday. Jerman was one of the longest-serving White House employees in history, having begun his tenure as a cleaner in 1957. Jerman worked with every president from Eisenhower to Obama. By the time he retired at age 83 in 2012, he had ascended to the position of White House butler. Breitbart

 

Biden vetting Klobuchar for vice president . . . 

Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, has been asked by Joe Biden to undergo a formal vetting to be considered as his vice presidential running mate, one of several potential contenders now being scrutinized by his aides ahead of a final decision, according to people familiar with the moves. The request for information from potential running mates like Klobuchar "is underway," a senior Biden campaign aide said. CBS News

 

Trump wears a mask! But not for the cameras . . . I think President Trump’s instinct not to wear a mask in public is correct, despite the obsession in the press with the issue. He’s not being vain. He knows it’s a bad look for the leader of the free world. The president should project strength. Hiding behind a mask suggests weakness. It’s a risk, but with the proper precautions, he’s not likely to get sick or make anyone else sick. White House Dossier

 

Stacy Abrams complains illegal immigrants "can't elect anyone who represents them"

 

Right. Also not allowed to vote: Residents of Brazil.

 

Debate over unemployment benefits roadblock for next stimulus bill . . . A debate over whether to extend enhanced unemployment benefits is emerging as a significant obstacle to getting a deal on another round of coronavirus relief legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says that Senate Republicans don’t have any interest in extending the $600 federal increase to state unemployment benefits that was a core component of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act. The enhanced benefits are due to expire at the end of July, making them a principal topic of the upcoming negotiations. GOP senators say has become a disincentive for middle- and lower-wage workers to return to the job. The Hill

 

Trump says Fox News "littered" with "garbage"

 

Appeals court orders Flynn judge to explain why he's not dropping the case . . . The federal judge overseeing the tumultuous case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn has until May 31 to explain his rationale for declining to immediately dismiss the case against Flynn after the Justice Department moved to drop the matter. A panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia say district court judge Emmet Sullivan must respond within 10 days to a request by Flynn that the higher court force him to drop the case. The appeals court order is the latest twist in a remarkable series of events that have thrown the Flynn case into turmoil on the eve of his sentencing for pleading guilty to lying to the FBI. Politico

 

Cuomo and de Blasio refuse to take blame in wake of damning report . . . Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio deflected blame Thursday in the wake of a bombshell study confirming that New York’s elected leaders stalled when it was time to take action on battling the spread of the coronavirus. An analysis by Columbia University released Wednesday night concluded that if New York acted even one week earlier in ordering people to stay home and mandating social distancing, it would have spared more than 17,000 lives in the New York metro area. The study evaluated how the entire country would have fared had it taken faster action and determined that roughly 36,000 fewer people would have died from the fast-spreading virus had people been forced to keep their distance from one another one week earlier in March. Politico

 

Where have the media been on this? Nowhere. Because Democrats don't kill people, just Republicans do.

 

China drops word "peaceful" in latest push for Taiwan "reunification" . . . Chinese Premier Li Keqiang left out the word “peaceful” on Friday in referring to Beijing’s desire to “reunify” with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, an apparent policy shift that comes as ties with Taipei continue on a downward spiral. Taiwan has complained of increased Chinese military harassment since the coronavirus pandemic began, with fighter jets and naval vessels regularly approaching the island on drills China has described as routine. China says Taiwan is its most sensitive and important territorial issue, and has never renounced the use of force to bring what it views as a Chinese province under its control, making the Taiwan Strait a potential military flashpoint. Reuters 

 

Ratcliffe confirmed as new director of national intelligence . . . GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas been confirmed as the next director of national intelligence after a Senate vote along party lines on Thursday. The Republican lawmaker will replace acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell, who also is US ambassador to Germany. The Senate split 49-44 to confirm Ratcliffe in a sharply divided vote after he was approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this week. Ratcliffe, who will now lead the nation’s 17 intelligence agencies, withdrew his nomination for the job last year after his bid was met with skepticism from Senate Republicans. New York Post

 

China set to pass new law curbing freedom in Hong Kong . . . China is poised to pass a national security law for Hong Kong that the city's opposition lawmakers, analysts and U.S. officials say could plunge the semi-autonomous territory into its deepest turmoil since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and exacerbate already coronavirus-strained tensions between Washington and Beijing. The draft law bans "treason, secession, sedition and subversion." Critics say it will curb freedoms and puts Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists on a dangerous collision course with China's central government in Beijing. USA Today

 

Facebook to permanently allow about half its employees to work remotely . . . Facebook will permanently embrace remote work even after coronavirus lockdowns ease, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Thursday, accelerating the tech sector’s geographic diversification away from its home in Silicon Valley. Zuckerberg said the world’s largest social network would start “aggressively opening up remote hiring” in July, expecting that about half its workforce would eventually do their jobs outside Facebook’s offices over the next five to 10 years. Reuters

 

Mall of America misses two months on $1.4B mortgage . . .  The biggest shopping center in the country, The Mall of America, has missed two months of payments on its $1.4 billion mortgage, a sign of just how much retail real estate owners are reeling during the coronavirus pandemic. The mall, operated by private developers Triple Five Group, skipped mortgage payments in April and May. Mall of America closed its doors because of the Covid-19 crisis on March 17. Mall of America, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, is planning to reopen its retail stores on June. CNBC

 

Man arrested after video surfaces of him beating nursing home patient . . . A man was taken into custody after a video surfaced on social media of him assaulting an elderly man inside a nursing home. The Detroit police department said in a statement that they arrested a 20-year-old male in connection to the assault and battery of an elderly male inside Westwood Nursing Center on the northwest side of the city. After punching the elderly male several times and drawing blood, the 20-year-old male can be heard cursing at the elderly nursing home patient. He also appears to wipe the blood from the elderly male in an attempt to hide his wounds. Both were apparently patients at the nursing home. It’s unclear why the 20-year-old suspect was being treated there. Daily Caller

 

Michigan judge lets barber stay open . . . an Owosso barber who has kept his shop open despite a suspended license and a cease and desist order from the state will not have to close, a Shiawassee County judge ruled Thursday. The Michigan Attorney General's Office filed a request for an emergency temporary restraining order against barber Karl Manke when he refused to close his shop after receiving two citations — one for violating the governor's executive stay-home order and another from the county health department. Lansing State Journal

 

Son stabs to death father who was in a Zoom AA meeting . . . A father on New York's Long Island was stabbed to death by his adult son during a Zoom video chat with almost two dozen other men who were participating in the live stream. Dwight Powers, 72, of Amityville, NY, was home on a Zoom chat set up for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with 20 other men Thursday when he was stabbed to death, allegedly by his son Thomas Scully-Powers, 32, police say. The stabbing took place around noon, as the AA meeting was underway. Scully-Powers allegedly appears naked in the Zoom feed after the slaying as the participants scrambled to notify authorities. Daily Mail

 

Man who filmed shooting of unarmed black man also arrested for murder . . . William 'Roddie' Bryan Jr. arrested on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. William "Roddie" Bryan Jr., the man who recorded the deadly February shooting of Georgia jogger Ahmaud Arbery, has been arrested on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. Bryan will be booked into the Glynn County jail. The death of Arbery, an unarmed black man, was thrust into the national spotlight after cellphone video recorded by Bryan surfaced on social media, prompting outrage against local law enforcement. Fox News 

 

 

Man lies that he has COVID-19 to get out of work, costs employer $100K . . . A Georgia man faces charges after authorities say he lied to his employer that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Santwon Antonio Davis, 34, is charged with defrauding his employer, the U.S. attorney's office in Atlanta said in a news release Thursday. Because Davis said he'd tested positive, his employer had to shut down its plant for sanitizing and put several other employees on paid leave while they quarantined, causing the company a loss of more than $100,000, prosecutors said. Daily Mail