Colleges to only partially reopen . . . With the coronavirus still raging and the fall semester approaching, colleges and universities are telling large segments of their student populations to stay home. Those who are allowed on campus, they say, will be living in a world where parties are banned, where everyone is frequently tested for the coronavirus and — perhaps most draconian of all — where students attend many if not all their courses remotely, from their dorm rooms. New York Times

 

Florida orders kids back to school . . . Florida ordered public schools to reopen in August and offer “the full panoply of services” to students and families. As COVID-19 outbreaks spike in Florida, Corcoran’s mandate said that extending school closures can impede students’ educational success and prevent parents and guardians from returning to work. “There is a need to open schools fully to ensure the quality and continuity of the educational process, the comprehensive well-being of students and families and a return to Florida hitting its full economic stride,” the order states. Miami Herald

How to protect from airborne coronavirus . . . The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. people should consider minimizing time indoors with people outside their families. Schools, nursing homes and businesses should consider adding powerful new air filters and ultraviolet lights that can kill airborne viruses. And keep wearing those masks. New York Times

 

Many could have "silent immunity" . . . The number who have suffered Covid-19 may have been hugely underestimated because tests are looking for specific antibodies in blood rather than the body’s ‘memory’ T cells that fight infection, experts say. Six out of eight of those living with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 showed negative results when tested for coronavirus antibodies in their blood, scientists found. But when experts tested their blood samples for T cell immunity – part of the body’s deep defences to infection, from white blood cells in bone marrow – they found that they had in fact suffered Covid-19 with mild symptoms. Daily Mail

 

Immunity to virus may be short-lived . . . A British immunologist warned Monday that immunity to the coronavirus could be " rather short-lived" and individuals shouldn't rely on that alone to cope with the infectious disease. Danny Altmann told CNBC that only 10 to 15 percent of the population of a town or city is likely to be immune to COVID-19. “And immunity to this thing looks rather fragile — it looks like some people might have antibodies for a few months and then it might wane, so it’s not looking like a safe bet,” he told the network. “It’s a very deceitful virus and immunity to it is very confusing and rather short-lived.” Fox News

 

Health experts won't ask you to take masks of anytime soon . . . That’s the take of Eric Toner, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. He has been preparing for an outbreak like the novel coronavirus as part of his work for years. Face coverings are a vital defense to stop the spread of the virus. He believes COVID-19 won’t slow down in the U.S. even as states start to slowly reopen. “It's clear that we are having a significant resurgence of cases in the summer, and they'll get bigger. And it'll keep going until we lock things down again.” Fox News

 

EPA approves Lysol as surface coronavirus disinfectant . . . The EPA announced Monday that it has approved the first two surface disinfectant products, both made by Lysol, against the novel coronavirus. The products - Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist -- were approved by the agency based on laboratory testing that showed they were "effective against" COVID-19, according to a statement by the EPA. Under no circumstance should the disinfectant products be administered into the human body. Fox News

 

 

Just 2% of Democrats support Trump . . . A new poll shows President Trump producing the largest partisan gap Gallup has ever measured when members of the two parties were asked about presidential approval.  On Monday, Gallup released June polling numbers that showed 91 per cent of Republicans supportive of Trump, but just 2 per cent of Democrats - as Trump's lower approval rating overall stayed steady at 38 per cent. Daily Mail

 

 

Kamala Harris Wikipedia page gets scrubbing . . . At least one highly dedicated Wikipedia user has been scrubbing controversial aspects of Harris’s “tough-on-crime” record from her Wikipedia page, her decision not to prosecute Steve Mnuchin for mortgage fraud-related crimes, her strong support of prosecutors in Orange County who engaged in rampant misconduct, and other tidbits — such as her previous assertion that “it is not progressive to be soft on crime” — that could prove unflattering to Harris as the public gets to know her on the national stage. The edits, according to the page history, have elicited strong pushback from Wikipedia’s volunteer editor brigade. The Intercept

 

 

Kanye West running for president is a serious matter, but also unlikely . . . With the allegiance of young people and minorities, Kanye West could just take enough votes from Joe Biden to hand President Trump the election. And his antics will make Trump look like an oasis of soothing predictability. Trump won’t need many votes to be subtracted from Biden’s column, if he ends up needs any at all. So far he hasn’t taken the steps he needs to go forward. And I doubt that he will. But I guarantee you, the Biden campaign is quite concerned. White House Dossier

 

Pelosi's husband gets a PPP loan . . . A firm partially owned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was among the lawmaker-linked businesses that got Paycheck Protection Program loans, according to data released Monday. A Pelosi spokesman said that her husband Paul Pelosi is “a minor, passive investor in this company. He was not involved in or even aware of this PPP loan.” Hammill told The Post that Pelosi owns 8.1 percent of EDI Associates. New York Post

 

 

Supreme Court says states can overrule "faithless" electors . . . The Supreme Court ruled that states can insist members of the Electoral College support the winner of the popular vote on Election Day rather than risk altering the course of history. The unanimous decision will prevent most of the 538 presidential electors from seeking to upend the results of the presidential race when carrying out their ministerial duties a month after the election. Thirty-two states require the people chosen on Election Day to cast ballots for the winner of their states' popular vote. Eighteen states have no such requirement. USA Today

 

Trump intel briefer says she has to know her audience . . . A career CIA officer explained in rare public remarks on Monday what she’s learned about adapting intelligence briefings to the unique style of a particular “customer.” Beth Sanner, who serves as Trump’s primary intelligence briefer, never mentioned the president by name during an event hosted Monday. But the unusual core challenge of her job — delivering intelligence to Donald J. Trump — was unavoidable as she discussed her own briefing techniques in detail, explaining that while she strives to be competent and fearless, she also tries not to be off-putting and aims to tailor briefings to a customer’s particular style. “Is this someone who reads? Someone who likes a story? Operates on visuals?” Sanner said. “You figure out before you go in what that person needs from you.” Politico

 

United Nations slams Trump for killing Iranian General Soleimani . . . The January U.S. drone strike in Iraq that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and nine other people represented a violation of international law, a U.N. human rights investigator said on Monday. The United States has failed to provide sufficient evidence of an ongoing or imminent attack against its interests to justify the strike on Soleimani's convoy as it left Baghdad airport, said Agnes Callamard, U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. Daily Mail

 

 

Small business loans helped well-heeled and well-connected . . . On the list: Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, the law firm headed by antitrust litigator David Boies; and an Indianapolis service provider to charities part-owned by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. A spokesman for the Education Department said Mrs. DeVos has no involvement in her family businesses’ operations while serving as secretary. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc., a restaurant operator with more than 200 U.S. locations, got a loan. Nonprofits receiving funds included the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., whose alumni include children of former presidents, and the foundation that runs the Guggenheim art museum in New York. Wall Street Journal 

 

 

McConnell opens door to direct payments in next coronavirus bill . . . Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to open the door on Monday to including some direct payments to Americans in a future coronavirus relief bill. Asked if funding for individuals like the stimulus checks included in a March package would be in the next piece of legislation, which would be the fifth in response to COVID-19, McConnell said they "could well" be.

"I think the people that have been hit the hardest are people who make about $40,000 or less. Many of them work in the hospitality industry. .... That could well be a part of it," McConnell said. The Hill 

 

Violence sweeps US as police handcuffed . . . Gunfire and carnage are sweeping across America’s streets. At least six children ages 6 to 14 died in a spate of shootings over the past five days, as the level of gun violence and murder surpassed the deadly total at the same time last year. Chicago reported 87 shootings and 17 fatalities from Thursday evening through Sunday night. At least 13 of the shooting victims were under 14 years old. New York suffered 44 shootings and 11 deaths from gun violence from Friday through Sunday. Philadelphia reported 31 shootings and seven deaths from gun violence. Atlanta reported 23 shootings and the death of an 8-year-old girl. Washington Times

 

Bill would require NYC police officers to have their own liability insurance . . . State lawmakers are churning out more proposed laws to hold cops accountable for misconduct. A bill introduced by state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx) would require police officers to obtain personal liability insurance to cover civil lawsuits filed against them for excessive force and other abuses as a way to deter misconduct. Under current law, cops who are sued are represented by the city law department and taxpayers foot the bill for any verdict or settlement. New York Post

 

 

Central Park "Karen" arrested . . . She lost her job, her reputation, and now, perhaps, her freedom. Amy Cooper, 41, was arrested Monday and hit with one count of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree. She will be arraigned on misdemeanor charges by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. in October, and could face up to a year in prison for her allegedly false 911 call. Cooper, quickly labeled a “Karen,” sparked a frenzy online. Her act of calling the cops on black bird-watcher Christian Cooper was seen as a monstrous act of racism. New York Post

Ghislaine Maxwell has trove of Epstein sex tapes . . . Ghislaine Maxwell has a secret stash of Jeffrey Epstein's twisted sex tapes and will use the footage as an insurance policy to save herself. 

Maxwell's former friend explained: 'The secret stash could end up being her get out of jail card if the authorities are willing to trade. She has copies of everything Epstein had. They could implicate some twisted movers and shakers.' When officials raided Epstein’s NYC townhouse last July, they found thousands of graphic photos that included images of underage girls and a safe filled with compact discs labeled ‘nude girls’, according to authorities. Daily Mail

 

Maxwell to incur massive humiliation . . . Ghislaine Maxwell was detained on Monday in a troubled U.S. jail in Brooklyn where she will undergo humiliating searches and be denied nearly all possessions, a far cry from the luxury estate where she was arrested as an accused accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein.  Maxwell, 58, arrived at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center and is expected to appear in a Manhattan courtroom on Friday when a judge will consider a government request to detain her without bail.  “You go from living a life like Maxwell to all of a sudden being in a situation where you’re being strip-searched and having people look into your body cavities,” said Cameron Lindsay, a former warden at the MDC. “That is a crushing experience.” Reuters

 

Kansas City Chiefs QB signs deal for half a billion dollars . . . Patrick Mahomes has signed the largest contract in sports history: a 10-year extension with the Chiefs that will pay between $450 million and $503 million while keeping the reigning Super Bowl MVP in Kansas City through the 2031 season. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the historic deal, which includes an injury guarantee of $140 million. Mahomes has also been given a no-trade clause. Daily Mail

 

Eagles star posts anti-Semitic quotes from Hitler . . . Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was accused of anti-Semitism on Monday for promoting quotes attributed to Adolph Hitler on his social media. Jackson highlighted three paragraphs from a book that attributed the quotes to Hitler. He wrote: “Hitler said, ‘because the white Jews knows [sic] that the Negros are the real Children of Israel and to keep Americas secret the Jews will black mail America. ‘The will extort America, their pan to world domination won’t work if the Negroes know who they were. Fox News

 

Here in the Washington area, we love the Redskins. Everyone knows Hitler was a big Eagles fan.

Alan Dershowitz has not been seen on his favorite nude beach in months . . . Residents of Martha’s Vineyard will be seeing a lot less of Alan Dershowitz this summer — in more ways than one. The lawyer famously enjoys letting it all hang out on one of the island’s nude beaches, Lucy Vincent Beach. But we’re told that Dershowitz, 81, hasn’t been seen dismissing his briefs for months. “Alan’s not been on the beach in ages,” one resident told us. “We think he’s hunkered down.” Local gossips have been speculating that he’s keeping a low profile because he’s wrapped up in the exploding Jeffrey Epstein scandal. New York Post