Members of a church in Lodi, California, found themselves locked out of their place of worship after the building's landlord changed the locks in response to the pastor's refusal to abide by lockdown orders meant to combat the coronavirus.
The landlord of the Cross Culture Christian Center changed the locks, effectively blocking congregants from celebrating Palm Sunday services this weekend, according to a report from KTVU. The landlord's action come one week after the San Joaquin County Health Department ordered the church to shut down its in-person gatherings.
Speaking to Fox40 last week, Pastor Jon Duncan explained why he continues to hold church services despite the outbreak.
“We’re going to meet as often as we can meet, and we do believe that this right is protected by the 1st Amendment and should be considered essential,” he said.
An attorney for the church says Pastor Duncan plans to send a letter to California Governor Gavin Newson, asking him why he won't make churches exempt from lockdown orders the same way some other states have. Duncan is also reportedly planning a federal civil rights lawsuit “based on the fact that the governor and the county are violating my client’s 1st Amendment rights.”
While the coronavirus pandemic is a national and international concern, state and local officials find themselves on the front lines of the public health battle.
Governors, in particular, have been in the spotlight in recent weeks. New York’s Andrew Cuomo has been praised by news outlets for his leadership at the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, while others have been criticized for slow responses.
A clear partisan gap has emerged in how quickly governors have declared emergencies and issue stay-at-home orders. Democratic governors have issued orders three to four days sooner than Republican governors, on average.
Timing pivotal
We study state governments, including their interactions with the federal government. Our previous work on federalism and state politics has identified partisan conflict between national, state and local government. Federalism is the distribution of power and authority across levels of government, and partisan conflict involves disagreements and competition between political parties. Partisan conflict over policy is nothing new.
But the coronavirus has put some governors in an ideologically compromising position. Republicans, who traditionally advocated for states’ rights, now find themselves deferring to the federal government.
Based on a review of emergency declarations, we found that the median date for instituting a state of emergency for Democratic governors was March 10, and for Republican governors, March 13.
Although stay-at-home orders have only been issued in 41 states as of April 4, a similar trend is emerging there.
So far, all 24 Democratic governors have issued such an order with a median date of March 24. On the other hand, only 17 of 26 Republican governors have, and of those the median date is March 30.
Most governors used boilerplate language citing public health experts in their announcements. But some evidence shows that Republican governors were responding to leadership from President Donald Trump, who largely downplayed the severity of the pandemic for weeks, which discouraged governors from taking actions that contradicted the leader of their party. For instance, on March 7, he said “I’m not concerned at all,” and on March 10 he claimed “it will go away. Just stay calm.”
Additionally, nearly half of Republican governors declared emergencies on the same day – March 13 – that the president declared a national emergency, and a few have explicitly cited Trump as a reason behind their decisions.
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said, “Based on President Trump’s emergency declaration, I will declare a public health emergency.”
Florida’s Ron DeSantis, a Republican who had resisted issuing a stay-at-home order despite mounting pressure from public health officials and the media, cited the shift in Trump’s tone and demeanor as the signal it was time to issue a stay-at-home order to contain the pandemic in his state.
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency on March 10.
Trump’s net approval – the portion of survey respondents approving of Trump’s job performance minus the portion disapproving –
in states with Republican governors that declared emergencies before March 13 averages +1; in Republican states declaring emergencies on or after March 13, it averages +8. For Democratic states, Trump’s net approval averages -9 before March 13, and -10 on or after March 13. Clearly, Trump’s net approval is important to the Republican governors.
Ohio’s Mike DeWine was the first governor to call for a statewide closure of schools on March 12, and Maryland’s Larry Hogan, who has been vocal in criticizing the White House’s leadership, was the first Republican governor to declare an emergency, on March 5. Trump’s net approval in Ohio is 0 and in Maryland, -24.
Partisan conflict evident
In contrast, Democratic governors have advocated for more aggressive response efforts at both state and federal levels.
In addition to Andrew Cuomo, who has become a key figure in recent weeks, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer has traded jabs with the president. New Jersey’s Phil Murphy has called for a “postmortem” on the federal response to understand why it has gone so wrong.
While conflict between political parties is usually most visible in Congress, the coronavirus has put partisan conflict between the president and governors on full display as federal and state governments try to contain this pandemic.
On Monday, CNBC News reported that the family of a Chicago-area Walmart employee who died of COVID-19 complications is suing the company, alleging that they ignored warnings about his symptoms.
"Wando Evans, 51, died March 25. He was a 15-year employee of Walmart who worked as an overnight stock and maintenance associate in Evergreen Park, about 16 miles southwest of Chicago," wrote Melissa Repko. "According to the lawsuit, Evans told store managers about his symptoms, but was ignored. The store sent him home from work on March 23 and he was found dead in his home two days later, the lawsuit says."
The lawsuit alleges that Walmart was also aware of other associates in the store who were presenting with symptoms of coronavirus, and that another associate died on March 29 — but that managers "did not adequately clean the store, enforce social distancing, notify employees about colleagues who were showing coronavirus symptoms and provide protective gear, such as gloves and masks."
Walmart has not yet responded to press inquiries about the lawsuit, according to CNBC.
"We are exposing ourselves to great risk so others don't have to. During these uncertain times, Shipt must not put profits before people."
Joining a nationwide wave of employee-led direct action during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, gig workers at the Target-owned grocery delivery service Shipt plan to walk off the job Tuesday and not return until the company provides them with two weeks of paid sick leave, hazard pay, and personal protective equipment.
"On Tuesday, April 7th, Shipt workers will walk off until our demands are met," the group of Shipt workers that organized the walkout wrote in a Medium post Monday. "We call on customers, in a showing of solidarity, to boycott Shipt on Friday, April 10th."
"Target is the 8th largest retailer in the country. They can afford to protect us and our customers during this pandemic."
—Shipt workers
The group described their current pay as "insultingly low" particularly given the nature of the job, which requires workers—who are technically classified as independent contractors—to shop for groceries and deliver them to the homes of customers at a time when the federal government has urged people to stay home as much as possible to slow the spread of COVID-19.
"We are exposing ourselves to great risk so others don't have to," the workers wrote. "During these uncertain times, Shipt must not put profits before people. It is unconscionable for Shipt to continue to ignore the concerns of its shoppers. Target is the 8th largest retailer in the country. They can afford to protect us and our customers during this pandemic."
The Hillreported last week that Shipt drastically cut pay for orders that are canceled by customers. After workers voiced outrage at the move and said they were receiving as little as $0.29 on orders that previously netted as much as $20, Shipt vowed to pay at least $5 per canceled order—a sum Shipt workers slammed as inadequate.
"We are undervalued even as we are the most key part of the business," said one Shipt worker who plans to participate in Tuesday's protest. "We deserve higher pay and hazard pay."
In their Medium post, Shipt workers wrote that they have been "sounding the alarm for weeks" and "imploring" the company to provide basic protections like face masks and gloves.
"Rather than respond to the calls for action, Shipt chose to ignore shoppers' pleas," the workers said. "Shoppers have no choice but to stage a walk off. It is simply too unsafe to work right now."
As Vice's Lauren Kaori Gurley reported, Tuesday's walkout will mark "the first time gig workers at the Birmingham, Alabama-based company—which boasts more than 100,000 gig workers nationwide and is hiring at least 10,000 more in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic—have staged a collective protest against the company since its founding in 2014."
Willy Solis, a Dallas-based lead organizer of the planned walkout, toldThe Hill Monday that Shipt workers were inspired to take action by protests last week by Instacart, Amazon, and Whole Foods employees. On Monday, employees at an Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York walked off the job for the second week in a row to protest unsanitary conditions at the facility.
Solis said Shipt workers have been calling for protective equipment "for several weeks now, through direct and indirect means, and our requests have been completely ignored."
"There's a sense of urgency in regards to protecting ourselves," said Solis.
Read the workers' full list of demands:
We will be holding a walk-off starting Tuesday, April 7th, until the following demands are met:
Hazard Pay of $5 per order. The current pay is insultingly low to work during this pandemic. We are exposing ourselves to great risk so others don't have to.
Expanding on their 14 day Covid-19 policy. Shipt is only offering 14 days of pay to Shoppers who tested positive to the virus. The policy needs to include Shoppers who are either too high risk to work or doctor's note advising them to stay home. Additionally, Shoppers should not have to go through hoops to get this pay.
PPE for every shopper to protect us, customers, and our community made available immediately. Offering PPE to select shoppers in one size (small gloves/6 oz of hand sanitizer), absurdly small quantities (one), and select stores is absolutely not enough. Shipt is currently only offering PPE at Target stores, which excludes all other retail stores we serve. Many shoppers have been unable to work because they cannot afford the risks without proper PPE and hazard pay. Further, we need hand sanitizer and sanitation wipes to help curb the spread of this historic pandemic.
Revert all shoppers pay back to the original transparent pay structure. Shipt dubbed "version 2" was implemented in an estimated 48 markets. Version 2 coupled with tweaks to canceled order pay have resulted in steep cuts lowering our earnings potential substantially.
Tips must be transparent and immediately dispersed. Shipt must allow customers the option to tip upfront when placing their orders. Customers have reported difficulties tipping their shopper and, in some cases, some shoppers never received their tip. The checkout process must be redesigned to allow for easy tipping and Shipt must ensure all tips left by customers reach Shoppers immediately.
Shipt must stop exploiting its new workers. Shipt is preying upon vulnerable populations of workers who have recently lost their jobs/were furloughed by extending offers of expedited hiring. They've suspended orientation, are no longer properly training new workers, and aren't offering them the support that they need. The platform cannot even support the current shopper base.
During his Sunday press conference, President Donald Trump advocated for the use of the drug hydroxychloroquine to help people with coronavirus. The drug hasn't been proven to work. However, he acknowledged he's not exactly the best person to listen to on the topic.
“But what do I know? I’m not a doctor," the president said.
"Unfortunately, this observation came Sunday amid an avalanche of nonsense about the anti-malaria drug that he believes to be a magic bullet against covid-19. It is remarkable how a tongue-twisting word few of us were familiar with a month ago — hydroxychloroquine — has suddenly come to represent so many of the reasons Trump should not be president, especially during a time of crisis," Robinson wrote in his Monday column.
He said that one phrase further revealed Trump's "anecdote-based method of making decisions," even during a crisis. It also showed his "reliance on cronies" in his administration who have no experience or training.
According to Sunday reports, Trump's economic adviser Peter Navarro attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci during a coronavirus task force meeting, saying that hydroxychloroquine needed to be sent everywhere because it was some kind of miracle drug. When Dr. Fauci pointed out that the cases Navarro was citing were anecdotal, Navarro began shouting. Trump ultimately decided to trust his economic adviser over the top government infectious diseases doctor.
Robinson explained it's just a further example of Trump's rejection of science "or perhaps his failure to understand how science even works." It shows "his defiant stubbornness in clinging to what he 'knows,' even when he doesn’t actually know it; his obsessiveness even in the face of contrary evidence; and his imperviousness to fact-based arguments he does not want to hear."
"Instead of heeding Fauci’s caution, Trump has reportedly been listening to his personal lawyer, former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who told The Post in an interview that he has advocated the use of the drug 'three or four times' in phone calls with the president.
“I discussed it with the president after he talked about it,” Giuliani said. “I told him what I had on the drugs.”
"If I had a loved one who was hospitalized and desperately ill with covid-19, I would want doctors to try everything, including hydroxychloroquine, that might conceivably help," said Robinson. "But Trump has dangerously suggested that the drug be taken prophylactically by healthy people to guard against the disease. Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat some autoimmune conditions, and Trump has cited anecdotal reports from a handful of doctors that their patients who suffer from lupus seem to have some resistance to covid-19."
Trump said Saturday, “I may take it." Though he hasn't yet. As he asked, "What do you have to lose?"
Robinson closed by saying that he hopes it works because America needs whatever it can get to help people.
On Monday, barely an hour after Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) issued an order delaying the Democratic primary until June, the Republican-controlled state legislature filed a motion with the Wisconsin Supreme Court to overturn the order and hold the election this Tuesday as scheduled:
Evers has spent weeks calling for an expansion of mail-in voting access, and in recent days called a special session to try to compel the legislature to delay the election as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens. The legislature has refused on all counts, although a federal court did make it easier to cast mail-in ballots.
At stake is not just the presidential primaries but a hotly-contested election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court itself, where GOP appointee Dan Kelly is seeking a full term against progressive challenger Jill Karofsky. If Kelly recuses himself from considering the legislature's case, it will be heard by four conservative justices and two liberal justices. Evers has said that he will abide by the state court's decision.
Complicating the matter is the fact that state election officials are telling poll workers to prepare to move forward as scheduled tomorrow — but the mayors of major Wisconsin cities like Green Bay are issuing their own orders shutting down polling sites.
A man was tackled and held down by shoppers after he allegedly coughed and spit on produce at a Stop and Shop in Kingston, Massachusetts, CBS21 reports.
Cellphone video shows around two or three shoppers holding the man down after a scuffle. Witness told Kingston Police that the 65-year-old man from Duxbury was coughing and spitting while being confrontational.
Stop and Shop released a statement saying that any potentially affected product has been discarded and the store is conducting a deep cleaning and sanitizing of all impacted areas.
Police added that there's no evidence that the man had coronavirus.
France on Monday reported that 833 more people had died from coronavirus infections in hospitals and nursing homes over the previous 24 hours, its highest daily toll since the epidemic began.
"We have not reached the end of the ascent of this epidemic," Health Minster Olivier Véran told reporters as he announced the new record toll after several days during which the key data had appeared to improve.
Véran said the latest fatalities had brought the total number killed in the coronavirus epidemic in France to 8,911.
The figures were a reminder to France, which has been in lockdown since March 17, that the coronavirus fight was far from won.
France is now giving a daily combined toll of deaths in hospitals and nursing homes. Previously it had only given the hospital toll on a daily basis.
Of the new deaths, 605 were registered in hospitals, Véran said.
'The path is long'
"It is not over. Far from that. The path is long. The figures that I have announced show this," he said. "Stay at home and continue this confinement effort," he added
Véran said that 478 more people had gone into intensive care over the last 24 hours, a higher figure than in previous days.
But in more positive news, the health minister said more patients were also leaving intensive care, resulting in a net total of "only" 94 more patients in intensive care, the lowest such figure since the confinement began.
"We see that the confinement has a palpable impact. In France we are beginning to feel it," he added.
Testing campaign at care homes
Véran said that the latest figures from statistical modelling showed that the reproduction rate -- the number of people an average infected person infects -- was falling in France.
If the number is under 1.0 it means the average victim infects less than one person, giving hope that the epidemic will end.
"Thanks to the confinement, this rate is around 1.0 and probably a little under and in some regions clearly under," he explained, though adding: "In other regions it is above 1.0 so this is why we must stay at home."
Véran said that in nursing homes, where a total of 2,417 people have died since the start of the epidemic, a "vast operation" of testing would begin to better protect residents.
Johnson announced on March 27 that he had tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the most high-profile world leader infected with the disease that has spread rapidly across the globe.
The 55-year-old had been self-isolating in his Downing Street flat but on Sunday evening, still suffering a high temperature and a cough, he was driven to a nearby state-run hospital on the advice of his doctor.
Officials said it was a "precautionary step" but it has raised questions about whether the Conservative leader can still run the country.
"The prime minister had a comfortable night in St Thomas' Hospital in London and is in good spirits. He remains in hospital under observation," Johnson's spokesman said.
The spokesman added when Johnson might be discharged would be "entirely a matter for doctors rather than anyone else."
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who chaired Monday's coronavirus meeting in his absence, told the daily media briefing that Johnson was still "in charge", but that he had not spoken to him for two days.
"He's in charge but he'll continue to take doctors' advice on what to do next and we have a team which... is full-throttle making sure that his directions and his instructions are being implemented," said Raab.
The British government was criticised for initially refusing to follow other European countries in requiring people to stay home as the virus spread.
And Johnson himself said in early March that he was still shaking hands with people.
But two weeks ago he ordered a nationwide lockdown and Britain is now in the grip of a serious outbreak.
Over 50,000 cases and more than 5,000 deaths have been recorded so far, with a latest daily toll of 439.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock and the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, have both been infected with coronavirus, although they have since recovered.
In response to the crisis, Queen Elizabeth II made a rare public address on Sunday night, evoking the spirit of World War II and urging Britons to stay united.
"We will be with our friends again, we will be with our families again, we will meet again," she said.
- Working non-stop -
Housing minister Robert Jenrick told BBC television that the prime minister had been working "phenomenally hard" during the crisis, adding that he would be finding it "very frustrating" to be ill.
Johnson is not known to have any underlying health issues, although he has struggled with his weight, but some questioned if he should have taken more time off.
Junior health minister Nadine Dorries, who also had coronavirus but has recovered, added: "Many with #COVID19 are felled by fatigue/temperature and use isolation to sleep and recover.
"Boris has risked his health and worked every day on our behalf to lead the battle against this vile virus."
Sarah Vine, a newspaper columnist and wife of senior cabinet minister Michael Gove, added: "Boris has worked non-stop throughout his illness -- and now we see the result."
- Persistent symptoms -
US President Donald Trump said he was "hopeful and sure" Johnson would recover, calling the prime minister "a friend of mine" and a "great leader".
Johnson's pregnant partner, Carrie Symonds, moved out of Downing Street after some staff fell ill. But she said on Saturday she had just spent a week in bed with symptoms, although she has not been tested.
Johnson's spokesman would not confirm a report in The Times newspaper reported that the prime minister had been given oxygen treatment.
"Doctors will be monitoring important vital signs such as oxygen saturations," said Rupert Beale, group leader at the cell biology of infection laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute.
He said they would also check Johnson's blood to "see what the immune response to the virus looks like, and to assess liver and kidney function", and may also perform an electrocardiogram to check the heart.
Many Americans are wondering why President Donald Trump has been relentlessly and dangerously promoting two old malaria drugs to fight the deadly coronavirus, but now it seems a legitimate tie may have been found.
The investigative news site Sludge reports a top Trump backer's advocacy group, fueled with funds from Big Pharma, "has been pushing Trump to approve the use of hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19."
Home Depot founder and billionaire right wing activist Bernie Marcus founded the non-profit group Job Creators Network, which works for right wing causes including lower taxes, less regulations, and so-called "free-market solutions."
Marcus donated millions to groups which worked to get Trump elected. He has said he will again donate millions to help get Trump re-elected.
Sludge reports the pharmaceutical industry has funded Marcus' Job Creators Network, which "has been pushing" Trump "to make the drug available."
"On March 26, Job Creators Network, a conservative dark money nonprofit, launched a petition, a series of Facebook ads, and a blast text message campaign calling on Trump to 'cut the red tape' and immediately make hydroxychloroquine available to treat patients," Sludge reports.
The petition is a collaboration with the Koch Brothers funded group Physicians for Reform.
“There is clear and ever-mounting evidence that the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine can significantly help patients who contract coronavirus,” the petition states, despite the lack of rigorous clinical testing.
...
Job Creators Network has been funded by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), a drug industry trade that counts among its members leading hydroxychloroquine makers Novartis, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Bayer. According to tax documents, PhRMA donated $500,000 to Job Creators Network in 2017.
Those three companies could make millions if not billions if hydroxychloroquine were found to be a cure for COVID-19.
Here's Marcus defending Trump in 2016 after his vile remarks were exposed in the now-infamous, lewd, "Entertainment Tonight" video:
A Fox News segment on Monday suggested that the United States should withdraw support for the World Health Organization as the coronavirus pandemic rages across the globe.
Thiessen said that W.H.O. is "100% compromised" by China.
"Should the United States use a little big more muscle with the World Health Organization or should it abandon its support?" Perino wondered.
"Both of those things should be on the table," Thiessen replied. "We're going to look into China's complicity in this pandemic... It was something that they lied about and any international organization -- including the World Health Organization -- that helped them in that should be punished."
"And we should reconsider whether we should even be a part of it," he added.
Neither Perino or Thiessen mentioned that President Donald Trump had a role in downplaying the pandemic.
Business Insider acquired a leaked memo from the largest hospital system in the country, HCA Healthcare, reminding employees that they aren't allowed to speak out on social media or talk to the media about anything. Jhonna Porter, a nurse in Los Angeles has already been suspended for "violating the social media policy in a post in a private Facebook group."
The rules, however, were applied retroactively to Porter. Her post in the group was from prior to the memo being sent out March 24, but she was still removed on March 25.
"Porter told Business Insider that she hadn't violated the new policy, and that she believed the actual reason for the suspension is that she has been a whistleblower, calling out hospital equipment shortages," the report said. "And now her freedom of expression is being stifled during a crisis, she added. Her case paints a picture of how hospitals have been pushed to the brink by the coronavirus pandemic, and how the strain is starting to show."
HCA Healthcare has 185 hospitals in 20 states and while most hospitals are desperate for more help, to HCA Healthcare their public relations come first.
Hospitals in large cities are already being pushed to their limits and New York was begging doctors and nurses to come out of retirement to help out.
Since the virus has spread, nurses and doctors have taken to social media to urge people to social-distance, explain why they need greater access to protective equipment, and tell Americans just how bad things are.
Interestingly, however, the HCA Twitter account prompted a group of Kansas City nurses that appeared on Fox News last week to talk about their efforts to help a hospital in Louisiana.
They also promoted a nurse playing the guitar on Twitter.
Both were posted after the corporation instituted the social media ban.
"HCA Healthcare is publicly traded, with backing from private equity firms Bain and KKR, which took the system private in a $33 billion deal in 2006, at the time the largest leveraged buyout in history. Its current market capitalization is nearly $30 billion," the report said.
New York City comptroller Scott Stringer on Monday blamed President Donald Trump after his mother died from coronavirus complications.
"She believed in government and she raised us to believe in government," Stringer told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "She's got a great story and I'm going to tell it for the rest of my life."
"I've got to tell you, Donald Trump has blood on his hands and he has my mom's blood on his hands," the NYC official added. "And he sent us that hospital [ship] that's right here in New York harbor and no one can get on that hospital, which is something that is just outrageous."
Stringer pointed out that it was difficult to mourn his mother because of his anger at the Trump administration's response to the virus.
"I think we all are [angry]," he explained. "I mean, government is supposed to protect our people and we're supposed to be able to protect our parents and grandparents the way they protected us. And we're not able to do that."
