Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, testifies...

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, testifies via teleconference during a Senate health committee hearing Tuesday. Credit: Getty Images / Bloomberg / Win McNamee

Grim calculations

As was starkly apparent Tuesday in Senate testimony by Dr. Anthony Fauci and tweets by Donald Trump, the distance between the president and the nation's top infectious diseases expert is much more than social.

Fauci warned that lifting stay-at-home orders too quickly would risk more than "suffering and death that could be avoided" — it could bring a setback to economic recovery as well. “There is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control,” he told the Senate health committee via video link from self-quarantine.

Trump wants states to step on the accelerator, as signaled in a tweet of support for Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who defied local orders and reopened his car factory in the San Francisco Bay Area. "California should let Tesla & @elonmusk open the plant, NOW. It can be done Fast & Safely!" Trump said.

The president's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, acknowledged in a Time magazine interview that Trump's push was a gamble but said it's worth taking. "There’s risk in anything, but the President carries the burden of the 30 million Americans who have lost their jobs due to this historic effort to save lives,” Kushner said.

One GOP senator on the panel, Rand Paul of Kentucky, channeled the frustration of many Trump backers with Fauci. "As much as I respect you, Dr. Fauci, I don’t think you’re the end-all," Paul said. Fauci replied: "I have never made myself out to be the 'end-all' … I’m a scientist, a physician and a public health official. I give advice according to the best scientific evidence."

They also clashed over the risks if schools reopen in the fall. Paul cited the low fatality rate for children. Fauci, noting recently discovered cases of serious inflammatory ailments in kids linked to COVID-19, said, "I think we better be careful if we are not cavalier in thinking that children are completely immune to the deleterious effects.”

Other Republicans on the panel weren't all in with Trump. “What our country has done so far in testing is impressive but not nearly enough,” said the committee chairman, Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. Asked about Trump's calls to "liberate" states, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said: "I think we need to follow the experts here." South Dakota's Sen. John Thune said, "I think it would be good for him [Trump], for all of us, to listen to the health professionals and make sure the way we're talking about these issues is consistent with the way they've outlined."

Janison: Why so tense

In another administration, this hearing might not have had an aura of controversy, writes Newsday's Dan Janison. But when Fauci and other health officials testified Tuesday on Capitol Hill about the coronavirus pandemic, their words countered Trump's.

Trump's vague blurts about "liberating" states and about having somehow "prevailed" over the virus make serious scientific analysis sound like bold dissent.

Then again, it's become normal for Trump to be at odds with his government. Last year, testimony from then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats clashed with Trump's dismissive statements about foreign election meddling. Three months ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray delivered factual testimony about a lethal trend of hate crimes that didn't quite fit the political agenda of the president, who has declined to make an issue of violent right-wing extremism.

During the impeachment hearings, seasoned diplomatic and security officials told how Trump's White House pressured Ukraine's president to announce an investigation aimed at U.S. Democrats including former Vice President Joe Biden. The witnesses blandly shattered Trump's conspiracy theories about Ukraine.

Trump: Love govs? Love me!

Big-state Democratic governors as well as a Republican, Mike DeWine of Ohio, who have overseen aggressive coronavirus-containment measures received approval marks in the 71% to 86% range in a Washington Post-Ipsos poll. Trump wants to share the credit.

"Remember this, every Governor who has sky high approval on their handling of the Coronavirus, and I am happy for them all, could in no way have gotten those numbers, or had that success, without me and the Federal Governments help," Trump tweeted Tuesday.

DeWine scored the highest numbers — 86% approval vs. 14% disapproval — and New York's Andrew M. Cuomo was second at 81% to 18% with residents of their respective states. The least popular was Georgia's Brian Kemp, with a 39%-61% rating. Trump didn't do much better, with only 43% approving of his efforts.

A new CNN survey found 54% of Americans say the federal government has done a poor job preventing the spread of COVID-19, and only 36% consider Trump a trusted source of information. But Republicans had higher trust in Trump (84%) than in Fauci. Among Democrats, 81% trusted Fauci more, compared with 4% for Trump.

Aid package faces headwinds

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday unveiled a new, expansive $3 trillion coronavirus federal aid package that could bring an estimated $67 billion to New York State and local governments, but it quickly ran into GOP opposition, reports Newsday's Tom Brune.

Pelosi released the package with plans for a House vote on it Friday to lay down a marker for negotiations with the White House and congressional Republicans, who likely won't take it up until June after a recess for Memorial Day that begins May 22.

“We must think big for the people now, because if we don’t, it will cost more in lives and livelihood later,” Pelosi said at the Capitol. 

The core of the Democrats' new aid bill, dubbed the Heroes Act, lies in nearly $1 trillion for state and local governments. It also would provide $200 billion for hazard pay for essential workers, a measure pushed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.); $175 billion to aid struggling renters and homeowners; and another $100 billion for health care providers.

Earlier Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stressed his red line for passage of a fifth aid bill: a measure to raise the liability threshold and make it harder to file coronavirus-related lawsuits against employers large and small, manufacturers, schools and health care providers.

More coronavirus news

See a roundup of the latest pandemic developments from Long Island and beyond by Newsday's reporting staff, written by Bart Jones. For a full list of Newsday's coronavirus stories, click here.

Heard immunity claim

The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to reject Trump’s claim that he is immune from criminal investigation while in office, The Associated Press reported. But the court seemed less clear about exactly how to handle subpoenas from Congress and the Manhattan district attorney for Trump’s tax, bank and financial records.

In the case involving Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s subpoena for Trump’s taxes, the justices showed little interest in the broadest argument made by Jay Sekulow, Trump’s lawyer, that a president can’t be investigated while he holds office. Vance's probe grew out of the payoffs arranged by former Trump fixer Michael Cohen to keep a porn star and a Playboy model quiet from telling their stories about affairs with Trump.

The justices voiced more concern on whether upholding congressional subpoenas would open the door to harassing future presidents. The proceedings were conducted by conference call because of the pandemic.

Flynn judge: Case not closed

The federal judge who has presided over the Michael Flynn case and took his guilty plea isn't going to rubber-stamp Attorney General William Barr's Trump-pleasing move to drop the charges.

Minutes after lawyers for Flynn urged U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan to "immediately" toss the matter, Sullivan indicated he was in no hurry. Sullivan indicated he's going to set a schedule to accept briefs from outside parties.

That could set the stage for adversarial proceedings in which one or more attorneys argue against the Justice Department, The Washington Post writes. It also would permit, if the judge chooses, to require the sides to produce evidence and revisit the case for and against Flynn.

Flynn admitted he lied to FBI agents who visited him at the White House in an interview that took place just days after Trump took office. But last year, with sentencing still pending, he changed lawyers and tried to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming a setup — a position now endorsed by Barr and Trump.

At a 2018 sentencing hearing, Sullivan told Flynn: "Arguably, you sold your country out.” 

Another convicted Trump associate, meanwhile, caught a break from Barr's federal prison bureaucracy. On Wednesday it was revealed that Paul Manafort, the former campaign chairman, was released to serve confinement at home due to coronavirus concerns.

What else is happening:

  • According to a HuffPost survey, most voters say that sexual assault allegations against Trump and Biden, even if true, would not be disqualifying. Just 29% of voters say former Senate aide Tara Reade’s allegation against Biden, if accurate, would disqualify him. A slightly higher 36% of voters say that the multiple allegations against Trump, if true, are disqualifying. The rates of forgiveness for each skew along partisan lines.
  • Trump didn't get specific when he accused former President Barack Obama of committing a crime, but Trump did in a Tuesday tweet about an MSNBC morning host he hates: "When will they open a Cold Case on the Psycho Joe Scarborough matter in Florida. Did he get away with murder?" It's a baseless conspiracy theory from Scarborough's days in Congress when a female intern was found dead in his district office. A coroner concluded that Lori Klausutis, who had an undiagnosed heart condition, died after passing out and hitting her head in a fall. Her family accepted that she died of natural causes.
  • McConnell called Obama "a little bit classless" for criticizing Trump's coronavirus response and said he "should have kept his mouth shut." McConnell spoke during an online Trump campaign event.
  • Biden called "malarkey" on McConnell's claim at the same event that "the Obama administration did not leave to this administration any kind of game plan" for fighting a pandemic. Tweeted Biden: "We left a 69-page playbook on how to fight pandemics. You can read it here if you’d like." The tweet ended with a link to a story that includes it.
  • A senior legal adviser for the Trump campaign, Jenna Ellis, defended Trump over his Monday clash with CBS reporter Weijia Jiang by tweeting that "POC liberal women" have "asked stupid questions" at the president's news conferences. "POC" is sometimes used as shorthand for persons of color. It also can be a piece of something vulgar. On Tuesday, Ellis moved on to mocking Fauci.
  • Vice President Mike Pence was seen wearing a face mask when he arrived at the White House Tuesday, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said he's decided to "keep his distance" for a few days. Pence's press secretary Katie Miller tested positive for coronavirus last Friday.
Will Grayson Meak faceoff against Devin Downes in counties? Meanwhile North Babylon’s Jasmine McKay hoops it up and there's history on the mat in Nassau County in Episode 2 of "Sarra Sounds Off."  Credit: Mario Gonzalez

 SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Wrestling, North Babylon hoops and more! Will Grayson Meak faceoff against Devin Downes in counties? Meanwhile North Babylon's Jasmine McKay hoops it up and there's history on the mat in Nassau County in Episode 2 of "Sarra Sounds Off." 

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