Stranger Than Fiction

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• In March, Trump said on tape that he played down severity of COVID-19 “Trump told journalist Bob Woodward in March that he was deliberately playing down the severity of the coronavirus to avoid inciting panic as he publicly dismissed the virus’s threat in a way public-health experts say harmed the ability to restrict its spread.”

• A large fire broke out at Lebanon’s main port, near the site of last month’s massive explosion. “Lebanese living in the vicinity of the port rushed to get away as firefighters tackled the blaze at a warehouse. The army said the building had been used to store engine oil and vehicle tires.”

• Wildfires Grow on West Coast and Darken San Francisco Region “Among the most dangerous blazes burning Wednesday in the West was the Almeda Drive Fire, which started late Tuesday morning outside Ashland, Ore., and raced along Interstate 5 toward Medford, prompting evacuation orders in and around that city of 82,000. At least 600 homes had been destroyed by the 3,000 acre fire by Wednesday, but no deaths or serious injuries were reported.”

• Record Covid-19 Numbers and Economic Downturn Throw India Into Crisis “As India reports more daily coronavirus infections and deaths than any other country, its economy has contracted at a record pace.”

• Unemployment Claims Expected to Show Continued Slow Decline “Applications for state unemployment benefits likely ticked down last week, a sign of gradual improvement in the labor market after the coronavirus pandemic struck this spring.”

WHAT I’M READING + WATCHING + LISTENING TO

• 🎧 LISTEN: The Coronavirus Vaccine PactNine drug companies issued a pledge not to seek FDA authorization for a coronavirus vaccine until it is proven safe and effective. Jared Hopkins explains.

• Investigation into Federal response to Portland’s protests show how four people were detained

• Kenosha Businesses Grapple With Damage

• Should Bob Woodward have reported Trump’s virus revelations sooner? Here’s how he defends his decision.

• Most Americans say it is appropriate for athletes to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial inequality

THE COMMENT

“Schools will almost certainly get things wrong because they are not set up for this, but they are in the position of having to do something, of figuring out how to make it work — moment by moment, day by day. So schools muddle through and make a patchwork of local decisions. If they go remote, they are lambasted, even though there are legitimate reasons for concern in a pandemic we don’t fully understand. If they go live, people are angry. If teachers express concern, they are called cowards and accused of all kinds of bad faith. No matter what the decision, the worst motives are presumed. The failures of everyone else, from the president to public health leaders to governors, all get passed to the schools.” - Braden Bell, WaPo reader

THE STRANGEST

• An 80-year-old who disappeared while out hiking turned up at his own missing person appeal

THE AV ROOM