The Senate passes the largest economic relief bill in history, Trump spreads the deadly lie that letting the virus run wild will boost the economy, and the daily White House briefings get record cable ratings. Then Governor Gretchen Whitmer talks to Dan about Michigan’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Show notes

We Have a Deal

• Politico: Massive coronavirus rescue package hits last-minute snag in
• NYT: Republican opposition to jobless aid delays final action on $2 trillion stimulus plan
• CNBC: Bernie Sanders threatens to hold up coronavirus bill after 4 GOP senators push to cut unemployment aid
• Vox: The Senate has struck a $2 trillion deal on the coronavirus stimulus. Here’s what’s in it.
• NYT: 5 Key Things in the $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Package
• Politico: Negotiators strike deal on massive coronavirus rescue package
• WaPo: Senate to vote Wednesday on $2 trillion coronavirus bill after landmark agreement with White House
• NYT: Congress and White House Strike Deal for $2 Trillion Stimulus
• NYT: Fine Print of Stimulus Bill Contains Special Deals for Industries
• CNN: Stimulus deal bars Trump’s businesses from Treasury Department loans
• ABC News: Sen. Chuck Schumer celebrates gains in $2T stimulus deal, says Democrats ‘improved it’
• Slate: The New Stimulus Bill Gives Unemployed Workers an Extra $600 per Week. That’s Huge.
• NYT: The Oversight Playbook From 2008 Returns as Bailout Swells
• Vox: 5 policy disagreements holding up the Senate coronavirus stimulus
• CNN: Schumer says it’s unknown if stimulus deal is enough to offset the economic damage of coronavirus
• Bloomberg: Democrats Told to Expect Two More Virus Bills
• NYT: A $2 Trillion Lifeline Will Help, but More May Be Needed
• HuffPo: Democrats Are Handing Donald Trump The Keys To The Country
• Politico: ‘Have We Learned Nothing?’ The Dems’ Christmas-tree bailout pitch isn’t going anywhere, but tells us a lot about what we might be headed for.
• The Hill: Senate eyes quick exit after vote on coronavirus stimulus package
• FiveThirtyEight: Stimulus Checks Aren’t A Bad Idea, But They’re Not
• Roll Call: Coronavirus response includes $400 million in election assistance. Will it be enough?
• The Hill: Senate includes $400M for mail-in voting in coronavirus spending deal
• WaPo: The Cybersecurity 202: Democrats see coronavirus stimulus as last, best chance for vote-by-mail push
• Axios: Pelosi unveils $2.5 trillion counterproposal to GOP coronavirus stimulus
• NPR: As Coronavirus Delays Primary Season, States Weigh Expanding Absentee Voting
• AJC: Georgia to mail absentee ballot request forms to all active voters
• New York Magazine: Can America Vote by Mail in November?
• Daily Kos: Coronavirus could heavily disrupt election processes. States should prepare by adopting vote-by-mail

Give Me GDP, Or Give Me Death

• NYT: Trump Wants U.S. ‘Opened Up’ by Easter, Despite Health Officials’ Warnings
• Politico: ‘I’d love to have it open by Easter’: Trump says he wants to restart economy by mid-April
• WSJ: Trump Hopes to Have U.S. Reopened by Easter, Despite Health Experts’ Warnings
• The New Yorker: Trump’s Reckless Rush to Reopen
• NYT: Shutdown Spotlights Economic Cost of Saving Lives
• WSJ: As Economic Toll Mounts, Nation Ponders Trade-Offs
• Vox: Why Trump’s goal to end social distancing by Easter is so dangerous
• Politico: Health officials want Trump to ‘double down, not lighten up’ restrictions
• NYT: Trump Considers Reopening Economy, Over Health Experts’ Objections
• WaPo: ‘I would rather die than kill the country’: The conservative chorus pushing Trump to end social distancing
• Bloomberg: Trump Huddles With Wall Street Investors on Reopening Economy
• WaPo: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick comes under fire for saying seniors should ‘take a chance’ on their own lives for sake of grandchildren during coronavirus crisis
• The Atlantic: Trump Is on a Collision Course
• Al Jazeera: Trump considers reopening US economy despite coronavirus spread
• Reuters: Trump suggests he may scale back closures soon despite worsening coronavirus outbreak
• WaPo: Trump needs governors to reopen the economy. Even Republican ones aren’t on board.
• Mother Jones: Fed Up With Social Distancing, Trump Goes Back to Likening Coronavirus to the Flu
• MarketWatch: Governors reject Trump’s timeline to reopen economy; ‘Job one has to be save lives,’ Cuomo says
• Reuters: Explainer: Trump has little power to restart U.S. economy
• WaPo: Trump says he may soon push businesses to reopen, defying the advice of coronavirus experts
• CNN: Trump predicts ‘this is going to be bad’ but vows to reopen America
• CNN: A restless Trump wants to end the country’s isolation — and his own
• Politico: Trump bets that voters are as impatient as he is
• Vox: Trump is ignoring his top health advisers over 2020 election

Trump’s Political Standing

• Politico: Trump gets ratings bump amid coronavirus crisis
• CNN: Trump is holding his own in coronavirus polling
• WaPo: Trump’s positive coronavirus polls
• CNN: President Trump is as popular as he’s ever been right now
• FiveThirtyEight – Trump’s Reelection May Hinge On The Economy
• The Atlantic – Americans’ Revulsion for Trump Is Underappreciated
• CNN: Trump uses daily coronavirus briefings to replace campaign
• CNN: How the Fox News presidency has politicized a national health crisis
• CNN: Fox News anchors fail to challenge Trump as he misleads during coronavirus town hall
• The Atlantic – Trump Is Inciting a Coronavirus Culture War to Save Himself
• Vox: The coronavirus has given Trump something he’s always wanted: A chance to totally take over TV
• Vox: Trump commits to helping blue states fight the coronavirus
• CNN: Why Trump wants to be seen as a ‘wartime’ President
• Politico: Anthony Fauci becomes a fringe MAGA target
• Vanity Fair – “They Are a Clown Show”: Media Orgs Wrestle With Covering Trump’s Campaign-Rally COVID-19 Briefings
• Daily Beast – CNN and MSNBC Staff Push Back on Airing Trump’s Coronavirus ‘Lies’
• NYT: Trump’s Briefings Are a Ratings Hit. Should Networks Cover Them Live?
• HuffPo: The Deadly Consequences Of Trump’s Attacks On The Media In A Pandemic
• Mediaite – NPR Washington Station to Stop Airing White House Briefings Live Due to ‘False or Misleading’ Coronavirus Info
• The Atlantic – The President Is Trapped
• WaPo: The Trailer: Why Democrats aren’t scared to push back against the president in this crisis
• The Atlantic – Red and Blue America Aren’t Experiencing the Same
• WaPo: So far, coronavirus is heavily a blue-state issue, that’s about to change.
• Vanity Fair – “A Politician Setting Himself on Fire Is How Trump Thrives”: Game-Planning the Biden Blitz
• WaPo: Live from his basement, Joe Biden pushes for visibility as Democrats worry
• Crooked – PROTECTING OUR FUTURE AFTER CORONAVIRUS
• Axios: Joe Biden launches newsletter and podcast amid coronavirus outbreak
• LA Times – Joe Biden found his footing — then coronavirus changed everything
• The Hill – Biden: I don’t want to be in a political fight with Trump over coronavirus
• NYT: Joe Biden Is Trying to Be Heard on the Virus. Can He Break Through?
• Reuters – Biden battles for attention as coronavirus threatens to blunt Democrat’s momentum
• CNN: Democratic super PACs race to fill the void with Joe Biden off the trail
• Mediaite – WATCH: The Dramatic New Biden Super PAC Ad Eviscerating Trump For Coronavirus Response
• Rolling Stone – Can Ads That Use Trump Against Himself Destroy His Re-Election Bid?
• NYT: Is All of 2020 Postponed?