“1600 Covid Ave.” | Crooked Media
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May 11, 2020
Pod Save America
“1600 Covid Ave.”

In This Episode

The White House’s robust testing and contact tracing program finds two cases inside the West Wing, Attorney General Bill Barr drops the charges against one of the President’s convicted criminal friends, Barack Obama speaks out, and Trump falsely accuses California Democrats of rigging an election by allowing more people to vote. Then New Yorker writer Patrick Radden Keefe talks to Tommy about his new Crooked podcast Wind of Change, and CNN’s Harry Enten weighs in on the latest polling and the 2020 Senate map.

Follow Wind of Change on Spotify to binge all 8 episodes now: https://spoti.fi/WindOfChange

Show notes

It’s Coming From Inside the White House

  • Blomberg: Pence Self-Isolating After Aide Tests Positive for Coronavirus
  • NYT: ‘Scary to Go to Work’: White House Races to Contain Virus in Its Ranks
  • The Guardian: Fauci in quarantine as Trump projects confidence and urges states to reopen
  • WaPo: White House aides rattled after positive coronavirus tests and officials send mixed messages on how to respond
  • NBC News: Trump says he will get tested for coronavirus antibodies
  • WaPo: Trump plays down coronavirus testing as U.S. falls far short of level scientists say is needed
  • WaPo: Trump is now downplaying coronavirus testing. Deborah Birx just did the opposite.
  • WaPo: The sharp hypocrisy of the White House position on testing
  • Business Insider: Trump says doing too much coronavirus testing makes the US ‘look bad’ as he pushes for the country to reopen
  • WaPo: As deaths mount, Trump tries to convince Americans it’s safe to inch back to normal
  • CNN: Trump sought a reopening but found the virus in the White House instead 
  • NYT: Two White House Coronavirus Cases Raise Question of if Anyone Is Really Safe
  • AP: Face masks make a political statement in era of coronavirus
  • CNN: Senate GOP breaks with Trump’s message on Covid-19 testing: ‘We ought to step it up’

Flynn-justice

  • NPR: Michael Flynn Pleaded Guilty. Why Is The Justice Department Dropping The Charges?
  • NYT: U.S. Drops Michael Flynn Case, in Move Backed by Trump
  • Politico: DOJ drops criminal case against Michael Flynn
  • WaPo: Justice Dept. moves to drop case against Michael Flynn
  • WaPo: The long list of people who thought Flynn’s lies were material
  • NYT: Bill Barr Twisted My Words in Dropping the Flynn Case. Here’s the Truth
  • WaPo: ‘A constant battle of you against the leadership of your country’: Justice Dept. rattled as Flynn fallout reaches FBI
  • Vox: 11 legal experts agree: There’s no good reason for DOJ to drop the Michael Flynn case
  • NYT: The Appalling Damage of Dropping the Michael Flynn Case
  • WaPo: Pardoning Flynn would have looked bad. Dropping the charges is far worse.
  • Cafe.com: Note From Elie: A DOJ Bailout For Michael Flynn 
  • NYT: ‘Never Seen Anything Like This’: Experts Question Dropping of Flynn Prosecution 
  • LA Times: Column: Michael Flynn is guilty as sin. Dismissing the charges against him is nothing short of sickening.
  • CBS News: Attorney General William Barr on Michael Flynn, Obamacare and coronavirus restrictions
  • CBS News: Attorney General Barr says what Michael Flynn did “was not a crime” 
  • CNN: Barr defends dropping Flynn case: ‘I’m doing the law’s bidding’
  • Lawfare: An Ugly Day for the Justice Department
  • NY Mag: Trump’s DOJ Says It Can’t Prove Michael Flynn Did the Crime He Confessed To
  • Slate: William Barr’s DOJ Is Now Covering Up Crimes for Trump in Broad Daylight
  • AP: Flynn dismissal a surprise? AG Barr in sync with Trump
  • NYT: Dropping of Flynn Case Heightens Fears of Justice Dept. Politicization
  • CNN: FBI Director Wray comes under renewed Trump scrutiny after Justice Department drops Flynn’s WSJ: Trump Eyes FBI After Justice Drops Case Against Flynn 
  • WaPo: Pardoning Flynn would have looked bad. Dropping the charges is far worse.

Obama speaks

  • Yahoo: Exclusive: Obama says in private call that ‘rule of law is at risk’ in Michael Flynn case 
  • Guardian – Trump charges Obama with ‘biggest political crime in American history’
  • Rolling Stone – Trump Loses His Mother’s Day Mind Topping 100 Twitter Shares So Far
  • WaPo: Obama says end to Michael Flynn case puts rule of law at risk, calls covid-19 response a ‘disaster’
  • NYT: Obama Warns That Dropped Charges Against Flynn Put ‘Rule of Law’ at Risk
  • Vox: Obama calls Trump’s coronavirus response a “chaotic disaster” in private call
  • Politico: Kudlow baffled by Obama’s criticism of Trump administration

CA-25

  • WaPo: Trump attacks decision to add in-person voting center in California House race
  • Politico: Democrats are on verge of the unthinkable: Losing a swing district in California
  • NPR – Democrats Fear Losing U.S. House Special Election In Southern California
  • LA Times – During the pandemic, Republicans see a rare political opportunity in California 
  • Slate: What Does the Pandemic Mean for California’s Swing-Seat Special Election?
  • Vox: California becomes the first state to send all voters mail-in ballots for November election – In response to Covid-19, California will allow everyone to vote by mail.
  • AP: Locked-Down California Sends Mail-In Ballots to Every Voter
  • HuffPo: Democrats Are Prepared To Lose The First Special Election Of The Pandemic Era
  • CNN: Trump increasingly engaged in legal battles unfolding over mail-in voting 
  • CNN: As virus draws closer to him, Trump turns to 2020 and stokes fears about voter fraud
  • Townhall – Modern Campaigning: Trump Victory’s Unprecedented Ground Game
  • Fox News – RNC launches ProtectTheVote website to highlight election integrity efforts amid coronavirus pandemic
  • Politico: Trump intensifies war with Democrats over voting laws – The GOP has doubled its budget to fight Democratic lawsuits to $20 million.
  • Vox: Republicans plan to spend at least $20 million to combat voting rights lawsuits in 2020 – The GOP just upped its legal budget for the 2020 election to $20 million.
  • NYT: Democrats’ Vote-By-Mail Effort Won in Wisconsin: Will It Work Elsewhere?
  • Mother Jones – California Is Sending Every Voter a Ballot This Fall. The Rest of the Country Is Running Out of Time.
  • NYT: A Fight Over the Future of the Mail Breaks Down Along Familiar Lines
  • Reuters – As 2020 presidential contest looms, U.S. Supreme Court mulls power of ‘electors’