Donald Trump says he’ll have done a “great job” if the coronavirus death toll is between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans, some reporters praise his somber delivery of this news, and Nancy Pelosi begins to float ideas for a fourth economic relief bill as weekly jobless claims surpass six million. Then Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler talks to Jon about how he’s fighting to ensure a safe and fair election on April 7th, and the importance of voting by mail in November.

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Show notes

Coronavirus

• ABC News:  Coronavirus government response updates: New death projections raise pressure on Trump to call for nationwide restrictions
• NYT:  President Trump strikes a somber note as he warns of a “painful two weeks ahead.”
• Bloomberg: Trump Warns of Pain Ahead While ‘Shocking’ Reality Sets
• WaPo: Trump projects up to 240,000 coronavirus deaths in U.S., even with mitigation efforts
• Axios: White House projects 100,000 to 240,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths
• Reuters: Trump struggles with tone in virus crisis, aides urge more empathy
• Daily Kos: Trump is playing the media with his ‘grave’ and ‘grim’ new tone
• NYT: Trump Confronts a New Reality Before an Expected Wave of Disease and Death
• Daily Beast: CNN’s Jim Acosta: ‘This Was a Different Trump’ at Coronavirus Briefing
• Politico: ‘It’s going to disappear’: Trump’s changing tone on coronavirus
• NYT: Why President Trump Changed his Tone on Coronavirus
• AP News: Trump changes his tone, gets real on the coronavirus threat
• CNN: What drove Trump’s newfound somber tone on coronavirus
• The Hill: Trump shifts his tone on coronavirus
• WaPo: Trump just came close to a moment of clarity on his coronavirus coverage
• Salon: Don’t get too excited about Trump’s “somber” tone — he’ll be back to normal soon
• WaPo: From ‘It’s going to disappear’ to ‘WE WILL WIN THIS WAR’
• Politico: ‘It’s going to disappear’: Trump’s changing tone on coronavirus
• NYT: Why President Trump Changed his Tone on Coronavirus
• AP News: Trump changes his tone, gets real on the coronavirus threat
• CNN: What drove Trump’s newfound somber tone on coronavirus
• The Hill: Trump shifts his tone on coronavirus
• WaPo: Trump just came close to a moment of clarity on his coronavirus coverage
• WaPo: CNN, MSNBC refused to carry full Trump coronavirus briefing. Yay!
• Mother Jones: How Donald Trump Plans on Spinning 200,000 Coronavirus Deaths as a Win
• Vox: Trump says 200,000 Americans could die from coronavirus, because he’s done “a very good job”
• WaPo: Trump moves the coronavirus goal posts, pre-spinning 100,000 deaths as ‘a very good job’
• The Guardian: Trump says keeping US Covid-19 deaths to 100,000 would be a ‘very good job’
• WaPo: Everyone and everything Trump has blamed for his coronavirus response
• CNN: Fact-checking Trump’s attempt to erase his previous coronavirus response
• WaPo: A White House report blows up Trump’s latest coronavirus defense
• Yahoo: Now Trump says it’s wrong to compare coronavirus to regular flu
• CNN: Pence seeks to blame CDC and China for any delay in US coronavirus response — not Trump’s initial failure to face reality
• Politico: Trump can’t decide whether to blame China for the coronavirus
• WaPo: Trump takes direct aim at China as known U.S. infections double and criticism mounts
• LA Times: Governors shrug off Trump’s insults as they plead for federal aid
• Vox: Trump commits to helping blue states fight the coronavirus — if their governors are nice to him
• CNN: Pelosi: Trump and McConnell ‘should not try to hide behind’ impeachment excuse over coronavirus response
• The Hill: Trump says he wouldn’t have acted differently on coronavirus without impeachment
• WaPo: McConnell claims impeachment ‘diverted the attention’ of Trump administration from coronavirus response
• FiveThirtyEight: What Explains The Bump In Trump’s Approval Ratings?
• The Guardian: The pandemic has led to a ‘Trump bump’ in the polls – but don’t assume it will last
• NYT: Governors Fight Back Against Coronavirus Chaos: ‘It’s Like Being on eBay With 50 Other States’
• The Atlantic: What Will Happen When Red States Need Help?
• NY Mag: Trump’s ‘Don’t Blame Me’ Message Is Going to Wear Terribly
• WSJ: U.S., China Trade Blame for Coronavirus, Hampering Global Economy Rescue
• FiveThirtyEight: How popular is Donald Trump?
• Politico: Poll: Trump’s coronavirus bounce fizzles
• AP: AP-NORC Poll: Less Than Half Back Trump’s Pandemic Response
• CNN: CNN Poll: Americans divided over government handling of coronavirus outbreak
• Civiks:  National Politics survey March 2020
• Morning Consult: Tracking Public Opinion on the Coronavirus

Economy

• Politico: States overwhelmed by previously unimaginable layoff numbers
• WaPo: U.S. stocks tank as bleak news mounts on health, economic fronts
• WaPo: The list of those who won’t get a $1,200 stimulus check is growing — and includes some surprising groups
• NYT: White House Economists Warned in 2019 a Pandemic Could Devastate America
• NYT: Trump Rebuffs Demands to Lift Tariffs as Economy Falters
• WaPo: The Finance 202: Mortgage lenders worry about cash flow if millions miss their payments on April 1
• WaPo: Power Up: Low-income communities might fall through coronavirus stimulus package gaps
• NYT: Why the Global Recession Could Last a Long Time
• Vox: Coronavirus could lead to the highest unemployment levels since the Great Depression – The upcoming jobs report will be far too rosy. The reality is much grimmer.
• WaPo: A new rallying cry among America’s working class: No one should pay rent until the coronavirus pandemic ends
• Politico: Trump rejects Obamacare special enrollment period amid pandemic
• NYT Upshot – Obamacare Markets Will Not Reopen, Trump Decides
• BuzzFeed – Donald Trump Won’t Open The Obamacare Markets During The Coronavirus Outbreak
• CNBC – Uninsured Americans could be facing nearly $75,000 in medical bills if hospitalized for coronavirus
• Daily Beast – GOP Plows Forward on Plans to Kill Obamacare, Pandemic Be Damned
• Vox: The coronavirus’s unpredictable impact on next year’s health insurance rates, explained
• Politico: Republicans reject Pelosi’s rapid push for next rescue package
• NYT: Nancy Pelosi Is Already Talking About the Next Stimulus Bill for Coronavirus Relief
• NYT: Pelosi Floats New Stimulus Plan: Rolling Back SALT Cap
• CNBC: Politicians are already calling for a 4th coronavirus relief plan. Here’s what could be in it
• Reuters – Pelosi wants ‘vote by mail’ provisions in next U.S. coronavirus bill
• CNN: Pelosi: Trump and McConnell ‘should not try to hide behind’ impeachment excuse over coronavirus response
• CNN: House Democrats focus on how trillions of dollars are being spent
• CBS: Democrats outline “phase 4” of coronavirus response, emphasizing infrastructure
• Politico: NJ’s Murphy urges Pelosi to eliminate SALT cap through coronavirus relief package
• NYT: ‘Infrastructure Week’ Returns as Trump and Democrats Eye Post-Virus Jobs Plan
• Politico: Democrats’ climate-focused infrastructure pitch already running against headwinds
• Vox: The missing piece in the coronavirus stimulus bill: Relief for immigrants
• NYT: Wartime Production Law Has Been Used Routinely, but Not With Coronavirus
• WaPo: A lot of bad things got into the rescue package. Here’s a list.
• WaPo: Elizabeth Warren to Trump and Mnuchin: We’re watching you
• NYT: The Safety Net Got a Quick Patch. What Happens After the Coronavirus?
• WaPo: In new campaign ad, McConnell touts role in passage of ‘biggest economic rescue package in history’
• The Atlantic – We Can Finally See the Real Source of Washington Gridlock
• Vox: Sen. Kelly Loeffler sold at least $18 million more in stocks before the coronavirus crash than previously reported
• CNN: Obama slams rollback of vehicle emission standards in rare rebuke of Trump