The Patriot Post® · Monday News Executive Summary
Above the Fold
Late on Friday, The Daily Caller reported1, “The Trump administration will shortly resume funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), but it will be at the same level as China, according to a Fox News report released Friday on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’” But Axios subsequently revealed2 that “President Trump is leaning toward preserving his total funding cut for the World Health Organization after being on the brink of announcing he’d restore partial funding to the global health agency.” Whatever the case, WHO funding won’t be returning to the status quo — nor should it.
Gallup polling indicates that, 1,209 days into his presidency, Trump’s approval rating is at 49%. The Washington Examiner’s Paul Bedard explains the polling’s significance3: “Despite a wave of critical news coverage and Democratic catcalls, President Trump sits at his ‘highest’ approval in the latest Gallup survey, and above where four of the last six presidents, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush, were at this point of the first term.” Some 48% of respondents to a McLaughlin & Associates survey opined that the media has behaved unfairly toward the Trump administration, whereas 42% say the media has been fair-minded. So, not only has coronavirus failed to blemish Trump’s approval rating due to his overall satisfactory response, but the media’s biased coverage — bias it claims doesn’t exist — is backfiring.
Government & Politics
House passes massive $3 trillion bill chock-full of socialist policies (The Hill4)
It’s a work from home Congress as House approves proxy vote (AP5)
Trump fires State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, an Obama appointee who briefed Congress on Biden-Ukraine ties (Fox News6)
DOJ and state attorneys general to sue Google for antitrust violations (National Review7)
Business & Economy
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell says GDP could shrink more than 30%, but he doesn’t see another Depression (CNBC8)
Retail sales plunge a record 16.4% in April, far worse than predicted (CNBC9)
Manufacturing output in the United States dropped by a record 13.7% in April (The Daily Caller10)
100,000 businesses have permanently collapsed under pandemic lockdowns (The Federalist11)
National Security
“COVID-19 should be a wake-up call”: Border wall construction has sped up amid coronavirus crisis, CBP chief says (Fox News12)
The president strikes back: Trump blocks shipments of semiconductors to China’s Huawei (The Washington Times13)
Culture & Heartland
Who’d a thunk it? Over 100 inmates released from Rikers Island busted for new offenses (Bearing Arms14)
Arlington National Cemetery will be closed to the public this Memorial Day due to coronavirus restrictions (Fox News15)
Other Notables
Trump receives flag of new Space Force for Oval Office (The Washington Times16)
Italy — one of the nations hit hardest by COVID-19 — looks to reopen borders next month as lockdown measures ease (Reuters17)
Chinese official confirms the ChiComs ordered labs to destroy coronavirus samples (The Daily Caller18)
Closing Arguments
Policy: On reopening decisions, look at data, not models (Washington Examiner19)
Policy: This is the most desperate hour for small businesses (Issues & Insights20)
Humor: Biden fires his speech writer, Jar Jar Binks (Genesius Times21)
For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit In Our Sights22.
The Patriot Post is a certified ad-free news service, unlike third-party commercial news sites linked on this page, which may also require a paid subscription.
Links
- https://dailycaller.com/2020/05/15/donald-trump-us-resume-funding-who-same-level-china/
- https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-sneak-peek-11ffce27-2f52-4fb9-a60c-f72f3644fde5.html
- https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/trump-approval-at-gallup-highest-better-than-obama-bush
- https://thehill.com/homenews/house/498054-house-passes-massive-3t-coronavirus-relief-package
- https://apnews.com/74768da1d00133546e631310c94d02eb
- https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-fires-steve-linick-obama-appointee-who-briefed-congress-on-biden-ukraine-ties
- https://www.nationalreview.com/news/department-of-justice-state-attorneys-general-to-sue-google-for-antitrust-violations-report/
- https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/17/powell-says-jobless-rate-could-top-30percent-but-he-doesnt-see-another-depression.html
- https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/15/us-retail-sales-april-2020.html
- https://dailycaller.com/2020/05/15/u-s-manufacturing-output-plunges-record-low-according-to-fed/
- https://thefederalist.com/2020/05/15/100000-businesses-have-permanently-collapsed-under-pandemic-lockdowns/
- https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-wall-construction-has-sped-up-amid-coronavirus
- https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/may/15/trump-blocks-shipments-semiconductors-chinas-huawe/
- https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2020/05/14/released-rikers-busted-new-crimes/
- https://www.foxnews.com/us/arlington-national-cemetery-close-memorial-day-coronavirus
- https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/may/15/trump-receives-flag-new-space-force-oval-office/
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy-decree/italy-to-allow-travel-to-and-from-abroad-from-june-3-idUSKBN22S00P
- https://dailycaller.com/2020/05/17/chinese-official-laboratories-ordered-destroy-coronavirus-samples/
- https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/on-reopening-decisions-look-at-data-not-at-models
- https://issuesinsights.com/2020/05/18/this-is-the-most-desperate-hour-for-small-businesses/
- https://genesiustimes.com/biden-fires-his-speech-writer-jar-jar-binks/
- https://patriotpost.us/headlines