Respond to prefers-color-scheme dark in app web views

Follow section front redirects in Spectrum

Enable NLP source in PCS for load testing

Switch off the News Alerts Survey Widget when we have enough responses

Poll to determine if new LUF updates are available

Allows the winning A/B test variant to be turned on without Spectrum deployment

Show expanded byline information on articles

Show infinite scrolling sections in Assembler MultiView

Show option for NLP article summaries in Action Bar

Show NLP summaries collection recirc on article pages

A general feature flag for Recipe Features that aren't yet released

Feature flag for media team features that aren't yet released

Use new Orca video player for preroll plugin in Spectrum

Show the snow tracker (instead of the heat tracker) on Spectrum

Veterans became eligible for billions. These firms saw a chance to profit.

In the GOP House, details of Trump’s trials are an unfair personal attack

Alito and Thomas haven’t recused. Why?

In photos: Deadly tornadoes devastate southwest Iowa

In photos: Iranians attend funeral of fallen president Ebrahim Raisi 

Where heat waves might cause blackouts: Look up your area

Middle East conflict live updates: Israel tells negotiators to continue hostage talks after video released

China begins military drills around Taiwan as ‘punishment’ for new president

How Mexico’s cartels infiltrated the tortilla business 

Kittens or puppies? Animals left at shelter turned out to be foxes — again.

A teen dropped out of high school during WWII. Now 99, she just graduated.

Would you eat this weird sandwich? Barry Enderwick would. 

NASA again delays the launch of Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft

Meta walked away from news. Now the company’s using it for AI content.

OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show

Nats shift from uplifting to deflating during a 10-0 loss to the Twins

Opportunity came knocking twice for the Nationals. No one was home.

The Commanders believe they have their quarterback. Can they protect him?

Miss Manners: Rude shopper’s comment hurt my husband

Carolyn Hax: Wife of local celebrity chef is tired of ‘foodie groupies’

Ask Amy: Husband wants to ‘deepen’ friendship with single, younger woman

Washington Post announces new subscription plans in bid to boost revenue

Israel returns seized AP equipment after stopping Gaza video feed

Prince Harry loses bid to include Rupert Murdoch in hacking lawsuit  

How to find hidden cameras in an Airbnb, according to a security expert

At long last, Southwest is now part of Google Flights

The race up a Hong Kong tower covered in 40 feet of buns

The sooner the FDIC ‘boys club’ gets a new leader, the better

The military is encroaching on Mexican democracy

Iran has lost its president. Its people need to regain their freedom.

A hidden threat

This ‘doomsday’ glacier is more vulnerable than scientists once thought

How cockroaches came to rule the world

WAUKESHA, WI - MAY 1st: Former president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Wednesday May 1st, 2024.  (Photo by Sara Stathas for the Washington Post)

Health

Well+Being

Opinions

Higher Education

Education

https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/

Coronavirus pandemic

See more coverage in your recommendations

Get the weekly Campaign Moment newsletter

Set alerts for major election developments

Election 2024

The Campaign Moment newsletter

Politics alerts

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) caused a stir Monday night by going on Fox News and suggesting older people like him needed to “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/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/2020/03/24/e6f64858-6de6-11ea-b148-e4ce3fbd85b5_story.html" target="_blank">take a chance</a>” with their lives in the name of reopening the economy during the coronavirus outbreak.

The man in charge of making that decision in Texas, though, has a very different take. As he confronts imposing even stricter measures for the Lone Star State, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) responded Tuesday to a question about Patrick’s comments.

“I will base my decision as governor of the state of Texas on what physicians say,” <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/24/texas-gov-greg-abbott-signals-he-may-consider-stricter-coronavirus-ord/" target=_blank>Abbott said</a>. “If the goal is to get the economy going, the best thing we can do to get the economy going is to get covid-19 behind us.”

President Trump has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/trump-wants-us-economy-opened-up-and-raring-to-go-by-easter/2020/03/24/dced0a12-6d65-11ea-b148-e4ce3fbd85b5_story.html" target="_blank">leaned hard</a> into the idea of reopening the economy in recent days, but as has been noted, he <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/25/why-trump-wont-have-final-say-whether-people-go-back-work/" target="_blank">only has so much power</a> to do so. It’s the governors who issue stay-at-home orders and decide what opens and what doesn’t in their states.

Why Trump won’t have the final say on whether people to go back to work

Few of them are echoing Trump right now, which suggests that even if Trump decides he <i>wants </i>to reopen things — on Tuesday, he set a target date of Easter, April 12 — he won’t be able to do it in any large measure.

Another Republican governor, Maryland’s Larry Hogan, had some choice words for Trump’s idea on Tuesday, referring to an “imaginary clock.”

“We don’t think that we’re going to be in any way ready to be out of this in five or six days, or whenever this 15 days is up from the time that they started this imaginary clock,” Hogan <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/news/gop-maryland-gov-larry-hogan-goes-after-the-white-house-quite-frankly-some-of-the-messaging-is-pretty-confusing/" target="_blank">said on CNN</a>. “Most people think that we’re weeks away from the peak, if not months.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R), whose state matches the description of less-affected areas that Trump has suggested could see reopenings in relatively short order, also indicated that <a href="https://apnews.com/56f726cfe42176846142061cd223d6ed" target=_blank>she’s looking at a longer time frame</a>.

“This situation is not going to be over in a week,” said Noem, whose state has just over two dozen cases. “… We have another eight weeks until we see our peak infection rate.”

She added, “Any changes we make for how we conduct our daily lives have to be sustained.”

Democrats had <a href="https://www.eastoregonian.com/coronavirus/imaginary-clock-governors-reject-trump-s-virus-timeline/article_8b516b86-6e18-11ea-a039-8374c7ec444e.html" target=_blank>even more choice words</a> for Trump’s proposal, with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker saying Trump was “not taking into account the true damage that this will do to our country if we see truly millions of people die.” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Trump’s “off-the-cuff statements are really going to undermine our ability to protect people.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he and Trump are “clearly operating under a different set of assumptions.”

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said: “If you ask the American people to choose between public health and the economy, then it’s no contest. No American is going to say accelerate the economy at the cost of human life. Job one has to be save lives. That has to be the priority.”

But plenty of Republicans also made their differences rather clear.

“The truth is that protecting people and protecting the economy is not mutually exclusive,” <a href="https://dayton247now.com/news/coronavirus/dewine-responds-to-trump-reopen-country" target=_blank>said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R)</a>. “In fact, one depends upon the other. The fact is we save our economy by first saving lives, and we have to do it in that order.”

DeWine added, “When people are dying, when people don’t feel safe, this economy is not coming back.”

DeWine, though, maintained that he was generally “aligned” with Trump on <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/" target="_blank" class="contextual_link">coronavirus</a>, and he wasn’t the only one declining to completely distance himself from the president. Democratic Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said she felt she understood Trump’s inclination.

“I am not interested in unnecessarily closing down businesses and taking jobs if we don’t need to do that,” <a href="https://pamplinmedia.com/go/42-news/458494-373617-gov-brown-my-order-trumps-presidents-call-to-reopen-us-pwoff" target=_blank>said Brown</a>, who issued tough restrictions on Monday. “The goal of my executive order was to balance those competing demands. … While I don’t agree with what the president said and how he said it, I think that’s what he was trying to say.”

Brown added: “When I was on the phone with him earlier this week, he clearly said that these difficult decisions are in the hands of governors. So I would expect that it to stay that way.”

That’s the key takeaway. However much Trump wants to reopen the country, he’ll need governors to cooperate with that. The governors listed above represent five of the seven biggest states and more than 40 percent of the U.S. population, and they’re just the ones who have weighed in so far. Most of the other biggest states are also run by Democrats, who wouldn’t be as inclined to align themselves with Trump on a controversial proposal.

As president, Trump can change the federal guidance, but it’s just that: guidance. Experts say he <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-reopen-explain/explainer-trump-has-little-power-to-restart-u-s-economy-idUSKBN21B3F5" target=_blank>doesn’t have many legal tools</a> to override the precautions taken by state and local officials.

These governors also have to deal with problems on a more micro level and are more directly held responsible for what happens in their states. Any of them who would begin opening things up would put themselves in line for whatever criticism might follow from the fallout, and it would be much easier to readily quantify the effects of those decisions in their states — particularly if they can be compared with other states that took tougher stances.

If Trump truly wants to set the ball in motion on this, he’s got about 50 people he should be talking to about it. Right now, they seem pretty skeptical.

University of Minnesota

Aaron Blake is senior political reporter, writing for The Fix. A Minnesota native, he has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and The Hill newspaper.

Aaron Blake

washpost

Governors balk at Trump's call to reopen economy during coronavirus

the-washington-post

U.S. cases and deaths by state

World map

New CDC guidance

When am I still contagious?

The people who never get covid

Coronavirus

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance/economy

iptc-media/politics/political_process

iptc-media/science_and_technology

iptc-media/politics

iptc-media/science_and_technology/social_sciences

iptc-media/politics/election

iptc-media/politics/government

iptc-media/economy_business_and_finance

client-blocklists/Client List: Morgan Stanley KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Amazon KWs - EXCLUDE ALL 

client-blocklists/Client List: Becton Dickinson KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/CLIENT LIST: Nomura KWs 2021 - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Boeing KWs 2021- INCLUDE ANY

client-blocklists/Bed Bath & Beyond KWs - INCLUDE ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: Exxon Mobil  - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: T. Rowe Price KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: Microsoft KWs 2 - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/T. Rowe Price KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/HBO KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Ford/Lincoln KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Bank of America KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Diageo - Johnnie Walker KWs - INCLUDES ANY

advertising/Flu, Sickness & Virus Content

client-blocklists/WaPo: Combined Disaster Keyword List - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: ExxonMobil 03312021 KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

advertising/Coronavirus Content

client-blocklists/GEICO KWs - INCLUDES ANY_4.26.21

client-blocklists/Client List: Navy Federal Credit Union NFCU KWs 2 - EXCLUDES ALL - 12.23.20

client-blocklists/Client List: Eli Lily KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: IBM KWs ALTERNATE Watson - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Purina KWs - INCLUDES ANY

advertising/Qualcomm Custom KW - 5G

advertising/Client Keywords: On Running

advertising/Racing and Nascar Enthusiasts

client-blocklists/BP KWs - INCLUDES ANY

advertising/B2_Positive News_legacyaux_hlt

client-blocklists/Client List: Google KWs

client-blocklists/Client List: KPMG KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Navy Federal Credit Union NFCU KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Verizon KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Novo Nordisk KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Siemens KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Cisco KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: Capital Concerts KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: AT&T ALT KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Mercedes KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/FX Excludes All Disney

client-blocklists/Client List: Boeing KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Inpixon KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: Aetna KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Google KWs - INCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: AT&T KWs 2021 - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Philip Morris KWs - INCLUDES ANY 

client-blocklists/Dupixent neg kws - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Capital One KWs 2 - INCLUDES ANY - 1.4.21

client-blocklists/Bank of America Merrill Lynch KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/CME KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Google PG KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Chase KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

client-blocklists/Client List: Office Depot KWs - INCLUDES ANY

client-blocklists/Client List: ETrade KWs - EXCLUDES ALL

prism://prism.query/site,/politics/the-fix?limit=20

The Fix

The Washington Post's political analysis blog.

prism://prism.query/site-articles-only,/politics&limit=20

Cut through the 2024 election noise. Get The Campaign Moment newsletter.

Politics

Post Politics from The Washington Post is the source for political news headlines, in-depth politics coverage and political opinion, plus breaking news on the biden administration and White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, elections and more.

prism://prism.query/site,/politics/the-fix&limit=6