William Barr and his partisan lackey Jeff Jensen have perverted justice and Justice and should be impeached, removed from office and disbarred. This is despicable. https://t.co/UozQPS6oYT
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) May 7, 2020
GOOD WORK, AG BARR! It has become clear that James Comey (who President Trump fired on my recommendation) was masterminding a perjury trap for General Flynn before I was AG, despite NO valid predicate for targeting him. https://t.co/bRdiPsvWaU
— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) May 7, 2020
The familiar stench of the Justice Department’s Michael Flynn decision https://t.co/xrrz6DeBzk
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) May 7, 2020
The DOJ filing here is absurd and contradicts the Department's long standing positions. There is no reasonable explanation here other than that Bill Barr is seeking to undo the Mueller investigation on behalf of Trump while the world is distracted by a deadly global pandemic.
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) May 7, 2020
Remember what Flynn lied about: his conversations with Russian officials weeks after it interfered in the US presidential election and Russia knew he was lying, giving it a means of exercising influence over him. The lies mattered. https://t.co/IpshpMqdUS
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) May 7, 2020
An important point to remember in why Flynn is being rewarded: He never gave up the missing piece of the puzzle which is whether Trump knew about or directed the call to Kislyak. Mueller said he couldn't get to bottom of it, because Flynn and McFarland claimed to not remember.
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) May 7, 2020
NEW: Trump said he discussed the Russia investigation in a phone call with Vladimir Putin on Thursday, calling the probe a “hoax.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a lot of things happen over the next number of weeks,” Trump told Putin.https://t.co/TIoDOqneIu
— Caroline Orr (@RVAwonk) May 7, 2020
Meanwhile…
Trump tells allies his wearing a mask would 'send the wrong message', make him look ridiculous https://t.co/QQUkIBnA77
— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) May 7, 2020
After learning one of his valets was infected, Trump became “lava level mad” at his staff and said he doesn’t feel they are doing all they can to protect him from the virus, according to a person close to the White House. https://t.co/JPcoHwATeY
— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) May 7, 2020
Donald Trump is once again putting another wealthy donor into a position that demands real experience and leadership—and at a time when survival of the USPS couldn’t be more critical. This is corruption at its worst. https://t.co/PxLCdraxOm
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 7, 2020
Thread…
America is dying because of its myths. The illusion of exceptionalism, of rugged individualism, of a functioning meritocracy and a boundless future devoid of consequence or change.
These things have never existed and we’re still desperately clinging to them in a flood.
— Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) May 7, 2020
One of the studies that the Trump administration is relying on as it begins to reopen the U.S. economy warns that even if states take the necessary steps to ease social distancing restrictions, there will be a significant spread of the coronavirus https://t.co/mADzpNxcPy
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) May 7, 2020
More than half the states that are reopening don’t meet White House guidelines. Many of them have outbreaks at risk of worsening, experts say. https://t.co/bD6A6M2CZi
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) May 7, 2020
Sure, the Velociraptors Are Still On the Loose, But That’s No Reason Not to Reopen Jurassic Park https://t.co/DkKiv1mw7K
— april glaser (@aprilaser) May 7, 2020
Away from all this bullshit, though, a man is dead who should be alive…
Ahmaud Arbery can’t get “justice.” He should be alive. We need a system of laws that honors black humanity, one that doesn’t inherently endanger our safety. Convict Arbery’s murderers—but also fix the America that killed him. My latest for @RollingStone. https://t.co/Iq0EC7BgGC
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) May 7, 2020
A black man just got murdered for jogging and yet a Trump official who literally confessed to crimes is walking free, in case you were wondering what justice looks like in America these days.
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) May 7, 2020
***
BORISHAMBLES BRITAIN
Update: following the latest official figures from hospitals, a cautious estimate od excess deaths linked to coronavirus up to 7 May is
55,000
Of these 42,700 have happened and are in official data while 12,300 are estimates
1/
— Chris Giles (@ChrisGiles_) May 7, 2020
The statement from Boris Johnson on the route out of lockdown will be at 7pm on Sunday
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) May 7, 2020
PPE disaster. Contact-tracing-app cockup. Care home catastrophe. Highest number of deaths in Europe. And now they appear to lifting the lockdown in the worst way possible, sowing confusion and creating false hope. Are we allowed to criticise the government yet? Jesus wept.
— Sathnam Sanghera (@Sathnam) May 7, 2020
Er, seems not pic.twitter.com/il3VMwg6jn
— alan rusbridger (@arusbridger) May 7, 2020
Here’s some publicity for the PM, who couldn’t care less about how many people die under his watch, courtesy of the CofE. https://t.co/5Biy27RkPq
— Gerard Loughlin (@gerardpatrick) May 7, 2020
I see the very same people who are worried we'll all become 'addicted' to furlough are still addicted to giving off-the-record briefings to their favourite newspapers, regardless of the consequences. pic.twitter.com/NTKXFkvXzy
— Tim Bale (@ProfTimBale) May 7, 2020
Telegraph now so angry at Boris Johnson’s refusal to assist in its campaign to kill off its own readers it has splashed on Keir Starmer’s demands to keep them alive. https://t.co/iMj9Y2pn6Q
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) May 7, 2020
Exclusive: Channel 4 News has seen the inventory of the UK government pandemic PPE stockpile – and can reveal almost 80% of respirators were out of date when coronavirus hit.
Watch the full investigation at 7pm tonight, on Channel 4 News. pic.twitter.com/GHbT9Ad3gw
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) May 7, 2020
The Johnson government which sent an RAF plane to Turkey to pick up PPE – without checking if it was fit for purpose – is being ridiculed from Australia to Europe. What a cavalcade of incompetents. https://t.co/sCqB07VItY
— Gavin Esler (@gavinesler) May 7, 2020
Who happens to also be married to a conservative MP as well as having to leave her job in disgrace after a huge data leak at Talk Talk. https://t.co/382b7k7oND
— EniLorac (@PointlessBrexit) May 7, 2020
Bank of England warns of deepest recession on record https://t.co/8NxMO2wN9F
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) May 7, 2020
Coveney: "We need to work to convince the UK that more time is needed to get a good deal for everybody, including the UK" https://t.co/i8icczJH5m
— David Phinnemore (@DPhinnemore) May 7, 2020
Meanwhile, North of the border
Its not like he's take free luxury holidays from despots, or botched a multi-million heating subsidy.https://t.co/UHh9ZkxpPY
— Kevin Meagher (@KevinPMeagher) May 7, 2020
***
WORLDWIDE
Coronavirus may have been spreading in the US and Europe as early as December https://t.co/rBi9erqL9F pic.twitter.com/bD86PRQzbp
— The Hill (@thehill) May 7, 2020
"Epidemiologists will study the past five months for decades; historians even longer." Unless there’s a vaccine, we need to create a new normal. The key question is: how do we adapt? https://t.co/MOJcqXqsqd
— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) May 7, 2020
BREAKING: US reportedly Scaling back Military Presence in #Saudi Arabia, removing Patriot Missiles.
2 Jet Fighters Squadrons already left. WSJ: https://t.co/aysufOkJGf
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) May 7, 2020
URGENT: According to Reuters, #Trump is said to have ‘bullied’ the #Saudi prince with the threat of withdrawing US troops, without whom the country’s rulers “might not be there for two weeks”, unless he agreed to cut oil production and stabilise prices.
— AS-Source News / MILITARY〽️ (@ASBMilitary) May 6, 2020
The dominant strain of the coronavirus that has swept through the United States is a mutant form of the original virus that emerged in China last year, according to a preprint from researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory https://t.co/NgI4X0cM5D
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 7, 2020
This is how Taiwan got a head start on smashing the virus https://t.co/fz1rXbQ315
— Bloomberg Next China (@next_china) May 7, 2020
China is playing a big trump card: opening up its $13trn bond market, which accounts for 51% of all bonds issued by emerging economies https://t.co/c39NM6DAp9
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) May 7, 2020
Hard to overstate how much Germany has surpassed just about everyone. It has a quarter of the deaths of other major European countries despite having the largest population by far; its schools are now reopening; and 80 percent of its factories stayed open. https://t.co/XIf82djDCy pic.twitter.com/lwuuCZJpbg
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) May 7, 2020
Keep an eye on Brazil.. confirmed cases growing fast there, Ecuador joins 30,000+ cases club; Belgium looks
bad too. Trump's buddy, Russia going up fast and his murdering friend in Saudi Arabia is now also in the 30,000+ club of Corona confirmed cases.https://t.co/ohyGulxPsL pic.twitter.com/ZSVfsVWXEn— JacksCreekcom (@JacksCreekcom) May 6, 2020
On Tuesday Bolsonaro said he thought Covid-19 was going away. Today another 9,888 confirmed cases and 610 deaths were added to the grim count. Brazil now has 135,106 confirmed cases and 9,146 deaths.
— Dom Phillips (@domphillips) May 7, 2020
Brazil is surreal part 666: No COVID-19 fears in Brasilia today.
The 2nd rate TV comedian & crowd chant: “Bolsonaro is what matters, everything else can wait!!”
The original TV punchline was: “Health is what matters….” The irony 🤦🏻♂️#ForaBol卐onaro
— Richard Dawkins ❄️ (@DawkinsDicky) May 3, 2020
The Overnight Note 