WHAT'S BREWING
HERE'S WHAT DEMOCRATS WANT IN THE NEXT COVID BILL House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) laid out Democrats’ priorities in the “Phase 4” coronavirus bailout legislation Congress is expected to take up once it returns from recess by April 20. Her party will fight for added assistance to hospitals and nursing homes, more direct payments to individuals, for hospitals to cover the cost of treatment and testing of those diagnosed with COVID-19, bigger paid family and medical leave benefits, and help for state pension funds at risk because of the economic crisis. [HuffPost]
FLORIDA MEGACHURCH PASTOR ARRESTED OVER SERVICE Rodney Howard-Browne, pastor of the River megachurch in Tampa, Florida, was arrested Monday for holding a crowded service in defiance of a local order that limits gatherings amid the coronavirus. Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister slammed Howard-Browne at a news conference, saying his “reckless disregard for human life” not only put his congregants at risk of COVID-19 but also those who come into contact with him and his followers. [HuffPost]
OHIO, IOWA SUED OVER ABORTION BANS DURING CRISIS State officials in Iowa and Ohio were hit with lawsuits over their bans on abortion during the coronavirus outbreak. Both states recently deemed abortion a nonessential surgical procedure that must be deferred or canceled in order to preserve medical supplies for the pandemic. Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Ohio are asking district courts to immediately restore abortion access. [HuffPost]
BRAZIL'S CRUSADING BOLSONARO WILL GET PEOPLE KILLED Jair Bolsonaro is many things, including an ardent racist, sexist and homophobe. But there is one thing he is clearly not: smart enough to lead Brazil responsibly. Over the last two weeks, he has shown the world that he lacks the intelligence, intellectual curiosity or humility necessary to cobble together a proper response to the coronavirus outbreak. To Bolsonaro, this is just another conspiracy-driven culture war in which the goal is to troll his opponents to literal death. [HuffPost]
HUNGARY'S LEADER USES VIRUS TO GAIN UNLIMITED POWER Prime Minister Viktor Orban gained sweeping powers after the country’s Parliament passed an emergency coronavirus bill that effectively lets the far-right leader rule by decree. The dramatic new measures include declaring a state of emergency with no time limit, empowering the government to jail citizens for “disinformation” and suspending elections. [HuffPost]
IDAHO GOVERNOR SIGNS TWO ANTI-TRANS BILLS INTO LAW Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law two anti-transgender bills, making Idaho the first among states that introduced some 40 such bills this year to enact them. The Republican governor approved legislation that prohibits transgender people from changing the sex listed on their birth certificates, and another that bans transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports. [AP] | 
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