WHAT'S BREWING
BARR: FEDS COULD CHALLENGE STATES IF STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS GO 'TOO FAR' The Justice Department may join legal action against states if it deems that coronavirus-related orders, including social distancing and stay-at-home rules, go “too far,” Attorney General William Barr said. Barr said that the Justice Department would have to intervene if governors “impinge” on civil rights or the economy. “To the extent that governors don’t and impinge on either civil rights or on the national commerce ... then we’ll have to address that,” the attorney general said. [HuffPost]
UNION FEDERATION WARNS AGAINST HASTY REOPENING The AFL-CIO union federation warned that workplaces were still far too dangerous to consider reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, even as some governors are starting to lift restrictions in order to get businesses up and running again. Richard Trumka, the federation’s president, said there was still insufficient personal protective equipment and not enough testing to make worksites safe. He called for stronger legal protections for those who will have to refuse dangerous work as their employers begin to call them back. [HuffPost]
MISSOURI SUES CHINA FOR LYING ABOUT COVID-19 Missouri became the first U.S. state to sue the Chinese government over its handling of the coronavirus, saying that China’s response to the outbreak that originated in Wuhan city led to devastating economic losses in the state. The civil lawsuit, filed in federal court by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, alleges negligence, among other claims. The complaint says Missouri and its residents have suffered possibly tens of billions of dollars in economic damages, and seeks cash compensation. [HuffPost]
TEXAS LT. GOV.: THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAN LIVING Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) made the eyebrow-raising claim that “there are more important things than living” as part of his continued push to reopen the U.S. economy, despite warnings from public health experts. “We’re crushing the average worker,” Patrick told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. “We’re crushing small businesses. We’re crushing the markets. We’re crushing this country. ... There are more important things than living, and that’s saving this country.” [HuffPost]
MCCONNELL: SENATORS MUST RETURN TO THE CAPITOL BEFORE CONSIDERING MORE RELIEF Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Politico Tuesday the chamber won’t consider any more stimulus bills until lawmakers are back in the U.S. Capitol. The House is expected to pass the latest bill this week. But McConnell said senators, who passed the measure with a voice vote because many were away from Washington due to stay-at-home directives, will need to return in the coming weeks. The Senate Republican leader indicated he was troubled by the rampant spending. [HuffPost]
GOP-LED SENATE PANEL BACKS FINDINGS ON RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE A bipartisan Senate report confirms the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusions that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to sow chaos. Senators warned that it could happen again this presidential election year. The heavily redacted report from the Senate Intelligence Committee is part of the panel’s more than three-year investigation into the Russian interference. [AP]
ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION HAS WORSE IN STORE FOR US Goat plague, a deadly viral outbreak that has killed goats, sheep and other small ruminants in huge numbers since it was first detected in Mongolia last century, is a paramyxovirus, a virus in the same family as measles. Its fatality rate can be as high as 90%, and some animals that contract it can infect eight to 12 others. “They are nasty viruses,” says Dr. Richard Kock from London’s Royal Veterinary College. It wouldn’t take a big tweak in the goat plague’s genome ― “just two amino acids, essentially” ― for it to become infectious to humans, he said. [HuffPost] | 
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