World:

US:

North Carolina:

And why did I not blog all last week? I was EXHAUSTING.

The repetition of each day — like a bad version for Groundhog Day. Numbers going up. Then leveling. Idiots calling for the re-opening of their state, including the leader of ReOpen NC.

And Trump. OMG, Trump.

I’m just going to cut and paste Digby. That’s how burnt out I am.

The highlight of last week was Trump’s suggestion, or musing, that we treat the virus with UV light inside the body… or inject disinfectant.

When the press and satarist had a field day, Trump threw a tantrum and — for a refreshing change — didn’t take questions at the next day’s briefing.

But boy, he took to Twitter.

He even  took to Twitter on Monday to “just ask” why the U.S. should help bail out “poorly run” Democratic states amid the coronavirus pandemic.

His question once again labels the coronavirus as a partisan issue, mimicking previous tweets that called American citizens to “LIBERATE” states run by Democratic governors, including Michigan, Virginia, and Minnesota, which all hosted protests to strict stay-at-home orders.

Trump specifically singled out Illinois in his latest post, which has had a rise of more than 2,o00 cases since Sunday, making the total roughly 43,000 with a death toll of nearly 2,000.

“Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states… I am open to discussing anything, but just asking,” read his tweet:

Why should the people and taxpayers of America be bailing out poorly run states (like Illinois, as example) and cities, in all cases Democrat run and managed, when most of the other states are not looking for bailout help? I am open to discussing anything, but just asking?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2020

Trump’s tweet parallels a notion by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who suggested that states declare bankruptcy as opposed to receiving federal money throughout the pandemic. This outraged Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), who called the idea “really dumb” and compared McConnell to the “grim reaper” — pointing out that it was “ugly” to refuse to help a blue state in need.

All this has led to Trump tanking in the polls:

Six months before Election Day, the coronavirus pandemic has done what impeachment did not: Cost President Donald Trump his advantage over Joe Biden in the 2020 campaign. 

A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll shows the former vice president leading Trump nationwide by six percentage points, 44%-38%, a shift from Trump’s three-point lead in the survey as he was being impeached by the House in December. In a contest without a third-party contender, Biden’s margin jumps to 10 points, 50%-40%.

In the previous poll, when Trump led 44%-41%, Biden was in the middle of a fierce battle for the Democratic nomination. Now he is the party’s presumptive nominee.

The findings underscore the challenge that the deadly pandemic is posing to the president’s political standing, which has proved remarkably durable through investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, a Senate impeachment trial over the president’s dealings with Ukraine and other controversies.

Now his standing may be threatened in the face of questions about the response he and his administration have made to a disease that has cost more than 55,000 lives in the United States and imperiled the nation’s economy.

This is especially true in battleground states:

To be sure, there are other stories of note. Biden’s sexual assault allegation is heating up.

And this:

New York has canceled its Democratic presidential primary due to the coronavirus – WNBC

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 27, 2020

But in a way, it is all the same. And it is tiring. And people are still dying. And I am still remote working. And it is exhausting.