The Note: COVID-19's unequal toll elevates big questions in presidential race

The TAKE with Rick Klein

This week brought the end of the competitive portion of the Democratic primary.

But what the candidates will be competing over is growing substantially. The COVID-19 crisis has upended assumptions about the basic responsibilities of the federal government, and has underscored the stakes of the race in communities nationwide.

This week provided stark and sad evidence that the health crisis is hitting Americans unequally, with people of color impacted disproportionately. On a not unrelated note, basic questions of how Americans vote are set to play out across the country, as ugly scenes out of Wisconsin this week made clear.

By necessity, Washington is a city of big spenders now. Big fights loom over how much to spend and what to spend it on, with fault lines developing over watchdogs and priorities as records are smashed in both unemployment and legislative price tags.

Government matters perhaps now more than ever. The exit of Sen. Bernie Sanders from the race doesn't end the broader conversation of what the federal government should be expected to do in terms of health care for citizens and support for workers.

As for President Donald Trump, his self-described cheerleading from the White House podium also comes as he finds a comfort zone of political battles with Democrats and jousting with the news media.

Public reaction to his leadership is falling into a pattern as well. New ABC News/Ipsos poll numbers out Friday morning show 55% disapproval and 44% approval of his handling of the coronavirus crisis -- basically where he was a month ago, after getting an apparent boost in between.

In that sense, the race for president could be seen as back where it started, or where it's always been. But nothing is the same in the country or its politics, even as it remains unclear how long the crisis will last.

The RUNDOWN with Kendall Karson

Much like everything else in American politics, even a pandemic is political.

From Trump's handling of the crisis to concerns over contracting the coronavirus -- even to the likelihood of taking precautions to safeguard from the outbreak -- partisanship is fueling it all.

While approval of Trump's management of the public health crisis falling sharply along partisan lines might not be all that surprising, Americans are nearly as split over their response to the crisis as they are about the commander-in-chief.

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to wear face coverings and masks in public, 62% to 42%. When it comes to anxieties about the crisis, there is less of a divide but still, Democrats are more concerned about getting the virus, 90%, than Republicans, 82%. Those differences by party are starker for those with a high level of concern: 50% of Democrats and only 32% of Republicans, said they are very concerned about becoming infected.

While this most recent poll shows divisions growing closer, at least for concerns over contracting the coronavirus, it's a trend that has consistently threaded all four ABC News/Ipsos surveys over the last month, and one that shows just how deep ideological divides in this country run.

With such an unprecedented contagion ripping through the U.S. -- as confirmed cases climb to nearly half a million -- a response to a virus that is blind to red and blue is likely going to take an equal measure of unprecedented bipartisanship.

The TIP with Averi Harper

As Sanders makes his exit from the Democratic primary, his eye continues to be on pushing his progressive agenda within the Democratic Party.

"We must continue working to assemble, as many delegates as possible at the Democratic Convention, where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform and other functions," said Sanders in his dropout speech Wednesday.

Results for Alaska's all-mail primary are expected Saturday. Sanders remains on those ballots, with 15 pledged delegates at stake in a state he won handily four years ago. More delegates could translate into more leverage for Sanders to advocate for his policies, including Medicare for All, at the Democratic National Convention.

ONE MORE THING

More than half of Americans who went out in public in the last week say they've worn a face mask, as an overwhelming majority of Americans remain concerned over the reach of the novel coronavirus -- and less are optimistic about the fight against and ultimate impact of the outbreak -- according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. Friday morning's episode features ABC News Chief Business and Economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis, who tells us what another week of massive unemployment claims tells us about the COVID-19 economic situation. Then, ABC News' Trish Turner explains why Congress is having a tough time coming up with a new relief package. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in politics. Please check back Monday for the latest.