The Note: Inequalities enhanced along uneven road to recovery
COVID-19 has been decimating communities of color for a wide variety of reasons.
The TAKE with Rick Klein
The COVID-19 crisis has been defined by inequalities. The road to recovery could feature more of the same.
The nation is now in the midst of a haphazard reopening. Restrictions are being lifted in 39 states, and state and local judgment calls are being complicated by lawsuits, protests and occasional presidential pressure.
COVID-19 has been decimating communities of color because of a wide variety of reasons involving geography, health status and poverty. Now, disproportionate numbers of black, Latino and Native Americans will be going back to work either because they want to or are being essentially forced to do so out of economic necessity.
"That means that not only is the exposure risk increased, but the chances of having a bad outcome are higher," Dr. Richard Besser, a former acting CDC director and ABC News medical editor, said on the "Powerhouse Politics" podcast.
President Donald Trump is eager to move on to a "next stage," even as the virus lingers and infection rates spike in some parts of the country. Democrats have been pressing for more aid to impact the communities that have been hardest hit, though the next legislative fights could be complicated by efforts to protect employers who reopen from legal liability.
The broad national consensus about the need to shut down the country has crumbled. What has emerged is far messier, with stark political implications carried in the decisions ahead -- decisions that will be life-or-death for many Americans.
The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks
Children have been particularly affected by the dramatic rise in U.S. food insecurity, rising food prices and sharp unemployment in the U.S.
According to a new study from the Brookings Hamilton Project, a shocking number of U.S. families are hurting for basic funds and supplies.
As of late April 2020, 22.7% of households reported not having sufficient resources to buy more food when what they had purchased didn't last. In addition, 34% of households with a child 18 and under were food insecure as of late April 2020.
Overall, Brookings estimates that rates of household food insecurity have effectively doubled since before the pandemic to rates higher than during the Great Recession a decade ago.
Congress will continue to face pressure to increase funding for food stamps and unemployment and school districts too -- many of which have been answering the call with limited resources already -- will have to get creative over the summer to keep helping and connecting with families.
The TIP with Will Steakin
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After lashing out over the Lincoln Project's latest ad blasting the administration's response to the coronavirus, the president may be about to see even more of it.
The super PAC, formed by anti-Trump Republicans, raised over $1 million since Trump railed against the ad titled "Mourning in America," marking the group's biggest haul yet. Now, thanks to the boost in funding following Trump's attacks, the Lincoln Project says they plan to boost the ad's reach and air it in more battlegrounds states, including Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida.
"'Mourning in America' speaks to the heartache of a nation. We are grateful to the president, however, for bringing so much attention to our efforts. In just two days we have raised enough money to bring this ad and others to key battleground states," co-founder Jennifer Horn told ABC News.
The ad was already the anti-Trump group's most viewed yet. But following Trump's tweets -- on top of record fundraising numbers -- Horn said they saw a 500% increase in traffic on their website and the video crossed over 15 million views.
BRINGING AMERICA BACK
If social distancing measures were to be enforced on flights, airfares could increase 43% to 54% this year, the International Air Transport Association predicts. The industry trade group suggests measures, such as face masks and temperature screenings for passengers and crew members, to keep flying affordable. Read this story and more by checking out Bringing America Back, an ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in economic recovery and medical preparedness amid the coronavirus pandemic.
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. Thursday morning's episode features ABC News contributor and former Trump administration homeland security adviser Tom Bossert, who tells us what he makes of the latest coronavirus modeling. Then, ABC News' Steve Osunsami has more on the outrage over a video showing the killing of an unarmed black man in Georgia. And, ABC News Legal Analyst Kate Shaw explains new Title IX rules. http://apple.co/2HPocUL
ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics" podcast. Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and current president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, tells ABC News Political Director Rick Klein and Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl that he worries as states continue their push to reopen communities of color will begin to see more "bad outcomes" since the virus disproportionately impacts them. https://bit.ly/2w091jE
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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in politics. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.
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