Good morning.
Despite Donald Trump’s claims that the spread of coronavirus is dropping around the US, new infection hotspots are cropping up across Republican heartlands, including in Texas and Alabama. Many of the new hotspots are in states where governors refused to instruct residents to stay at home, or are following Trump’s advice to relax lockdown restrictions.
These figures could be seen as the realisation of a warning from Dr Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the president’s long-suffering right-hand man on coronavirus, on Tuesday.
In his latest contradiction of the president, Fauci warned the virus would not go away on its own, and that reopening the country too quickly could result in a surge in “little spikes that might turn into outbreaks”. It came at a meeting of the Senate health committee, which resembled a set of “far-flung family members holding a Zoom call”, writes David Smith.
Mitt Romney of Utah, in glasses, white shirt and blue patterned tie, sat before two dozen family photos. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, was the tech-savvy family member: he blurred his background.
Tesla and Trump: president throws weight behind Musk in his battle against public health
After Elon Musk dared Californian authorities to arrest him for flouting coronavirus restrictions by restarting production at Tesla’s northern California car plant, Trump tweeted his support on Tuesday for the tech billionaire.
The presidential intervention follows a months-long battle between Musk and public health guidelines, commencing with the billionaire’s declaration that “the coronavirus panic is dumb” back in March. This timeline will bring you up to speed on Musk’s campaign against coronavirus guidance, from his promotion of unproven treatments, to Tesla’s battles with public health orders.
Tesla. Musk’s electric car company has told workers their unemployment benefit could be suspended unless they return to work during the pandemic, according to emails seen by the Guardian.
Cycling. While Tesla and other car companies are instructed to shut down production, bike companies are experiencing unprecedented demand across the US. The coronavirus pandemic has caused an “explosion in cycling”, as the nation takes up an activity which is free, healthy and naturally socially distanced.
Pompeo breaks coronavirus travel hiatus in trip to Israel
The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has broken a travel hiatus to visit Israel, where he will discuss US-backed plans on the annexation of large swathes of Palestinian territories. The small US cohort received a special exemption from Israel’s coronavirus restrictions, which require any arriving traveller to self-isolate for two weeks. Wearing a face mask striped with the colours of the US flag, Pompeo will stay for a few hours before returning to the US.
There were some suggestions that the reason for the trip was grounded in the upcoming US election, with the former US ambassador to Israel saying the Israeli annexation was “wildly popular” with Trump’s “evangelical and rightwing Jewish base”. Despite this, reports suggest opposition to the plan is mounting in the EU, with France urging its partners to consider punitive measures against Israel if the annexation goes ahead.
Around the world …
The global death toll from coronavirus has surpassed 290,000. You can track the number of international deaths, cases and recoveries with our coronavirus world map.
Unicef has predicted that 6,000 children could die every day due to the impact of coronavirus. The global charity said there would be an increase in preventable causes due to the disruption to routine healthcare systems caused by the pandemic.
Yemen, home to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, experienced renewed violence last month, leading to grave concerns about the country’s ability to cope with coronavirus.
In other news …
Supreme court warns Trump’s lawyers over tax returns. Justice Sonia Sotomayor reminded them “there is a long, long history of Congress seeking records and getting them” from the Oval Office, and that the “president was not above the law”. Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats are attempting to establish whether Trump has broken ethics law.
Decision on criminal case against Michael Flynn put on hold. The delay over whether to dismiss the case against Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, paves the way for legal experts and other outside parties to oppose the administration’s hugely controversial motion to exonerate Flynn of lying to the FBI.
At least five surfers die in the Netherlands. The men, aged 22 to 38, were among 10 surfers and swimmers who went out in stormy weather on Monday evening, and there are fears more could have died after the discovery of more surfboards than bodies.
Great reads
Real-life Lord of the Flies: survivor speaks out
“They’re really happy, very interested to find me still alive,” says Sione Filipe Totau, known as Mano. The protagonist of the Guardian’s most popular story of the weekend, which has been read more than 7m times, speaks out about his newfound fame, the response to the article, and how he survived being shipwrecked on a remote island.
Karens on the Karen meme
As the Karen meme continues to circulate, Elle Hunt talks to real-life Karens about the bob-sporting, manager-demanding caricature to which they have unwittingly lent their names.
Animal crossing: inside the lockdown phenomenon
The record-breaking Nintendo game Animal Crossing has been around for almost 20 years, but has experienced newfound success during the coronavirus pandemic. Keza MacDonald speaks to its creators about why the game has reached such heights.
Opinion: wearing a face mask has become a political statement
According to a recent poll, 76% of Democrats say they will wear a face mask, compared with 59% of Republicans. Arwa Mahdawi argues that in a divided US, even face masks have become partisan, with masks signalling a belief in science or the mark of being a snowflake, depending on your allegiance.
Last Thing: Pattinson’s pasta. Is he trolling us?
After the actor shared his unconventional pasta recipe involving sugar, cornflakes, and an exploding microwave, Guardian staffers explain why everyone is talking about Pattinson’s pasta, and whether he’s pulling our leg.
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