WTF Just Happened Today

Friday, June 12, 2020

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• ???? Dept. of We Have It Totally Under Control.

• Global: Total confirmed cases: ~7,671,000; deaths: ~423,000; recoveries: ~3,582,000. (Johns Hopkins University)

• U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~2,032,000; deaths: ~115,000; recoveries: ~541,00

• COVID-19 hospitalizations surge in some states. The post-Memorial Day outbreaks in states come roughly a month after stay-at-home orders were lifted. (Wall Street Journal)

• The rise in coronavirus cases seen in about half a dozen states across the U.S. isn’t the “second wave” — it’s still the first, scientists and infectious disease specialists say. (CNBC)

• How 133 Epidemiologists Are Deciding When to Send Their Children to School. For many parents, the most pressing question as the nation emerges from pandemic lockdown is when they can send their children to school, camp or child care. (New York Times)

1/ The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not tell the White House that he planned to release a video admitting that it was a mistake for him to appear at Trump’s photo-op outside of St. John’s church last week. Before publishing his pre-recorded apology, during which he declared “I should not have been there,” Gen. Mark Milley contacted other high-ranking military officials and former Joint Chiefs, but not the White House. Separately, Gen. Milley discussed resigning over his participation in the photo-op, speaking “to several of his longstanding mentors to discuss his situation.” In recent days, however, Trump has tried to downplay any tension between himself, Mark Esper, and Milley. “If that’s the way they feel, I think that’s fine,” he said. “I have good relationships with the military. I have rebuilt our military.” (CNN / NBC News)

• Defense Secretary Mark Esper ordered a review of the National Guard deployments in support of U.S. law enforcement in response to the nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd. The review is considered standard procedure after any significant operation, and will specifically focus on the Guard’s work with federal and local police forces as it relates to the training, organizing, and deployment of National Guard units. Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy will lead the review, which is expected to be completed and submitted to Esper by the end of July. A total of roughly 74,000 National Guard members were activated across the U.S., the largest domestic deployment in recent history. (CNN)

2/ The Trump administration plans to reinterpret a Cold War-era arms treaty in order to allow U.S. defense contractors to sell armed drones to governments that been previously barred from buying them. U.S. agencies including the Commerce, Energy, Justice, and Homeland Security departments all approved the new interpretation in May. The change to the 33-year-old Missile Technology Control Regime is scheduled for review by the White House National Security Council at its June 16 meeting, and the State Department expects to approve the first drone sales under the new interpr...

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