Credit: YouTube
Gov. Brown lays out plan to Reopen Oregon.
Gov. Brown lays out plan to “Reopen Oregon.” YouTube Screenshot

Here’s your daily roundup of all the local and national news about COVID-19. (Like our coverage? Please consider donating to the Mercury to keep it comin’!)

• Oregon’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases (that we know of) reached 1,584 people Monday, with 53 deaths.

• Welcome to Oregon’s first day as part of the Western States Pact, a collaboration between our state government, Washington, and California, deciding when our states will all re-open and facilitate the resumption of “normal” life. Some of the specifics of that plan? You can watch Gov. Kate Brown outline the framework in today’s press conference here, and read the Mercury’s coverage of it here.

• By the way, the move to form a “Western States Pact,” has pissed off well-known narcissist crybaby Donald Trump, who said that, actually, he has ““total” authority to decide when states re-open—though that’s almost certainly not true. Across the country, governors responded by rolling their eyes, which seems like the correct reaction.

• An employee in the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office has tested positive for the coronavirus, though officials say the employee was away from others for a significant amount of time and probably picked it up elsewhere.

• Wondering if/when your stimulus check is going to show up after seeing people on Twitter and Facebook celebrating they got theirs? The IRS tracking site is now live, and allows for people who didn’t file 2018 and 2019 taxes to sign up for their checks, too, although people who did file aren’t yet able to update their information as needed to expedite the check’s arrival.

IN NATIONAL NEWS:

• At his daily White House rally briefing, Trump’s rhetoric devolved into pure anti-media, pro-him propaganda. That included a video that shows a timeline of Trump’s supposed heroic response to COVID-19—though interestingly, the video completely skips over February.

• Today in disappointing, but totally expected headlines: “Tax change in coronavirus package overwhelmingly benefits millionaires, congressional body finds.”

• The International Money Fund goes on the record saying the COVID-19 fallout will trigger the worst recession in American history since the Great Depression.

• GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi are combining resources in the hopes of creating a coronavirus vaccine, with trials planned to start “in the next few months,” with goals of one billion doses available globally, starting in the second half of 2021.

• NATO (not that NATO, but the National Association of Theatre Owners) previously said they hoped for movie theaters re-opening by Memorial Day weekend. But the Washington Post says the chances of theaters reopening before August 1 are remote. And even when they do reopen: Don’t expect a billion-dollar blockbuster anytime soon. Our Bobby Roberts has more on why.

• Florida has deemed the WWE an “essential business,” and allowed the company to resume taping shows there, but at least made sure to include the condition that the shows must be taped without an audience.

• Hey, we know you’re doing everything you can to stay safe during a pandemic, and investigating ways to boost your own immunity against the virus. But trying to special-order human breast milk for your morning bowl of Cheerios is probably not the move.

• If you’re looking for a pant-load of funny stuff to brighten up your day, look no further than the daily Mercury Cheer Up Club!

• And if you’re looking for a fun AND FASHIONABLE way to support the Mercury, how about buying a Mercury “TP” T-shirt?

• And finally, here’s a good way to reopen the airlines.