Michigan Gov. Whitmer caught in Memorial Day lockdown controversy over husband's reported boat request

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faced backlash from Republican lawmakers after a reported request from her husband to get the family's boat out on the water before Memorial Day weekend -- far from their home in Lansing.
Whitmer, a Democrat, famously has imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the country, sparking frequent protests. What's more, she's told people not living in Northern Michigan to stay away from vacation spots there during the holiday weekend.
In Facebook posts no longer visible to the public, NorthShore Dock LLC and its owner, Tad Dowker, focused on what Dowker said was a request last week by Whitmer's husband, Marc Mallory. The posts caught the attention of Republican state lawmakers, who said the governor's family may not have wanted to follow the guidance she's issued for the rest of the state.
"This morning, I was out working when the office called me, there was a gentleman on hold who wanted his boat in the water before the weekend," Dowker posted. "Being Memorial weekend and the fact that we started working three weeks late means there is no chance this is going to happen."
He continued, "Our office personnel had explained this to the man and he replied, 'I am the husband to the governor, will this make a difference?'" The docking company later noted that Mallory respectfully accepted that the accommodation would not be possible.
Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown refused to comment on the matter, saying the administration wouldn't address "every rumor that is spread online," The Detroit News reported.
Last Monday, Whitmer announced restrictions would be lifted in some regions of Northern Michigan, but urged those who didn't live in the region to stay away. "If you don't live in these regions... think long and hard before you take a trip into them," she said. "A small spike could put the hospital system in dire straits pretty quickly. That's precisely why we're asking everyone to continue doing their part. Don't descend on [waterfront] Traverse City from all regions of the state."
The vacation property Whitmer and her husband have owned is about 25 minutes from Traverse City, according to The Detroit News, but the family permanently resides in Lansing, over 150 miles away.
State Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, said Whitmer had urged Michigan residents not to "descend" on the city. "Yet, what did her family try and do?" Barrett said.
"In the Army, we have a tradition that the leaders get in line for chow last behind everyone else in the unit," he continued. "Here is the leader of our state. ... Her family is trying to cut people in line."
After rising to fame over her stringent coronavirus policy, Whitmer confirmed last week she had been in talks with the Biden campaign about a potential vice presidential candidate pick.
The governor attracted the attention of President Trump when she criticized the federal government's response to the pandemic.
“I love Michigan, one of the reasons we are doing such a GREAT job for them during this horrible Pandemic. Yet your Governor, Gretchen 'Half' Whitmer is way in over her head, she doesn't have a clue. Likes blaming everyone for her own ineptitude!” he tweeted after her comments.

Memorial Day 2020 Cartoons

2020 Watch: Differing views on remaking post-virus economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidential politics move fast. What we’re watching heading into a new week on the 2020 campaign:

Days to general election: 162 ___

THE NARRATIVE

As some parts of the nation continue to ease stay-at-home orders meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the economy remains in free fall. And, with the U.S. death toll now climbing toward 100,000, a conundrum is emerging: Even if people are allowed to resume their daily routines, will they feel safe enough to do so? President Donald Trump says that the country is anxious to get back to work and that pent-up consumer demand can turn things around in a hurry. Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden counters by urging caution and heeding medical and scientific experts, many of whom say it’s much too early to return to normal. Which one is correct may ultimately not be clear until after November’s election — but will nonetheless almost certainly be the determining factor in who wins it.

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THE BIG QUESTIONS

Does Biden have no choice but to choose an African American running mate?

Black leaders have for weeks argued that the former vice president picking an African American as his vice president is the only way to reflect the Democratic Party’s deep diversity and to repay a community that helped Biden overcome a disastrous start to dominate in the South and win the primary. But the issue may have come to a head on Friday when Biden endured a testy exchange with prominent black radio personality Charlamagne Tha God before declaring, “If you’ve got a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or for Trump, then you ain’t black.”

He later said he shouldn’t have been so “cavalier,” but not before sparking a social media firestorm and prompting the president’s reelection campaign to decry it as the kind of race-baiting it often gets accused of. “It is clear now more than ever, following these racist and dehumanizing remarks, that Joe Biden believes black men and women are incapable of being independent or free thinking,” Black Voices for Trump said in a statement.

Biden has refused to publicly discuss his running mate finalists, but they are thought to include several prominent white women, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. He figures to do well with African American voters in November no matter whom he picks, but a lack of enthusiasm in the black community hurt Hillary Clinton in the battleground state of Michigan and elsewhere in 2016. That’s a calculation Biden may be unable to ignore, even as his campaign insists his choice will have more to do with personal relationships than skin color.

How much more political will science get?

Trump has long energized his conservative base by rejecting climate change and academic intellectualism but lately has begun suggesting the institution of science is out to undermine him. The president insisted on taking the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to guard against the coronavirus despite federal warnings against doing so. He also rejected as politically motivated a study showing that nearly 36,000 Americans’ lives might have been saved if social distancing measures had been put in place one week sooner. Polling has already shown that issues like wearing face masks in public are becoming increasingly partisan. If science itself follows a similar path, that could hinder evolving efforts to slow the virus — potentially producing results deadly enough to go well beyond the political.

How much more political will voting by mail get?

Trump has intensified his opposition to expanding mail-in balloting amid the pandemic, even threatening federal funding to the battleground states of Michigan and Nevada before later suggesting that might not be necessary. Many Democratic-led states are nonetheless looking to ease rules on absentee voting, saying the coronavirus may make it a matter of life and death. With top Republicans rallying behind Trump’s insistence that doing so is undemocratic and federal court cases on the issue already raging in places like Texas, how the nation votes may prove as pivotal to November’s outcome as for whom it votes.

Are political conventions possible in the age of the coronavirus?

The Republican National Committee marked 100 days until the scheduled start of its convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, by proudly suggesting last weekend that nearly 50,000 attendees would soon be descending on that city. Its chair, Ronna McDaniel, was subsequently less committal about the gathering going off exactly as planned and beginning Aug. 24 amid the pandemic. But she vowed that it will happen at least partly in person, saying, “We will not be holding a virtual convention.” Democrats have already delayed their convention from July until August and have been more open to the idea of it unfolding virtually — taking steps to grant organizers the authority to design an event that won’t require delegates attending in person. A bigger question than if some in-person activities remain intact for one party or the other, though, is whether attendees will want to go — especially given the low political stakes since the presidential nominee on both sides isn’t in doubt.

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THE FINAL THOUGHT

Trump’s reelection chances likely hinge on convincing the country he built a sustained economic boom once and can do so again, leading an equally speedy and robust recovery after the coronavirus sparked an unprecedented bust. Biden has taken a different approach, promising to use the crisis to build a new economy that will embrace progressive proposals designed to lift all Americans — but without really saying how long that might take. Amid what may prove to be the nation’s worst downturn, whether voters can look past the “when” to the “how” of a recovery is an open question. Still, it’s one that can’t be answered until a recovery actually begins to materialize.

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2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.

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Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, “Ground Game.”

Trump doubles up with Maryland, Virginia Memorial Day events

In this Friday, May 22, 2020, photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a "Rolling to Remember Ceremony," to honor the nation's veterans and POW/MIA, from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House in Washington. Trump booked back-to-back Memorial Day appearances despite the coronavirus pandemic, at Arlington National Cemetery and at a historic fort in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump booked back-to-back Memorial Day appearances despite the coronavirus pandemic, at Arlington National Cemetery and at a historic fort in Baltimore. Trump recently called Baltimore a “rat and rodent infested mess,” and its mayor has suggested Trump stay home.

Presidents typically honor fallen military members by laying a wreath and delivering a speech at the hallowed burial ground in Virginia. But the pandemic, which is expected to claim its 100,000th American this week, has led to changes this year. Trump will only lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

He is expected to speak later at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. It’s where a poem, written after a huge American flag was hoisted to celebrate an important victory over the British during the War of 1812, became “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Trump has been steadily ramping up his schedule in an effort to portray the nation as returning to its pre-pandemic ways as it emerges from a devastating economic shutdown intended to slow the virus.

The U.S. leads the world with more than 1.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 97,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

This month, Trump has toured factories in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan that make pandemic supplies. He planned to be in Florida on Wednesday to watch two NASA astronauts rocket into space, and he played golf at his private club in Virginia on Saturday and Sunday.

Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young has criticized Trump’s visit, saying the trip sends the wrong message about stay-at-home directives and that the city cannot afford the added cost of a presidential visit at a time when it is losing $20 million a month because of the pandemic.

“That President Trump is deciding to pursue nonessential travel sends the wrong message to our residents,” Young, a Democrat, said in a statement last week. He referenced the disproportionate effect the virus has had on his city and called on Trump to “set a positive example” by not traveling during the holiday weekend.

The White House sounded unmoved.

“The brave men and women who have preserved our freedoms for generations did not stay home and the president will not either as he honors their sacrifice by visiting such a historic landmark in our nation’s history,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in an emailed statement Sunday.

Trump will visit Baltimore just over a week after Maryland began to lift some of the restrictions it had put in place for the coronavirus, though they remain in effect in Baltimore. Baltimore and the Washington, D.C., area have the nation’s highest percentages of positive cases, according to Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force.

Trump last summer described a congressional district that includes Baltimore as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.”

Memorial Day weekend draws crowds and triggers warnings

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida. (AP) — Big crowds turned out for the Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. amid warnings from authorities about people disregarding the coronavirus social-distancing rules and risking a resurgence of the scourge that has killed nearly 100,000 Americans.

On the Navajo Nation, which sprawls across the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, the number of virus cases rose by 56 on Sunday to 4,689, according to the local health department.

Meanwhile, the White House broadened its travel ban against countries hit hard by the virus, saying it would deny admission to foreigners who have recently been in Brazil.

Japan moved further toward reopening Monday, with plans to end the state of emergency in Tokyo and surrounding areas that has lasted for more than a month and a half.

Millions of Australian children returned to school as the number of coronavirus patients across the country continues to fall. The states of New South Wales and Queensland were the latest to resume face-to-face learning.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Monday that students and teachers had to observe one key message: Stay home if sick. “We’re not out of the woods yet,” she said. “We have to take each day as it comes, each week as it comes and we keep our fingers crossed.”

China reported 11 new cases of the coronavirus, 10 of them among passengers arriving from overseas in the vast Inner Mongolia region north of Beijing, according to the National Health Commission.

China, where the virus was first detected late last year, is holding the annual session of its ceremonial parliament, part of efforts to show that the country is returning to normal and shaking off the devastating economic efforts of having locked down tens of millions of citizens in order to contain the pandemic.

South Korea reported 16 new cases as 2 million more children begin returning to school this week. Thirteen of the new cases came from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where more than 200 infections have been linked to nightclubs and other entertainment outlets. The transmissions have raised concern as officials proceed with a phased reopening of schools.

All South Koreans will be required to wear masks while using public transportation starting Tuesday, Health Ministry official Yoon Taeho told reporters. Masks will also be required on all domestic and international flights beginning Wednesday.

Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said she was “very concerned” about scenes of people crowding together over the weekend.

“We really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical. And if you can’t social distance and you’re outside, you must wear a mask,” Birx said on ABC’s “This Week.”

In Missouri, people packed bars and restaurants at the Lake of the Ozarks, a vacation spot popular with Chicagoans.

On Georgia’s Tybee Island, the beach was filled with families, but at a nearby grocery store, staff members handed customers gloves and a number to keep track of how many people were inside.

In California, beaches and parks were open for swimming, running and other activities.

At New York’s Orchard Beach in the Bronx, kids played with toys, and people sat in folding chairs. Some wore winter coats on a cool and breezy day, and many wore masks and sat apart from others.

“Good to be outside. Fresh air. Just good to enjoy the outdoors,” said Danovan Clacken, whose face was covered.

The U.S. is on track to surpass 100,000 coronavirus deaths in the next few days, while Europe has seen over 169,000 dead, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University that almost certainly understates the toll. Worldwide, more than 5.4 million people have been infected and nearly 345,000 have died.

The issue of wearing masks in public and staying several feet apart has become fraught politically, with some Americans arguing that such rules violate their rights.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, who has been targeted by such demonstrations, insisted the precautions should not be a partisan issue.

“This is not about whether you are liberal or conservative, left or right, Republican or Democrat,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The Trump administration said Sunday that it would ban foreign nationals who have been in Brazil 14 days or less before planning to enter the United States. The ban does not apply to U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents or some of their relatives. Brazil is second only to the U.S. in reported coronavirus cases.

Across Europe, meanwhile, a mishmash of travel restrictions appears to be on the horizon, often depending on what passports visitors carry.

Beginning Monday, France is relaxing its border restrictions, allowing in migrant workers and family visitors from other European countries. Italy is only now allowing locals back to beaches in their own regions with restrictions.

For the first time in months, the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the traditional Sunday papal blessing. Some 2,000 Muslims gathered for Eid al-Fitr prayers at a sports complex in a Paris suburb, spaced 3 feet (1 meter) apart and wearing masks.

Greece restarted regular ferry services Monday as the country accelerates efforts to salvage its tourism season. Bars and restaurants were also accepting customers again.

Travel to Greece’s popular tourist islands had been generally off-limits since a lockdown in late March, with only goods suppliers and permanent residents allowed access.

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Mahoney reported from New York. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

Trump says schools in US should be opened 'ASAP'

President Trump urged for the reopening of school throughout the U.S. on Sunday, as most remain closed to limit the coronavirus spread and protect the health of students during the pandemic.
His tweet was an apparent reaction to similar comments from Fox News' Steve Hilton on his program "The Next Revolution." Trump tagged Hilton and Fox News in a tweet Sunday where he mentioned reopening schools "ASAP."
"Schools in our country should be opened ASAP. Much very good information now available. @SteveHiltonx @FoxNews," Trump wrote.
Hilton had demanded on his show the need to, "Get on with it and reopen schools now before you do even more needless damage."
He said using masks to stop the virus' spread seems appropriate, but added that measures like temperature checks seem to be "totally pointless." He also called certain social distancing rules as "totally arbitrary."
"Only one or two people allowed in an elevator at one time, good luck trying to reopen New York on that," he said.
Hilton cited some studies that suggested students can't transmit the virus to others. He also referenced an NPR report this month that said the mental health of children has been impacted as they stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was cautious about reopening schools -- even in the fall -- due to the emergence of a severe inflammatory condition found in children believed to be associated with the coronavirus.
While the coronavirus in normally less harmful in children -- who typically have only mild symptoms -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an advisory earlier this month regarding the potentially severe condition.
Doctors describe the inflammatory condition (MIS-C), to be similar to Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that causes swelling in medium-sized arteries throughout the body. MIS-C can cause persistent fever and symptoms that include hypotension, rashes, gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, as well as elevated inflammatory markers, the CDC said.
At least four children have died of apparent MIS-C in recent weeks, the Washington Post reported.
"We don't know everything about this virus, and we really better be very careful, particularly when it comes to children," Fauci said, according to NPR.

Trump slams Biden ad critical of golf outing

President Trump late Sunday lashed out at Joe Biden after the likely Democrat nominee criticized his golf outing earlier in the day as the country approaches 100,000 coronavirus deaths.

Biden has been a fierce critic of Trump’s handling of the outbreak and the ad juxtaposed Trump playing golf at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., and the death toll numbers.
“Nearly 100,000 lives have been lost, and tens of millions are out of work,” Biden tweeted. “Meanwhile, the president spent his day golfing.”
Trump took to Twitter himself to call out “Sleepy Joe.”
He said Biden’s team apparently thinks he “should stay in the White House at all times."
"What they didn’t say is that it’s the first time I’ve played golf in almost 3 months, that Biden was constantly vacationing, relaxing & making shady deals  with other countries, & that Barack [Obama] was always playing golf, doing much of his traveling in a fume spewing 747 to play in Hawaii—Once even teeing off immediately after announcing the gruesome death of a great young man by ISIS!”

Trump did not specify the instance. But in 2014, then-President Obama faced criticism over his reaction to the death of James Foley, an American journalist. The New York Times reported at the time that Obama spoke with Foley’s parents and as soon as “the cameras went off,” he headed to a golf course on Martha’s Vineyard. The paper reported, “He spent the rest of the afternoon on the links even as a firestorm of criticism erupted over what many saw as a callous indifference to the slaughter he had just condemned.”
Trump critics likely see Biden engaging in the same technique Trump has employed to damage political rivals. Mediate pointed out that Trump has long criticized Obama for playing golf during his presidency.
“President Obama has a major meeting on the N.Y.C. Ebola outbreak, with people flying in from all over the country, but decided to play golf!” Trump wrote in 2014.
The Twitter exchange may be a preview of what is still to come before the 2020 elections. Trump has recently tried to go on the offensive over the unmasking tied to the Gen. Michael Flynn case. He told Fox News exclusively last week that the Russia probe was the “greatest political crime in the history of our country.”
Biden was recently asked by ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos about the Obama administration’s investigation into Flynn and about a mystery Jan. 5, 2017 meeting at the Oval Office. He said he was “aware that there was—that they asked for an investigation, but that’s all  I know about it, and I don’t think  anything else…”
The 2020 election will likely hinge on the way the public perceives Trump’s handling of the virus. Democrats, like Biden, have been critical of what they said was a slow response and inconsistent messaging. Biden wrote in the Washington Post earlier this month that Trump has failed to unify the country and instead “is reverting to a familiar strategy of deflecting blame and dividing Americans.”
Trump said his early travel ban with China saved lives. He launched “Operation Warp Speed” in an effort to create and distribute a coronavirus vaccine by combining the military, private industry and other government agencies.

Trump said one of his top priorities is getting the country reopened.
The Associated Press contributed to this report

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