If you want some provocative thinking in these days of the doldrums, read Tigar's five mythologies. His chapter on race starts with the 1944 Supreme Court decision upholding the war-time internment of Japanese Americans on the West Coast. The Court accepted the myth that these Americans might help the Japanese government even though there was no supporting evidence. Of course, he discusses the myths behind "separate but equal" and why it was so hard to end that doctrine. Tigar draws upon his own experience in his discussion of the criminal justice system as he represented many criminal defendants in different states. He believes that "fair trial" is one of the myths of the system, though he writes about several such myths.

Examining an array of issues, from presidential approval ratings, the Constitution, election law, unemployment rates to the security of digital voting, the scholars concluded it was still too uncertain to draw any sweeping conclusions. Except that November 2020 will be an election without precedent. “The Trump administration has decided to make an enormous policy and political bet, and the bet is that they can re-open the economy, and the economy will come back in time for the election, and that COVID-19 won’t re-erupt in a way that will either stifle those efforts or kill lots of people,” said Henry Brady, dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy.

Through Nourish New York, the State is providing funding to New York food banks so they can purchase excess products, such as fruits and vegetables, from New York farmers and surplus dairy products from New York dairy manufacturers, to distribute directly to communities. Food banks are expected to receive funding and begin purchasing this week. Emergency food providers can spend the money allocated to them by doing any of the following: Setting up food-drive through events/giveaways; Distributing dairy vouchers that can be redeemed in grocery stores for products like cheese, yogurt, milk, sour cream, and butter, throughout the state, and/or; Purchasing products directly from New York dairy/food manufacturers for their feeding programs. Gov. Cuomo extends rent relief moratorium, no evictions through August 20 and security deposits may be used to pay rent..

Ferida Wolff writes: Usually there are many geese in the park but only a few were around on this day. They seemed to be in their own form of social distancing. This goose was eating on its own after being chased away by a connected pair. It seemed to want to gather food near us. It seemed to want company and comfort as if it was looking for its family. I wondered if animals are as prone to get the corona virus as we humans are. I hope the goose eventually finds its natural family. I hope that we all are safe and healthy and remember that while at a distance isn’t our natural way of interacting, it is necessary at this time.

December 2, 2014, President Obama: "There may and likely will come a time in which we have both an airborne disease that is deadly. And in order for us to deal with that effectively, we have to put in place an infrastructure -- not just here at home, but globally -- that allows us to see it quickly, isolate it quickly, respond to it quickly. And it also requires us to continue the same path of basic research that is being done here at NIH that Nancy is a great example of. So that if and when a new strain of flu, like the Spanish flu, crops up five years from now or a decade from now, we've made the investment and we're further along to be able to catch it. It is a smart investment for us to make. It's not just insurance; it is knowing that down the road we're going to continue to have problems like this -- particularly in a globalized world where you move from one side of the world to the other in a day."

FactCheck.org's Weekly Update: "In this video, we take a look at COVID-19 antibody tests, which can reveal whether someone was previously infected with the novel coronavirus — and explain why a positive or negative result may not always be so easy to interpret. President Trump falsely claimed that his administration was not initially able to meet the increasing demand for ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients because "we weren’t left ventilators by a previous administration." "FactCheck.org monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major US political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding."

“Today’s resolution, with one of the largest independent oncology groups in the United States, is a significant step toward ensuring that cancer patients in Southwest Florida are afforded the benefits of competition for life-saving treatments,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “For almost two decades, FCS and its co-conspirators agreed to cheat by limiting treatment options available to cancer patients in order to line their pockets. The Antitrust Division is continuing its investigation to ensure that all responsible participants are held accountable to the maximum extent possible.”

"C-SPAN is committing to airing live each of the Supreme Court's just-announced schedule of oral arguments for May, which will be held by teleconference. The audio of the arguments will be accessible live via one of the C-SPAN TV networks, online via C-SPAN.org, and on the free C-SPAN Radio app, which will allow them to be heard via anyone's cell phone. Photo and name IDs of the justices and counsel will accompany the audio feed on television; name IDs will be provided on radio." Editor's Note: For those of you with children and grandchildren interested in science and the future, do not forget NASA station, NASA.gov!

"Nurses' roles are now more important than ever. Nurses are often the last thread of compassion for patients. They're the ones doing the screenings, taking care of the critically ill, implementing triage protocols, communicating to families, and attending to the dying. Nurses in every role are impacted. They're being asked to work in areas of the hospital that aren't their normal specialty. They're providing telehealth consultations. They're being redeployed to learn new skills and take new roles — as safety officers, and taking care of critically ill patients. They're making triage plans operational. We've had to reallocate our resources in profound ways, and nurses are innovating and leading in the midst of the crisis."

Lequeu defined himself as an architect and began his career working on building sites, he spent the majority of his life as a government draftsman shifting between bureaucratic offices before being forced to retire on a meager pension. His gift to the Royal Library reflected a hidden dimension of Lequeu’s draftsmanship. Throughout his life, he worked on his own, producing animated self-portraits, plans for revolutionary monuments, teaching manuals, explorations of the body, and over one hundred designs for visionary architectural projects. The drawings in his portfolio evince remarkable skill and creativity, an inventiveness inspired by both classical and contemporary writings, and the artist’s own vivid imagination.

“With a lot of conditions, older adults don’t present in a typical way, and we’re seeing that with COVID-19 as well,” said Dr. Camille Vaughan, section chief of geriatrics and gerontology at Emory University. The reason has to do with how older bodies respond to illness and infection. At advanced ages, “someone’s immune response may be blunted and their ability to regulate temperature may be altered,” said Dr. Joseph Ouslander. “Underlying chronic illnesses can mask or interfere with signs of infection,” he said. “Some older people, whether from age-related changes or previous neurologic issues such as a stroke, may have altered cough reflexes. Others with cognitive impairment may not be able to communicate their symptoms.”

“This study will give us a clearer picture of the true magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States by telling us how many people in different communities have been infected without knowing it, because they had a very mild, undocumented illness or did not access testing while they were sick." Dr. Anthony Fauci

On Instagram, Purity Health & Wellness claimed ozone was the “only prevention” for COVID-19 and insisted the treatment could “eradicate” the virus. The center also claimed ozone could combat other deadly diseases, including cancer, SARS, and Ebola. “We will not allow anyone to illegally profit by exploiting the fear and anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The FBI and our partners are working together every day to prevent, detect, and dismantle COVID-19 fraud.”

Some Social Security beneficiaries rely on organizations like non-profits or nursing homes to help them manage their benefits. The Social Security Administration monitors these organizations to ensure benefits are not being misused. Yet SSA does not require background checks for key employees of such organizations as it does for relatives or friends that assist beneficiaries. In addition, SSA accounting forms make it difficult to track in detail how these funds are spent. We made 9 recommendations, including that SSA redesign its accounting forms and look into requiring background checks for employees at these organizations. Social Security beneficiaries may rely on non-profits or other organizations to manage their benefits.

Margaret Cullison writes: We both enjoyed the few short hours it took to create a beautiful frosted cake for granddaughter Savannah to take home to surprise her mother. The recipe we used is from Marion Cunningham’s Fannie Farmer Cookbook, 1990 Edition, and is ideal for a child’s first effort at making a birthday cake for someone special. Katie likes to experiment with recipes, such as adding cinnamon to chocolate brownies or lavender to sugar cookies. She and Luke watched the Master Chef Junior show and realized that they have a medium for learning to cook that encourages their creativity.

Ferida Wolff writes: Is our tree of life starting to weaken? We seemed strong until the corona virus began playing havoc with us. It is hard to see the bright side of things right now but I try to focus on the positives: a neighbor offering to shop for me, fellow walkers saying hello but carefully avoiding close contact, having a snack virtually with my grandchildren. Small things but they help to keep the positive in view. I’m looking forward to a season of healing, whenever that comes about.    

Social media posts falsely claim that federal payments from the COVID-19 stimulus package could reduce taxpayers’ future refunds. The Internal Revenue Service says the payment “will not reduce your refund or increase the amount you owe when you file your 2020 tax return next year.” Available data on confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths contradicts President Donald Trump’s recent claim that “the United States has achieved a significant lower mortality rate than almost all other countries.” As of April 16, there were at least 90 countries with a lower case fatality rate than the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.MORE ....

Announcing its intent to introduce the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses. The program will seek to provide loans, including forgivable loans, to commercial property owners who in turn will lower or forgo the rent of small businesses for the months of April (retroactive), May, and June. Implementation of the program will require a partnership between the federal government and provincial and territorial governments, which are responsible for property owner-tenant relationships. We are working with the provinces and territories to increase rent support for businesses that are most impacted by the pandemic and we will have more details to share soon. “Canadians have been there for each other. When we get into difficult situations, we lean on each other,” he said. “We’re in one of the best countries in the world and we’re going to make sure no one goes through this alone.”

"In order to comply with World War II blackout rules, people covered or painted over the upper part of car headlights. The production capacity of Portland’s shipyards made it a likely target. The blackout rules were intended to make it more difficult for enemy planes to hit targets. Portlanders were asked to have all lights turned off within 60 seconds of an alarm. Lieutenant-General J. L. DeWitt, commander of military defense operations in the western United States asked that cities near the Pacific coast be able to meet the 60-second deadline. Portland Mayor Earl Riley issued the rules in response to DeWitt’s request."

The most-current resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic from the economists and staff of the [Federal Reserve] Research Division: preliminary and published analyses, daily data updates and projections, data tools, and a timeline of related events and policy responses. For more related analysis and resources from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, see the Bank's official COVID-19 page.

By Julia Sneden ... Teaching is a profession that keeps you humble because it's perfectly possible to learn as much from your students as they learn from you (even if they are only five years old). But it's life itself that is the great teacher, for old dogs as well as for the young. Just ask anyone who has had to unravel the intricacies of Medicare or retirement plans: if that's not learning new tricks, I don't know what is. For that matter, ask anyone who has had to learn how to be a good mother-in-law (dicey, but worth it); a grandmother (different from parenting, but also thrilling); or the spouse of a recently retired male who wants only to sit in the house and sulk (not a fun learn, I'm told). Or ask a single person who has had to take on the financial, physical, and emotional planning for retirement years, solo. You learn to cope with these challenging new tricks, the joyous as well as the depressing, because life has handed them to you and refusal isn't an option.

"Challah for Hunger's mission is to fight hunger globally and locally. There are chapters all across the world who bake bread every week. Each chapter sells the bread and donates half of their proceeds to a globally based organization called Mazon, a Jewish response to hunger and a local organization of their choice. When this global pandemic started ramping up I was happy to donate money to causes and stay at home but I truly wanted to do something more. These health care workers need to have a moment of acknowledgment and being honored; what better way to do this than through a delicious and filling snack made with love?"

Workers have the right to file a whistleblower complaint online with OSHA (or 1-800-321-OSHA) if they believe their employer has retaliated against them for exercising their rights under the whistleblower protection laws enforced by the agency. OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of more than 20 whistleblower statutes protecting employees from retaliation for reporting violations of various workplace safety and health, airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, motor vehicle safety, healthcare reform, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, maritime, securities and tax laws.