New York State of Mind: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo laid out plans for the gradual opening of his state, which has been hardest hit by the coronavirus in this country.

  “There’s no doubt that we’ve gone at this point through the worst. And as long as we act prudently going forward, the worst should be over,” Cuomo said at yesterday’s briefing.
  Cuomo said the hospitalization rate for the disease needs to be in decline for 14 days before re-opening. “Phase one of reopening will involve construction and manufacturing activities,” he said. “And within construction and manufacturing, those businesses that have a low risk.” 

  The governor said, “Then we’re going to leave two weeks between phases so we can monitor the effect of what we just did. Take an action, monitor.” 

  Aside from Georgia, several states are having slow openings. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy allowed salons and restaurants to reopen in most parts of the state. Oklahoma allowed some personal-care businesses to reopen, and beaches were open in California over the weekend. 

 Yesterday, while Vice President Mike Pence said the crisis should be over by Memorial Day, just a month away. Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the coronavirus task force, said, “Social distancing will be with us through the summer, to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases.” 

The Numbers: New York City has seen a sharp drop in coronavirus deaths, just 154 in the past 24 hours. Terrible, but good.

  The US is approaching one million cases, with 54,877 deaths, the most for any country. Nationally as well, the numbers are beginning to taper down. 

By the Numbers: A little over 50 percent of the country is unimpressed with the way President Trump has handled the pandemic. Worse for the President, 65 percent say the impact of the coronavirus in the US could have been reduced if Trump had acted sooner.

  Those are bad numbers, but Trump’s overall approval rating is even worse; 52.4 percent disapprove of his performance as President while only 43.4 percent approve, according to the Real Clear Politics  average of polls.

Nothing to See Here: President Trump skipped his daily coronavirus  briefings Saturday and yesterday, a sign that the show might be over.

  After his embarrassing suggestion last Thursday that disinfectant injections and light therapy might be a cure for the coronavirus, Trump took no questions from the press on Friday and was a no-show Saturday and Sunday.

 Of course, Trump blamed the press for twisting his message, rather than blaming himself for delivering a twisted message. He tweeted, “What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately. They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!”

  Trump was on a rant yesterday about reporters receiving “Noble” prizes for their work covering his troubles. He tweeted, “When will all of the ‘reporters’ who have received Noble Prizes for their work on Russia, Russia, Russia, only to have been proven totally wrong (and, in fact, it was the other side who committed the crimes), be turning back their cherished ‘Nobles.’”

  Well, Mr. President, they won’t be returning their “Nobles” because there is no such thing. The Nobel Prize is awarded for science, literature, and peace, but not journalism. Pulitzers are awarded to print journalists and Emmys to broadcasters.

  As for Trump not giving briefings, we’ll see how long that lasts while New York and California’s governors become the national hand holders in the crisis.

The Missing Dictator: Amid rumors and news reports about the North Korean dictator, a headline in the New York Post blared “KIM JONG DONE?” No one seems to know for sure.

  Kim hasn’t been seen in public recently and several news reports say he’s brain dead, or just plain dead, after a botched surgery for the implantation of a heart stent. His personal train has been parked at his compound for a week.

  South Korean intelligence says Kim is still in charge.

  But here in the US, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham pushed the theory that Kim is dead. Appearing on Fox News, Graham said, “I’ll be shocked if he’s not dead or in some incapacitated state because you don’t let rumors like this go forever or go unanswered in a closed society which is really a cult, not a country, called North Korea.”

Remaining Yardage Former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who won a national championship with the Tigers in January, was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals as No. 1  draft pick this season. With the opening of the professional football season in doubt, the NFL still completed its player draft with both players and team officials doing it at home.

  The draft involves a lot of names most of us don’t know. But one of the shockers was that Green Bay took Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round, even though the team’s starter Aaron Rodgers is only 36 and still playing championship ball. It doesn’t last forever, but Rodgers still has two years in his contract and many millions of dollars coming to him if he plays. 

The Bulletin Board: The World Health Organization says that, as yet, there’s no evidence that people who’ve had the coronavirus are immune. — The stock price of Beyond Meat is soaring because people are worried about the stability of meat production. — A Rwandan rebel group is being held responsible for the massacre of 17 people, including 12 park rangers, in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. — A man in Spain was stopped by the police for taking his goldfish for a walk during the coronavirus shutdown.

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