Your Tuesday Evening Briefing

May 12, 2020

Your Tuesday Evening Briefing

By Remy Tumin and Hiroko Masuike

Good evening. Here’s the latest.

Doug Mills/The New York Times

1. Top U.S. health officials warned of a new coronavirus outbreak if the economy reopens too soon.

“If we do not respond in an adequate way when the fall comes, given that it is without a doubt that there will be infections that will be in the community, then we run the risk of having a resurgence,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a Senate panel.

He added that reopening too quickly could trigger “an outbreak that you may not be able to control,” leading “to some suffering and death that could be avoided.”

Dr. Fauci and other officials, including Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted that the U.S. still lacked critical testing and tracing capacities. The Trump administration said it was preparing to provide states with supplies for millions of tests in the next four weeks.

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Doug Mills/The New York Times

2. The battle for President Trump’s banking records and tax returns reached the Supreme Court.

In three hours of lively oral arguments via teleconference, the justices considered history and the separation of powers in weighing whether to allow subpoenas for the president’s records.

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The court’s ruling, expected by July, could come down in three ways: require disclosure of information the president has gone to extraordinary lengths to protect; rule that Mr. Trump’s financial affairs are not legitimate subjects of inquiry; or return the cases to the lower courts.

Even if the court does require the disclosure, bureaucratic hurdles will most likely prevent the public from seeing the records anytime soon. Our reporters analyzed the arguments during a chat.

Felipe Dana/Associated Press

3. A devastating coronavirus wave has struck cities in Latin America, one that rivals the worst outbreaks in the world, a Times analysis found.

Brazilian cities are resorting to mass graves to bury rows of stacked coffins, above. Hundreds of Ecuadoreans are searching for the bodies of family members who went to hospitals and never returned. Similar situations have played out in Mexico and Peru.

While the catastrophes in Europe and the U.S. were closely monitored, much of Latin America’s devastation is unfolding under governments that can’t — or won’t — offer a full tally of the dead. On top of that, the countries have fewer resources to face it.

Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press

4. California State University, the nation’s largest four-year public university system, said it would conduct most classes online this fall.

It was the most sweeping sign yet of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on American higher education. California State University, Los Angeles, above, is one of 23 campuses in the system.

“Our university, when open without restrictions and fully in person, as is the traditional norm of the past, is a place where over 500,000 people come together in close and vibrant proximity with each other on a daily basis,” the university’s chancellor said. “That approach, sadly, just isn’t in the cards now as I have described.”

Jenna Schoenefeld for The New York Times

5. We’re watching a special congressional race in California as a harbinger of what’s to come in November: vote-by-mail elections and divisive debate amid a pandemic. Above, a polling place in Lancaster.

The race to fill former Representative Katie Hill’s seat is a microcosm of national politics right now. And in Wisconsin, a Republican is expected to win a House seat in a special election there, but both parties view the outcome as an important indicator of enthusiasm.

In other news from our Politics desk, Joe Biden rejected the idea that he is “hiding” at his Delaware home and insisted he is “winning” against President Trump.

Bryan Anselm for The New York Times

6. A record number of anti-Semitic incidents were reported in the U.S. last year. The Anti-Defamation League called it “unprecedented.”

The group identified more than 2,100 anti-Semitic incidents, a 12 percent jump and the most in any year since the league began tracking them four decades ago. Jewish communities in Monsey, N.Y., above last month, Jersey City, N.J., and Poway, Calif., were targets of deadly attacks last year.

The reports are grouped in the categories of assault, harassment and vandalism, all of which had increases. Incidents were reported in every state except Alaska and Hawaii.

Monica Jorge for The New York Times

7. The retail landscape is beginning to reopen in parts of the U.S., potentially putting workers at risk.

Employees at companies including Starbucks, above in Farmington, Conn., and Target fought to have safeguards put in place against coronavirus exposure. Now they want to make sure such measures are not removed too soon.

Among businesses, bookstores, especially smaller independent stores, face particular challenges as they navigate reopening: Cramped spaces, pseudo-community centers, the tendency to linger — none of it is especially suitable for a pandemic.

Shopping in a department store during a pandemic won’t be any easier. Even with safety plans put in place, none of the retailers know how they’ll be received.

Angela Weiss/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

8. “Hamilton,” like other Broadway shows, is canceled through the summer. But come Independence Day, you’ll have a new option.

The film of the original Broadway production will be released on Disney Plus on July 3, 15 months ahead of schedule. The movie consists largely of filmed performances, featuring the original cast, shot at the Richard Rodgers Theater in June 2016.

And on the topic of movies, today was supposed to be the opening of the Cannes Film Festival. Our movie critics reflect on what makes this event so essential for movie lovers: “You’re seeing some of the finest new movies in the world in one big gulp,” said Manohla Dargis.

9. A touch of wanderlust.

In the Abruzzo region of Italy, harvesting saffron is a centuries-old tradition. Susan Wright shared her collection of photographs from a few years ago when she visited with the “Saffron Queen” and her family as they collected stigmas from crocuses for the lucrative crop.

And in an isolated corner of Manitoba, Canada, humans are the outsiders on display for the wildlife to observe. Each summer, the beluga whales — about 60,000 of them — are in charge.

“We are kind of like their rubber duckies in the tub,” one guide said. “This is playtime.”

Gerald Rhemann

10. And finally, eyes to the sky.

Astronomers are cautiously optimistic of a big show in the night sky from Comet SWAN, seen above on May 4.

The newly discovered comet makes its closest approach to our planet today and then is expected to round the sun on May 27. Those living in the Southern Hemisphere will have their first look at the comet. Those of us up north will get another crack at seeing it later this month and into June. Here’s how to see it.

Don’t forget your binoculars, and have a starry night.

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

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