This archive report was first published on 24 May 2020.
Memorial Day, Testing, Hong Kong: Your Weekend Briefing ¶
As the country slowly reopens, the U.S. is approaching a grim milestone of 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus, with almost all of them occurring within a three-month span.
On the eve of Memorial Day, public health officials warn that the impulse for social interaction and fun could result in an uptick in cases. President Trump has been questioning the official coronavirus death toll, even as most experts say it is likely higher than what has been reported.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong may be facing the fate of its future yet again with new national security laws outlined by China. The laws would strip down the territory's autonomy and likely curtail some of the civil liberties that differentiate Hong Kong from the rest of the country.
As the country slowly reopens, businesses are looking into how to safely bring back their employees. But with little federal guidance, they are largely on their own in sorting out whether or not to test — and how to do it — to reassure workers and customers.
President Trump's moves leading up to the 2020 election are keeping some politicians awake at night. Fearful that he might try to disrupt the presidential campaign before, during and after Election Day, a group of worst-case scenario planners have been gaming out various doomsday outcomes for the 2020 presidential election.
Despite the challenges, athletes have found ways to train at home. A triathlete anchored his body in a way that let him swim in a backyard pool; a canoeist balanced on a yoga ball while paddling in the air; a runner lined up hurdles in the hallway of her apartment building.
Former President Barack Obama at age 28. Meryl Streep at 27. Eddie Murphy at 19. The archival storytelling team at The Times has been sifting through some of the millions of photographs in the place we call “the morgue.” One kind of find continued to stand out: the first, or nearly first, time that someone who became famous really caught the paper’s eye.
That’s what makes comedy work for Steve Carell, who spoke to our culture reporter about his new Netflix show, “Space Force.” It’s his first comedy series since “The Office,” but don’t expect Michael Scott in space: The actor plays a capable, take-charge military leader responsible for creating a new branch of the United States Armed Forces.
