POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: BAKER: Answer phone for virus tracers — Poll shows MARKEY and KENNEDY in close race — ROLLINS at center of firestorm

By Stephanie Murray GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF! POLL SHOWS CLOSE SENATE RACE — A new UMass Lowell poll released yesterday shows a close race between Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III, with the Sept. 1 primary less than four months away. A couple of things to keep an eye on: Markey narrows the gap — Over the course of the campaign, Markey has been able to narrow a double-digit gap in polling against Kennedy from last fall. This latest survey of likely Democratic primary voters found Kennedy at 44 percent and Markey at 42 percent. The poll was conducted at the end of April, and the margin of error is 7.8 percent. Moderates and liberals — While Markey and Kennedy both highlight their progressive records, there’s a clear split between moderate and liberal voters. Fifty-five percent of moderate voters said they would vote for Kennedy, and only 25 percent said they would support Markey. On the flip side, 54 percent of liberal voters said they back Markey, and 39 percent support Kennedy. AS SEEN ON TV — The coronavirus pandemic may force candidates in the crowded race to replace Rep. Joe Kennedy III to buy space on the airwaves earlier and more often than they would have otherwise ahead of voting day in September. Nearly a dozen candidates expect to make the ballot in the 4th District, meaning the field is going to be crowded. And instead of knocking on doors and attending in-person meetings, campaigns will be forced to reach voters in other ways. That can mean an emphasis on digital outreach like online ads, videos, statements and livestreams. But there’s a group of older voters who are not active on social media and vote in high numbers in a primary election, says Peter Ubertaccio, dean of the Thomas and Donna May School of Arts & Sciences at Stonehill College. And while raising the most money has not always translated to winning elections in recent election cycles — Rep. Lori Trahan was outraised by second place finisher Dan Koh in 2018, for example — TV ads may be more important this year, and they're expensive. “Ordinarily, what we've learned is that money is not always the key. A really strong, effective ground game can help. But in this new normal ... your ability to raise a lot of money and thus put your radio ads out and your TV ads out to raise your visibility, that may end up being more important this cycle than has been the norm the past couple cycles,” Ubertaccio said. “Name recognition is going to be really important here and very few of them have it in all the places they need it.” When it comes to cash on hand for the primary, Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss leads the pack with $948,000, followed by City Year co-founder Alan Khazei, who has $505,000 for the primary and another $294,000 marked for the general election. Newton City Councilor Becky Grossman has $352,000 in cash on hand for the primary, and former Gov. Deval Patrick aide Jesse Mermell has $326,000. The other candidates running for the seat have less than $200,000 in primary cash on hand or have not yet filed a quarterly report with the FEC. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: GOUVEIA TO FILE VOTING BILL — State Rep Tami Gouveia will file a bill this morning that would expand evening and weekend early voting hours for elections this fall, a change she says would make in-person voting safer and easier during the coronavirus pandemic by avoiding crowds or lines to vote. Gouveia worked on the bill with two national voting rights organizations, the Voter Protection Corps and Free Speech for People. The bill would create a portal where volunteers could sign up to serve as poll workers, make changes to the state’s online voter registration process and call on Secretary of State Bill Galvin to issue guidance to cities and towns on how to hold elections safely during the pandemic. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Be a Hero co-founder Ady Barkan discuss “how pharmaceutical companies are profiting off of the pandemic using public money” during a live-to-tape forum. State Sen. Eric Lesser and Springfield HHS Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris host a livestream. Rep. Lori Trahan hosts a virtual town hall on relief and resources available to Massachusetts veterans. Sen. Ed Markey is a guest on WGBH’s “Boston Public Radio.” Markey hosts a livestream on elder services in the Merrimack Valley. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu speaks at a virtual town hall series titled “Rise: Asian Pacific America.”   POLITICO Magazine Justice Reform: The Decarceration Issue, presented by Verizon: Over the past decade, the long-standing challenge of criminal-justice reform has emerged under the spotlight with a new twist: Both Republicans and Democrats are on board. But if both parties want to lower the incarceration rate, why are our jail and prison populations still so high? The latest series from POLITICO Magazine works to answer this important question and take a deeper look into what it will take to make progress in the policy and politics of justice reform. READ THE FULL ISSUE.     THE LATEST NUMBERS — “Rate of positive coronavirus cases in Massachusetts declining in May, Gov. Charlie Baker says as officials announce 132 new deaths, 1,696 new cases,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts health officials announced another 132 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 4,552. Officials also confirmed another 1,696 cases, for a total of 73,721 cases across Massachusetts. Another 11,993 tests have been conducted, for a total of 351,632 statewide.” DATELINE BEACON HILL — “New key Mass. coronavirus numbers return to recent downward trend,” by Travis Andersen, Martin Finucane and Jaclyn Reiss, Boston Globe: “The state’s modest first steps toward resuming everyday life came on the tees and greens of golf courses on Thursday, even as Governor Charlie Baker, in the wake of a troubling uptick of coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths the day before, said the state ‘ still has a lot of work to do’ before life returns to anything resembling normal.” — “Mass. unemployment claims approach 1 million since pandemic's start,” by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal: “Massachusetts has fielded more than 962,000 unemployment claims since mid-March, according to new data released Thursday, as the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread across all sectors in the Bay State. More than 55,000 residents filed initial claims for traditional unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total for that program to approximately 780,000 in Massachusetts since March 15.” — “Spilka Warned Locals Budget 'May Not Be Pretty,'” by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: “There are many possibilities for how lawmakers might tackle next year's budget, Senate President Karen Spilka said, but the pandemic's shocks to state revenues may mean the idea of passing one-month budgets while a full spending plan is developed would need to look different than it has in the past.” — “Massachusetts coronavirus contact tracing program still struggling to have people participate when officials call, health officials say,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Those working on the state’s contact tracing program say many residents, who may have come into contact with someone infected with coronavirus, have not been answering the phone when tracers have called. Less than 50% of those who’ve been contacted by tracers have stayed on the phone for longer than a couple of minutes, according to Dr. John Welch, director of operations and partnerships for Partners in Health’s COVID-19 response.” — “Who’s getting federal distributions of coronavirus drug remdesivir? After much confusion, Massachusetts government, hospitals team up to share,” by Rebecca Ostriker, Boston Globe: “Massachusetts government and hospital officials are taking matters into their own hands and working out a plan to share donations of the coronavirus treatment remdesivir, after questions were raised about the federal government’s puzzling distribution process for the drug.” — “Generous benefits could keep some workers on sidelines,” by Christian M. Wade, Gloucester Daily Times: “Generous unemployment benefits are giving some laid-off workers more income from federal and state payments than they normally make on the job, which some business groups warn could make it harder to bring those people back to work.” — “Golf course owners in Massachusetts convinced Baker administration to allow them to reopen during coronavirus pandemic citing safety, not economics,” by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: “While golf was deemed non-essential in Massachusetts, patrons teed up drivers and sank putts at David Southworth’s properties in Virginia, the Bahamas and Scotland amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the weeks of discussion leading up to Thursday’s decision by state officials to allow golf courses to reopen, Southworth brought a unique perspective to the conversation.”   LISTEN TO DAILY CORONAVIRUS NEWS AND UPDATES: Looking for quick, reliable facts and analysis on Covid-19? POLITICO Dispatch is a short, daily podcast that takes you behind the scenes of POLITICO with reporters and experts from across our newsroom and provides the updates and context you need in 15 minutes or less. Subscribe and listen today.     FROM THE HUB — “My Life in the Age of COVID: Boston Health and Human Services Chief Marty Martinez,” by Alex Reimer, Boston Magazine: “It is rarely a slow day for Boston Health and Human Services Chief Marty Martinez. As Boston’s top public health official, he’s spent the last two-and-a-half years spearheading the city’s response to numerous crises, including the opioid epidemic. But now, Martinez is tasked with leading the city’s effort to combat one of the worst pandemics in history.” — “Rachael Rollins finds herself at center of unlikely firestorm,” by Adrian Walker, Boston Globe: “Rachael Rollins isn’t sorry. Rachael Rollins doesn’t do sorry. ‘I think I responded to a caller that was desperate,’ the Suffolk district attorney said in a telephone interview. ‘All of this started with a caller who was desperate and had not been treated with the respect or dignity he deserved.’ Rollins was making a regular appearance on ‘Boston Public Radio’ with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan last week, when a criminal defendant called in. What happened next set off a firestorm, centering on issues of race and privilege.” — “Brattle Book Shop is curating bookshelves for Zoom meetings and FaceTime hangouts,” by Steve Annear, Boston Globe: “Friends and coworkers aren’t the only ones silently taking stock of what’s going on in the backgrounds of people’s daily virtual calls these days. Staff at the Brattle Book Shop have also been scanning the scenes with a watchful eye. And as experts in the book trade, they’ve come to a conclusion: That shelf just beyond your upper torso? Yes, that one, with the torn edition of ‘Twilight’ that’s next to the lilting fern. Perhaps it could use some touching up if it’s going to be on camera.” — “Are colleges really equipped for serious online learning? Not many,” by Deirdre Fernandes, Boston Globe: “Southern New Hampshire University president Paul LeBlanc has received a rush of phone calls from college leaders in the United States, Europe, and Latin America in recent weeks seeking advice on one pressing issue: how to offer robust online classes this fall.” PRIMARY SOURCES — “Obama alum Susan Rice endorses Alan Khazei in race for Kennedy seat,” by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: “The competition for high-profile endorsements in the packed Democratic primary in the Fourth Congressional District is heating up. Former Obama national security adviser Susan E. Rice is endorsing Alan Khazei, a Brookline resident and cofounder of the City Year national service program who is among at least 10 candidates likely to be on the Sept. 1 primary ballot.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “Uncertainty looms for Boston commuters,” by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: “Just ask the 1,000 or so people who registered for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s forum on the topic Thursday, a record number for one of these virtual chamber events. Guests of honor included Stephanie Pollack, the state’s transportation secretary, and Steve Poftak, the MBTA’s general manager. But if the attendees were hoping to get details about bus routes, train frequency, or car capacity in this new world order, they went away disappointed. The takeaway? Don’t expect those any time soon.” DAY IN COURT — “Mass. Highest Court Asks, Who Releases Prisoners In A Pandemic?” by Deborah Becker, WBUR: “Massachusetts Supreme Court Chief Justice Ralph Gantz had a question for attorneys who argued Thursday that some state agencies should not be named in a lawsuit seeking to release more prisoners because of COVID-19.” — “Federal Judge Orders Bristol County Sheriff To Conduct Widespread Testing Of ICE Detainees and Staff,” by Phillip Martin, WGBH News: “A federal judge ruled Thursday that Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, popularly known as ICE, ‘likely’ violated the constitutional rights of detainees, in a case carefully watched by immigration rights advocates.” — “Is virus weakening defense in 2017 Pittsfield homicide?” by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle: “A Berkshire Superior Court judge is studying whether to allow a man charged in the 2017 shooting death of Asiyanna Jones to be released on bail. The attorney for Gary K. Linen told Judge Maureen Hogan in a telephone conference Thursday that due to restrictions related to the coronavirus, she is not able to develop a proper defense.” — “After Court Ruling, 'People Are Going To Come Out And Buy Guns Just To Buy Guns,' Shop Owner Predicts,” by Callum Borchers, WBUR: “Gun shops in Massachusetts can reopen this weekend, after a federal judge said Thursday it is unconstitutional for the state to close them because of the coronavirus pandemic. Vinny Cedrone — whose store, Shawsheen Firearms in Billerica, was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the state — predicts gun owners who were ‘enraged’ by the temporary shutdown will make a statement with their wallets.” FROM THE DELEGATION — “Democratic senators propose $2,000 monthly payments to most Americans,” by Burgess Everett, POLITICO: “A trio of Democratic senators are pitching a big idea: pay most American families thousands of dollars each month until the coronavirus’s economic crisis subsides. On Friday, Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) will release their Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act.” — “New coronavirus stimulus checks, including payments for dependent college students, proposed in next relief package, Rep. Richard Neal says,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “A second round of coronavirus stimulus checks, including payments for dependent college students, may be in store for millions of Americans in the fourth COVID-19 pandemic relief package in the works on Capitol Hill.” — “Ayanna Pressley and Kamala Harris have a plan to help truly small businesses. Here’s how it would work.” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “In the wake of the federal government’s beleaguered effort to help small businesses during the coronavirus outbreak, Rep. Ayanna Pressley is spearheading a proposal to help the country’s smallest businesses. The Massachusetts congresswoman teamed up with California Sen. Kamala Harris, a fellow Democrat, to propose a $124.5 billion grant program.” MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS — “Cannabis commission ready to reopen recreational marijuana stores — if Baker allows it,” by Dan Adams, Boston Globe: “Top officials at the independent agency that oversees the Massachusetts marijuana industry say they’re confident they can safely reopen recreational pot stores if Governor Charlie Baker reverses his emergency order forcing the businesses to close amid the coronavirus pandemic.” ABOVE THE FOLD — Herald: “SWING AWAY!” — Globe: “State and hospitals unite to unravel drug's distribution," "'A lot of work to do,' but a chance to play.” FROM THE 413 — “State names new receiver-superintendent for Holyoke public schools,” by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Holyoke Public Schools has a new state-appointed leader. On Thursday, the state named Alberto Vázquez Matos — currently deputy superintendent of public schools in Hartford, Connecticut — as the next receiver-superintendent .” — “Springfield City Council meeting with police commissioner, Law Department over 5 reinstated cops gets testy,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “Members of the Springfield City Council on Thursday peppered the police commissioner with questions over her recent decision to reinstate five officers suspended a year ago after being charged in the ongoing Nathan Bill’s off-duty cop brawl investigation.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Criminal complaint filed against Adams Square Baptist Church for 3rd violation of orders restricting crowd size,” by Steven H. Foskett Jr., Telegram & Gazette: “Sobering numbers this week have prompted experts to again push back the date they think the city will peak in its fight with COVID-19. In consultation with the local medical community, Dr. Michael P. Hirsh, the city’s medical director, had predicted some time around Friday would be the city’s worst day, and had expressed hope that from then on cases would plateau and eventually recede.” — “Plymouth seeks delay of state Senate election,” by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: “Less than two weeks before a special state Senate election, the largest town in the Plymouth & Barnstable District wants a postponement, citing safety concerns during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The election between Democrat Susan Moran, of Falmouth, and Republican James ‘Jay’ McMahon III, of Bourne, is scheduled for May 19, having already been postponed from late March because of the pandemic.” MEDIA MATTERS — “Coronavirus stimulus funding should include support for local media, Rep. Richard Neal says,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “On trips to his neighborhood 7-Eleven during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal notices local newspapers coming off the shelves. ‘I can tell you the people are picking up these local papers as well as the national papers,’ Neal said in an editorial meeting with The Republican and MassLive on Zoom Thursday.” REMEMBERING RON HUTSON … via the Boston Globe: “Mr. Hutson, who also was an editor on a series that was awarded a Pulitzer in 1984, died April 28 in Morton Hospital in Taunton of COVID-19. He was 72 and had lived in Taunton. Though his Pulitzer-winning contributions focused on race relations — the 1984 award honored a Globe team for local investigative specialized reporting — Mr. Hutson’s writing ranged widely geographically and in terms of the topics he chose.” Link. TRANSITIONS — Peter McCarthy joins Sherin and Lodgen LLP’s Litigation Department. — Katharine B. M. Brite joins Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster’s Trusts and Estates Practice Group as an associate. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Dana Sprole, Janis Lippman, Tom McCuin, Dave Lam, David Brade and Kelley Greenman. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to Saturday birthday-ers ENS Andrew Sullivan, who turns 26 and is on deployment in Sicily (h/t Laura Picard), Cory Bisbee, David Gergen, and Ben Herman. And to Sunday birthday-ers Linnea Walsh , director of marketing and communications at the Group Insurance Commission; Andrew Card, chairman of the National Endowment for Democracy, who is 72; Amy Russes, Chloe Gotsis, senior deputy press secretary to AG Maura Healey; the Boston Globe’s Jaclyn Reiss, Alex Milne, legislative aide to state Rep. David DeCoste; Elise Italiano, Brad Bannon, and Gary Dzen, deputy digital sports editor for Boston.com and the Boston Globe. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.   Follow us on Twitter Stephanie Murray @StephMurr_Jour   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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POLITICO NIGHTLY: When are the jobs coming back?

By Ben White and Renuka Rayasam Presented by THE DEPRESSING DEPRESSION — The U.S. economy is now in the deepest hole since the Great Depression, with more than 30 million Americans losing jobs in just seven weeks and an unemployment rate likely to hit 20 percent or more. It’s probably going to take a long time to dig out. Many analysts and economists suggest the recovery could take years with a jobless rate still near 10 percent — the high of the Great Recession — by the end of 2021, a year into the next presidential term. The April jobs numbers, which will be released Friday by the Labor Department, are widely expected to be historically awful. But they will still come like a punch to the face. When are the jobs coming back? There are many potential impediments to a rapid decline in joblessness, led by the sheer breadth of job cuts now spreading across nearly every American industry. Layoffs and furloughs began in consumer-facing industries like retail stores, bars and restaurants, as well as the travel, leisure and hotel industries. More recently, evidence from ADP’s report on private payrolls for April and surveys of the manufacturing and service sectors suggest job cuts are now spreading into higher-paid positions in goods production and business services. The oil and gas industry is hemorrhaging jobs amid a plummet in oil prices. Some of the retail jobs are clearly not coming back. Iconic high-end department store Neiman Marcus filed for bankruptcy protection today. J.Crew filed earlier this week and concerns are rising over the viability of Lord & Taylor and J.C. Penney. “I think it will take until mid-decade before the economy is back to something considered full-employment — a 4 percent to 5 percent unemployment rate,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “We have to be utterly realistic about this because there is political fantasy out there and then there is economic reality,” said Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at consulting firm RSM. “It is going to be years before we recover all of these lost jobs and as much as 25 percent of them aren’t ever coming back.” Brusuelas added that the “next step is to discover if we suffered a fundamental economic break that is permanent. And it would appear the answer to that is yes.” The great acceleration: In some ways, the Covid-19 crisis compressed what could have been several years’ worth of shifts to online retailers like Amazon and Overstock into a period of weeks. Companies coming out of the crisis may speed up their reliance on technology to replace staff and reduce the amount of office space they need, slowing job gains and hurting the commercial real estate industry. These shifts were long anticipated and the subject of much research and high-end panels and seminars on re-skilling the American labor force. But most of the actual work remains undone. And now it’s suddenly and desperately needed. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition. Rest in peace Neiman Marcus. We’ll still always have your excellent cookie recipe. Reach out with tips: rrayasam@politico.com or on Twitter at @renurayasam.   A message from PhRMA: In these unprecedented times, America’s biopharmaceutical companies are coming together to achieve one shared goal: beating COVID-19. We are expanding our unique manufacturing capabilities and sharing available capacity to ramp up production once a successful medicine or vaccine is developed. Explore our efforts.   First In Nightly Son of Alan WHAT TO FEAR NEXT — You might feel blindsided by the coronavirus, but warnings about a looming pandemic have been there for decades, Garrett M. Graff writes in POLITICO Magazine’s Friday cover story. It makes you wonder: What else are we missing? What other catastrophes are coming that we aren’t planning for? Beyond other pandemics, which appear regularly every decade or two, there are eight other major threats (and one wild card) that scientists and national security officials worry about currently that are real, identifiable and stand a “more likely than not” chance of occurring—at some scale, ranging from mild to catastrophic—in the next 5-50 years. Our (least) favorite: “Catastrophic earthquakes.”   NEXT FRIDAY - HOW DOES THE GLOBAL ECONOMY START MOVING AGAIN? The pandemic has caused the global economy to come to a halt, triggering economic crises around the world. What happens next? Join Global Translations author Ryan Heath next Friday at 1 p.m. EDT for a virtual discussion with Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, focused on the trade-offs and investments needed to get the global economy moving again, the role that China can be expected to play, and how growing debt and deficits will impact the developing world. Have questions? Submit yours by tweeting it to @POLITICOLive using #AskPOLITICO. REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE.     Palace Intrigue CLOSE TO HOME — An assistant to the president tested positive for coronavirus Wednesday, the day after President Donald Trump had a meeting with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, met with a group of nurses and visited a Honeywell facility for N95 face mask production. A White House official confirmed to POLITICO that the person who tested positive was one of the president's personal valets. The president has two valets in the Oval Office and three in the residence. Oval Office valets provide anything Trump requests, such as coffee or food or whatever else he might need during the day, and can be called at the touch of a button, making frequent daily interaction common. At the residence, they do his laundry, iron and pack his suitcases, a former White House official said. They interact regularly with the president, delivering his newspaper or messages. The valets are told to give him his space and not touch him since he doesn’t like that, according to the official. The White House confirmed that the president and vice president tested negative for coronavirus after they learned of the positive case. From the Health Desk DRUG DEAL — Doctors across the country are demanding that the Trump administration explain how it is distributing remdesivir , the sole drug proven to help coronavirus patients, to hospitals, writes health care reporter Zachary Brennan. The drug’s maker, Gilead, has donated an unspecified number of remdesivir doses to the government, but doctors say it’s not clear how the administration is making decisions about who gets it. Physicians and infectious-disease experts say that the government has so far ignored some medical centers that are treating large numbers of coronavirus patients. Adding to the confusion, a senior HHS official told POLITICO that the government has not finalized its plan for distributing remdesivir. Rewriting — The White House has ordered the CDC to revise a guide to reopening public places amid the coronavirus pandemic because it didn't align with Trump’s strategy of giving states the final say, according to a spokesman, health care reporter Brianna Ehley writes. The Associated Press reported today that the White House rejected the 17 pages of recommendations for safely reopening restaurants, child care facilities and other establishments, as well as public transit, quoting an unnamed CDC official as saying agency scientists were told it “would never see the light of day.”     Around the Nation DISEASE DETECTIVES — North Dakota’s Republican Gov. Doug Burgum often takes a couple moments during his press conferences to congratulate his state for how many coronavirus tests it’s conducting each day, and Wednesday was a good day even by the state’s lofty standards. Burgum reported that 2,211 tests were processed, the highest daily total yet. On a per capita basis, North Dakota is third in the nation in testing, effectively tied with Massachusetts and trailing only Rhode Island and New York. The state is well ahead of its neighbors like Montana and South Dakota. Health reporter Dan Goldberg emailed us this report on the state’s success. A big part of the reason is the state’s more than 200 contact tracers, according to Brig. Gen. Bob Schulte, a member of the National Guard and the state’s testing strategy director. When a person in North Dakota tests positive, contact tracers find anyone who’s been in close contact with the infected person and tell them to remain isolated and get tested. The state had only a couple dozen contact tracers in mid-March when it began beefing up its program. Schulte said each infected person in North Dakota has, on average, six contacts. Tracing and testing those contacts, and keeping them from infecting others before they display symptoms, helps explain why North Dakota, which never issued a stay-at-home order, still has one of the lowest positive test rates in the nation. South Dakota only recently ramped up its contact tracing program and still has far fewer tracers than its neighbor to the north. Georgia, which has roughly 14 times as many people as North Dakota, is aiming to have only 4 times the number of contact tracers that North Dakota has now. “Where many states fell behind is they ended up giving up on contact tracing,” Schulte said. Like North Dakota, Massachusetts and Utah were both relatively early to hire contact tracers and are also among the state leaders in testing. Case by case — Covid is still on the rise around the country, but very unevenly. Iowa, which didn’t issue a statewide order, has more than double the number of Covid cases per capita than California. In now-reopening Texas, hotspots are emerging in places like the panhandle’s Moore County, which has a meat processing plant, while cases are coming down in urban areas that have had strict shutdown orders and enforcement. Talking to the Experts Should our immigration policies adjust during the pandemic to address the unemployment crisis? “I think it’s important for the agencies to be thinking about a longer-term strategy. First that would involve ensuring that when enforcement ramps up, they can focus on those unscrupulous employers who really are taking advantage of the visa program or hiring undocumented workers. It’s going to be important to expedite and expand some visa categories and allow for individuals to come into the United States who are supporting other employment. One category, in particular, is students. Many schools and universities are highly dependent on the revenue and other positive benefits of having an international student population. Everyone agrees that the system is broken. This is the time to look at it and say how can we do this right and get the labor we need and keep employers from not abusing the system.” — Julie Myers Wood, head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President George W. Bush and current CEO of Guidepost Solutions “I don’t think that now is that time to be involved in a big immigration reform effort. We have people who are here on temporary visas, not only H-1s, but also O’s, which is extraordinary visas, who are doing cutting-edge research for the vaccine. Do we want to throw them out? That’s just stupid. Part of the criteria for giving either permanent visas or temporary visas, based on work, is that there is no one available to do the job you have been offered. A majority of the farmworkers in the United States are undocumented. There is no indication that somebody who is an unemployed engineer in San Jose is going to head out to pick crops somewhere. The president just ordered workers in these meatpacking factories to go back in because it’s essential to keep the food supply going. But if they are undocumented they aren’t eligible to get any health care. So we’re saying go in, risk your life, and by the way if you get sick you don’t get treated. That’s not reasonable.” — Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship Ask The Audience Our question for our readers this week: What routines and activities, if any, are you resuming this week? Use the form to send us your responses, and we plan to feature several later this week.   NEXT WEDNESDAY - WHY IS THE INCARCERATION RATE FOR WOMEN RISING IN THE U.S.?: Women are the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population in the U.S., increasing at nearly double the rate of men since 1985. Join Women Rule Editorial Director Anna Palmer next Wednesday at 3 p.m. EDT for a virtual conversation with April Grayson, campaign surrogate and statewide coordinator for The Young Women's Freedom Center; Scott Budnick, founder, Anti-Recidivism Coalition; and Emily Ratajkowski, model, actress and activist, to discuss how women fit into the criminal justice movement and the challenges women face behind bars. Have questions? Submit yours by tweeting it to @POLITICOLive using #AskPOLITICO. REGISTER HERE.     The Global Fight YOU CAN’T BLAME COVID FOR EVERYTHING — The Google-affiliated Sidewalk Labs suggested the pandemic was to blame when it dropped its plans to build a tech-infused Toronto neighborhood called Quayside on the shores of Lake Ontario, Maura Forrest reports . “As unprecedented economic uncertainty has set in around the world and in the Toronto real estate market, it has become too difficult to make the 12-acre project financially viable without sacrificing core parts of the plan,” Sidewalk CEO and former New York City deputy mayor Dan Doctoroff said in a statement. But Nancy Scola, who wrote a POLITICO Magazine story on what Sidewalk was attempting pull off in Toronto, emails us: Now, coronavirus has made it a difficult time to be in the city-building business, not least because packing people into tight spaces has lost some of its appeal. But Sidewalk’s Toronto project had been troubled for a long time. For one thing, there were privacy concerns, including whether Canadians’ data collected in Quayside would be shipped to a U.S. that is still without a federal privacy law . For another, cities are getting practiced in bucking big tech companies’ plans to put their stamps on their landscapes, such as Amazon’s experience in Queens. Quayside is, in that sense, the smart-city equivalent of J. Crew’s bankruptcy. Still, while Quayside is no more, it’s premature to count out the ideas behind it. One of the driving forces behind both Sidewalk and its Toronto project was Eric Schmidt, then-executive chairman of Google parent firm Alphabet. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that he'd enlisted Schmidt to lead a 15-member commission charged with “reimagining” a post-Covid-19 New York — using the best technology has to offer. Nightly Number $54.3 billion The size of California’s budget deficit, the state's worst budget gap since the Great Recession, state finance officials said today. The shortfall is almost 37 percent of the state’s current $147.8 billion general fund budget and foretells widespread program cuts absent a federal bailout. (h/t Kevin Yamamura) PUNCHLINES In the latest edition of Punchlines, Matt Wuerker dives into the process for coming up with ideas, including for how to illustrate the topic of anti-shutdown protesters nationwide. Parting Words FUßBALL KOMMT ZURÜCK — While American sports fans watch South Korean baseball and documentaries about 1990s basketball on ESPN, Germans have gotten clarity on one of their nation’s most hallowed pastimes: Their top-level soccer leagues. Matches in Germany's top two divisions will begin without spectators on May 16, writes Joshua Posner, making it the first major European country to announce a return to top-flight soccer. The announcement follows talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states that included a commitment to allow the top levels of soccer to resume in the second half of May with strict hygiene protocols. Critics argue such a quick restart will drain testing resources. Soccer officials said more than 3,000 players and staff have been tested in two rounds, with 12 positive cases found.   A message from PhRMA: In these unprecedented times, America’s biopharmaceutical companies are coming together to achieve one shared goal: beating COVID-19. The investments we’ve made have prepared us to act swiftly: · Rapidly screening our vast global libraries to identify potential treatments and have 284 clinical trials underway · Dedicating our top scientists and using our investments in new technologies to speed the development of safe and effective vaccines · Sharing learnings from clinical trials in real time with governments and other companies to advance the development of additional therapies · Expanding our unique manufacturing capabilities and sharing available capacity to ramp up production once a successful medicine or vaccine is developed Explore our efforts.   Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam   Follow us

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