Skip to content

Ireland Baldwin Shares Complicated Feelings Around Perez Hilton's Hospitalization After He 'Publicly Humiliated My Family For Years'

Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

As Trump Calls on Governors to Re-Open Churches, CDC Releases New Data on Virus Outbreak at Arkansas Church in March

As Trump Calls on Governors to Re-Open Churches, CDC Releases New Data on Virus Outbreak at Arkansas Church in March
TIME
Evan Brechtel
By Evan BrechtelMay 22, 2020
Evan Brechtel
Evan Brechtel is a writer and actor living in New York. A Fordham University graduate, he also writes a monthly column for Chosen Magazine and is currently working on a historical fiction novel about New York queer bars over the twentieth century.
See Full Bio
Make us preferred on Google

A large portion of President Donald Trump's base is willing to take the risk of exacerbating the pandemic that's killed over 95 thousand Americans for a premature return to normal. An even more reliable percentage of Trump's base is white evangelical Christian.

So it may not come as a surprise that on Friday, the President demanded that governors allow their states' churches to reopen. While all Americans are hungry to regain a sense of community, these large gatherings—like religious services—present a high risk factor for spreading the virus, potentially causing a resurgence.

Watch below.

The President said:

"At my direction, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is issuing guidance for communities of faith...Today, I'm identifying house of worship—churches, synagogues, and mosques—as essential places that provide essential services. Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics are essential, but have left out churches and other houses of worship. It's not right...I call upon governors to allow our churches and places of worship to open right now."

Trump stressed that while governors were welcome to call him and question the order, they wouldn't be successful. He also mentioned that the CDC would be issuing guidance for reopening.

Interestingly enough, the CDC released a report that a church service in Arkansas with only 92 attendees saw deadly results from reopening—only three hours before Trump called on governors to immediately reopen churches.

The CDC guidelines for reopening read, in part:

"Faith-based organizations should work with local health officials to determine how to implement the U.S. government guidelines for modifying activities during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent transmission of the virus to their members and their communities."

The timing of the report and Trump's announcement indicated further ineptitude from Trump.






What's more, religious services haven't been outlawed. Though many governors are temporarily imposing a pause on group services to avoid outcomes like the one in Arkansas, churches across the country are having virtual services and drive in services.

The President's motivations for the announcement were clear.



Good lord.


Latest News

Screenshot of Nicole Kidman; Donald Trump
Donald Trump

The White House Just Ripped Off Nicole Kidman's AMC Ad To Promote MAGA—And Thanks, We Hate It

JD Vance
Viral Post

JD Vance Slammed After Making Fat-Shaming Joke About MAGA Ally In Bizarre Clash Over Burritos

Screenshots of Steve Kornacki
2026 Elections

Steve Kornacki Spilled Water All Over His Computer During Live Primary Coverage—And His Panic Was Palpable

Screenshot of Donald Trump
Donald Trump

Everyone Thinks Trump Just Debuted A New Wig—And The Internet Is Giving It Some Ridiculously Hilarious Names

More from People/donald-trump

Screenshot of Mark Carney; Donald Trump
@sarobertson_/X; Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Trolls Trump With Perfect 'Conspiracy' Joke After Technical Glitch During Speech

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had people laughing after he made a clever "conspiracy" joke aimed at President Donald Trump after his teleprompter cut out mid-speech on Wednesday.

Carney was addressing the press and supporters as part of his government's pledge to build more rental homes. A press release announced that "over the next three years, Canada’s new government, in partnership with the City of Toronto, will invest over $2.7 billion to build more than 18 housing projects across Toronto."

Keep ReadingShow less
Nurse Hadley Vlahos
@nursehadley/TikTok

TikToker Speaks Out About Just How Difficult It Is To Get A Divorce In Mississippi—And Wow

While we're well into the 21st century, it's becoming increasingly difficult in the United States for women to execute what should be basic social rights, like getting a divorce. But states like Mississippi and most of the "Bible Belt" are making it practically impossible for people like Nurse Hadley Vlahos to fully separate from a former partner.

Though Vlahos is known on TikTok and YouTube for being a hospice nurse and wrote about end-of-life care in her New York Times bestselling book, The In-Between with How to Let Go to follow, she's now dedicating much more of her platform to documenting her three-year process of just filing for divorce, not including all that happened in the years before and in the year and a half since.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
C-SPAN

Trump's Bonkers Quip About What He'd Do If He Coached In The WNBA Just Resurfaced—And It's A Doozy

President Donald Trump is raising eyebrows again after a resurfaced clip showed him trying to bring NBA star LeBron James into the debate around transgender athletes while mocking the WNBA.

The WNBA has been at the center of controversy after Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham said she wants "to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” She called her beliefs "common sense," stressing that "it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category."

Keep ReadingShow less
Billie Eilish
Savion Washington/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Photos Of Billie Eilish From Her Upcoming Movie Just Dropped—And Fans Barely Recognize Her

The latest film adaptation of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar is led by Women Talking and Splice director Sarah Polley.

As of March, Billie Eilish was cast in the leading role, Esther Greenwood, who goes through a form of mental burnout and psychosis over the course of the book, with a plot that becomes increasingly unhinged and unreliable.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Hit With Reality Check After Giving Himself An 'A+' On The Economy In Delusional Interview

President Donald Trump was criticized after he claimed in an interview with Fox News that he should be given an "A+" for the current economy after claiming the "costs are all coming down now."

A recent Gallup poll found that 55 percent of respondents felt their finances were worsening, a level of pessimism exceeding that seen during both the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis. This comes as the highly unpopular war in Iran continues to rage, sending gas prices surging. Americans have spent an additional $59 billion on fuel since Trump launched the war.

Keep ReadingShow less