Covid-19 in the White House

The Trump administration is alarmed by two new cases of Covid-19 within the White House; as Hong Kong quashes the coronavirus, pro-democracy protests are back on. Tonight's Sentences was written by Catherine Kim. TOP NEWS White House scrambles to keep Covid-19 under control [Trump in the White House]( Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images - The White House is undergoing a Covid-19 scare as a growing number of people are testing positive or self-quarantining after risks of contact with the virus. [[Vox / Riley Beggin](] - Last week, at least two White House staffers tested positive for the virus: a military valet and Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary. The administration said the military valet had limited exposure to the West Wing, but Miller regularly attended coronavirus briefings and is married to top aide Stephen Miller. [[WSJ / Andrew Restuccia](] - Top health officials are also being quarantined after contact with an unidentified White House aide that has tested positive. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is under "modified quarantine" after "low-risk contact." Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, will also be in self-quarantine. [[CNN / Stephen Collinson](] - President Donald Trump and Pence have both tested negative for the virus for now, and the administration is rushing to keep them protected: closer staffers are now also tested daily along with both Trump and Pence. [[NYT](] - Despite his exposure to Miller, Pence said he won't self-quarantine. Although his schedule will be lighter, he's still expected to work in the White House. - Pence's reluctance to self-quarantine partially comes from the administration's concern about messaging: Aides close to Trump said that the president is worried a White House outbreak will undercut his narrative that the virus is abating and states should reopen. [[CNN / Kaitlan Collins and Kevin Liptak](] - Still, some White House staffers have said they are scared to go to work as the risk of contracting Covid-19 looms closer than ever. [[NBC News / Allan Smith](] - And if even the White House –– a place with some of the most rigorous testing and safety protocols –– isn't free from the virus, how vulnerable could workers be as states begin to allow businesses to reopen? [[Vox / Riley Beggin](] Hong Kong protesters are back in the streets - Hong Kong pro-democracy protests are picking up again after being halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. [[Associated Press](] - Hong Kong has been able to flatten its curve, despite a second wave of outbreaks in late February; for the past three weeks, there have been no new local Covid-19 cases. And as life slowly begins returning to normal, so are pro-democracy protests, which reemerged in late April. [[South China Morning Post / Phila Siu and Ng Kang-chung](] - Over the weekend, hundreds of people gathered in several shopping centers, flash-mob style, to call for independence and the resignation of Carrie Lam, the China-backed leader. An equally large number of police officers were dispersed to contain the protests. Footage shows scenes of chaos: protesters on the ground bleeding or scuffling with officers as pepper spray was shot in the air. More than 200 people were arrested, and 18 were taken to the hospital. [[Reuters](] - And police issued a new measure against the protesters: a fine of 2,000 Hong Kong dollars ($260) for those breaking the rule against the gathering of more than eight people. [[Al Jazeera](] - Pro-democracy leaders said the police are using Covid-19 as an excuse to prosecute protesters and prevent future demonstrations because they've been selectively enforcing the ban on large gatherings. [[Bloomberg / Iain Marlow and Jinshang Hong](] - Lam blamed the education system for fueling the protests by being too liberal. On Monday, she vowed to overhaul the education system that "poisoned" students with "false and biased information." Her disdain for the protesters is shared with Beijing, which called them the "political virus." [[Guardian / Helen Davidson](] - Organizers say this is just the beginning of the new round of demonstrations, leaving many to wonder if Hong Kong will see a surge in protests this summer and how China –– battered by the pandemic –– will respond. [[Al Jazeera](] MISCELLANEOUS The Justice Department is assessing whether federal hate crime charges are appropriate for the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery. [[CNN / David Shortell](] - Of the 1,463 inmates at a Texas prison, 423 had tested positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday, a testament to how the poor conditions of correctional facilities make incarcerated people more vulnerable to the virus. [[Dallas Morning News / Nataly Keomoungkhoun, Dana Branham, Joseph Hoyt, and LaVendrick Smith](] - Gov. Andrew Cuomo warns states of a new symptom of Covid-19 found in three New York children who died: blood vessel inflammation. [[Guardian / Ed Pilkington](] - As unemployment reaches record rates due to state lockdowns, a new study predicts that up to 43 million Americans are in danger of losing their health insurance amid a pandemic. [[Newsweek / Jason Lemon](] - The US needs at least 100,000 contact tracers to stop the spread of Covid-19. Now Johns Hopkins is inviting everyone to learn about the basics of contact tracing in a new online course that's free to the public. [[Washington Post / Ben Guarino](] VERBATIM "Whether it’s contained [at the White House] or not, we will know soon enough. But the fact that a place — secured, with access to the best means to mitigate harm — is not able to stop the virus has the potential of undermining confidence in any capacity to defeat it." [[Juliette Kayyem, who served as assistant secretary of homeland security under President Barack Obama, on Covid-19 in the White House](] LISTEN TO THIS David R. Williams on the science behind Covid-19’s massive racial disparities. [[Spotify / Ezra Klein](] [Read more from Vox](#) [Coronavirus is exacerbating America’s hunger crisis]( [Have the urge to redecorate your home? You’re not alone.]( [The private militias providing “security” for anti-lockdown protests, explained]( [The viral video of Ahmaud Arbery’s killing shows whose deaths we afford privacy and whose we don’t]( [Why it can be so hard to tell if you have Covid-19]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.