COVID-19 Update: September 10, 2020: "I Always Wanted to Play It Down"

The American West is on fire. Congress can't agree on relief for unemployed Americans. And the number of deaths from COVID-19 continues to march upward. But today the nation's attention is riveted on unimpeachable evidence that, for months, the president lied to the American people about the dangers of the pandemic. Trying to justify his actions -- which have contributed to the deaths of 200,000 Americans -- he now says he was trying to avoid a panic. Anyone finding this morally defensible is invited to write us with an explanation.

The latest:

In a bombshell revelation, the president admitted, on tape, to reporter Bob Woodward that he purposely minimized the effects of COVID-19, even as it ravaged the US: tinyurl.com/yynpzztu.

In March, Trump told Woodward, on tape, "Just today and yesterday, some startling facts came out. It's not just old, older. Young people too, plenty of young people." Yet new emails reveal that a staffer from the Department of Health and Human Services, continues trying to prevent Dr. Anthony Fauci from discussing the risk of COVID-19 poses to children: tinyurl.com/y3pbpd5u.

The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 passes the 900,000 mark; the US counts for 20% of that figure: tinyurl.com/yy572o63.

Weekly unemployment claims hit 885,000, which is worse than expected: tinyurl.com/yxzstfmx.

Meanwhile:

A safety review of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine trial begins: tinyurl.com/y5jk8bqn. The company's chief executive still thinks a vaccine can be delivered by late 2020 or early 2021: tinyurl.com/y5ev3pq8.

As the school year begins, COVID-19 claims the lives of teachers in three states: tinyurl.com/yy2smo3w.

Continuing the realignment of film awards season, the National Board of Review Awards have been postponed from November to January: tinyurl.com/y5ycl8kd.

In a sign of challenges to come for the entire entertainment industry, the producers of a new Ben Affleck film are suing insurers for refusing to extend their policy thanks to the pandemic: tinyurl.com/y32a9gnh.

A firsthand report from the Venice Film Festival: tinyurl.com/y26kxlzd.

Around the country:

In California:

The COVID-19 case count continues to rise at San Diego State University: tinyurl.com/yxc8vyry.

In Connecticut:

Goodspeed Musicals plans to reopen next June: tinyurl.com/y6am98st.

The state's positivity rate rises above 1%: tinyurl.com/y3kkdvaf.

In Florida:

The Miami-Dade school board gets an earful from parents about the system's shambolic first week of online classes: tinyurl.com/y5ue9sm4.

Miami-Dade loosens some of this COVID-19 restrictions, among them extending the nightly curfew: tinyurl.com/y2ap7oeu.

In Georgia:

The University of Georgia reports more than 1,400 COVID-19 infections in five days: tinyurl.com/yy7sprqu.

In a sign of the times, Home Depot cancels Black Friday: tinyurl.com/y32g2u8j.

In Illinois:

United Airlines, bracing itself for economic rough air, nevertheless adds long-haul routes from Chicago to India and Hawaii: tinyurl.com/yxdrqeu2.

In New York:

Indoor dining -- at 25% capacity -- can return to New York City at the end of this month: tinyurl.com/y239rw6y. But there's no date for reopening theatres: tinyurl.com/y3o8bmue.

Two workers at Brooklyn public schools test positive for COVID-19 one day after returning for a planning session: tinyurl.com/y6tutoxq. Teachers are up in arms about a school for children with special needs that is obviously unfit to reopen: tinyurl.com/y3al2hm5.

Senator Charles Schumer continues to push the Save Our Stages Act: tinyurl.com/yxdbsdql.

In Texas:

Houston's Theatre Under the Stars looks to reopen in May: tinyurl.com/y4ooqn92.

The state's teachers union launches a website to track COVID-19 cases and deaths: tinyurl.com/y5wrcy5u.

Around the world:

In Australia:

Elvis, the Baz Luhrmann film that shut down after Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson developed COVID-19, goes back into production: tinyurl.com/y6tyzomc.

In Israel:

The country's coronavirus czar locks horns with the ultra-Orthodox community and loses: tinyurl.com/y288otx9.

The government eyes a lockdown following a spike in new COVID-19 case: tinyurl.com/yxlufy67.

In Italy:

How summer jet-setters turned Sardinia into a virus hot spot, snaring -- among others -- Silvio Berlusconi: tinyurl.com/yy6xyrpk.

In hard-hit Bergamo, COVID-19 survivors deal with long-term aftereffects: tinyurl.com/yxjhajfx.

The government approves a new saliva-based COVID-19 test that gives results in three minutes: tinyurl.com/y5c37ex7.

In Portugal:

The country records its highest daily number of new COVID-19 infections since April: tinyurl.com/y246fhfl.

In Turks and Caicos:

The islands struggle with a new outbreak of the coronavirus: tinyurl.com/y5gynfwk.

In the UK:

The country's health secretary, in a reversal, says that the asymptomatic should not be tested for COVID-19; confusion follows: tinyurl.com/y3tye3uw.

Boris Johnson, desperate to avoid another national lockdown, pins his hope on a "moonshot" that would allow for 10 million tests per day. (Yes, this contradicts the post directly above.) One problem: The technology doesn't fully exist: tinyurl.com/y3gvaswo.

Education:

New webinar from Martin by Harman: "The Why, How, and Now of Lighting Live Events with John Featherstone," September 30 at 1:00pm CT; register at tinyurl.com/y3v5nsmw.

For your pleasure:

Joan Baez teams up with Paul Simon on "The Boxer:" tinyurl.com/y4tsbb5o.

That's all for today. Stay safe. -- DB

To receive your LSA copies at home (no charge), please email LSA@plasa.org or go to www.ezsubscription.com/lsa/mysubscription.

Previous LSA COVID-19 Updates: plasa.me/lsacovid19resources.