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On the roster: It’s all about the economy, so it’s all about corona - I’ll Tell You What: A new, New Deal - Corona-era layoffs approach 40 million - Sanders tells delegates to get in line - Does anybody have 176,552 teaspoons of butter

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE ECONOMY, SO IT’S ALL ABOUT CORONA
It’s too simple to say that elections are always about the economy. If that were so, President Trump would have been doing better when things were going great guns before the coronavirus.

But it would not be too much to say that whenever the economy is out of whack, no other issue matters nearly as much.

When it comes to the most important issue for 2020, the question of coronavirus and the economy will be inseparable. As Trump himself has pointed out, restoring economic vitality to our battered nation will depend on defeating, or at least containing, the virus.

This has been Trump’s biggest political conundrum of the current crisis. As we discussed two months ago, those voters most skeptical of the need to take aggressive steps to deal with the virus are those in Trump’s own base. We see it playing out with increasing intensity as the national reopening continues in fits and spurts.

Trump shares the suspicions of many of his supporters about the necessity of wearing masks in public places, but those masks are vehicles for reopening. Not only do health officials say they help slow the spread of the virus, but they help anxious consumers and workers feel safer.

Similarly, avoiding large gatherings -- especially those that draw participants from far and near -- is another key to preventing new outbreaks and increasing public confidence. But don’t try telling that to many of the Republican faithful who are getting geared up for a full-scale convention in Charlotte.

The last thing Trump needs is to have a big fracas over public health safety in the largest city of a crucial swing state for the kick off to the fall campaign season. Whatever Republicans thought about the relative risks, it’s hard to see the political advantage of such an event.

If they wanted to improve their chances, GOPers would happily embrace a safety-first, scaled down event. But to many on the Red Team, that would seem like giving in.

If you ever wondered how strong partisanship has become, our ability to make public health policy a partisan issue should tell you plenty. Many Republicans treat precautions as knock-kneed liberal hoo-ha. Many Democrats treat even cautious reopening as recklessness based on greed and an antediluvian attitude toward science. When you put those together, rationality goes right out the window.

It would certainly not be good for Joe Biden for Democrats to be perceived as a party opposed to reopening and, by extension, the party in favor of prolonged economic malaise. Watching Democratic governors move ahead, in some cases even without having met the recommendations for the Center for Disease Control, tells you about the growing sense of urgency from the Blue Team.

Trump faces the opposite danger, which is that the refusal of some Americans to be careful in the reopening may cause new infections or increase public anxiety about the health concerns. In a best-case scenario for the GOP, Americans would enthusiastically don masks, practice social distancing and get busy getting back to work.

But unlike Biden who enjoys the challenger’s benefit of perfect hindsight, Trump will not be able to effectively blame others if infection rates are not under control and the economy is not rebounding. He can certainly accuse governors of mistakes, but he will not escape the judgment of voters.

Right now, it looks like this election will be all about the economy, which will depend on Americans’ confidence that the health crisis is under control.

THE RULEBOOK: POOF
“Fortunately it is among the difficulties which, existing only in appearance, vanish on a close and accurate inspection.” – James Madison, Federalist No. 58

TIME OUT: DAD JOKES
New Yorker: “Jerry Stiller, the legendary comedian and entertainer, died this month, at the age of ninety-two. … [The New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner] spoke by phone with Ben [Stiller], who was in his home in Westchester, New York, about his relationship with his father and both his parents’ comedic legacies. … ‘Growing up with them, we were always around their process of working together, because they worked together at home. And so I don’t ever remember a moment of thinking, Oh, they’re funny. I remember watching them onstage and seeing them perform and get laughs, and do their act. I remember, as a kid, enjoying watching that and thinking, Oh, this is kind of cool that everybody thinks my parents are funny. And it was exciting. … [Comedy] came to [Stiller’s mother Anne Meara] very easily, but it was always work… My dad was always working at it and thinking about things.”

Flag on the play? - Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions.

SCOREBOARD
PRESIDENTIAL POWER RANKINGS
(270 electoral votes needed to win)
Toss-up: (103 electoral votes): Wisconsin (10), Ohio (18), Florida (29), Arizona (11), Pennsylvania (20), North Carolina (15)
Lean R/Likely R: (186 electoral votes)
Lean D/Likely D: (249 electoral votes)
[Full rankings here.]

TRUMP JOB PERFORMANCE
Average approval: 45.4 percent
Average disapproval: 51.4 percent
Net Score: -6 points
Change from one week ago: ↑ 0.2 points
[Average includes: Quinnipiac University: 42% approve - 53% disapprove; Gallup: 49% approve - 48% disapprove; CNN: 46% approve - 51% disapprove; CNBC: 46% approve - 54% disapprove; Monmouth University: 44% approve - 51% disapprove.]

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I’LL TELL YOU WHAT: A NEW, NEW DEAL
This week, Dana Perino and Chris Stirewalt continue to discuss the federal response to Coronavirus-related economic struggles and how geographic politics might impact the next phase of congressional spending. They also discuss campaign strategies from the Biden and Trump teams and updates from battleground state congressional elections. Plus, Dana tries to give Peter the upper hand in trivia. LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE

CORONA-ERA LAYOFFS APPROACH 40 MILLION
USA Today: “Layoffs fueled by the coronavirus pandemic continue to mount. About 2.4 million Americans filed initial unemployment benefit claims last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, as the health and economic crisis sparked by the coronavirus ruptures a growing number of industries. In just nine weeks, 38.6 million have sought jobless benefits that represent the nation’s most reliable gauge of layoffs. The latest claims tally was down from the 3 million who filed claims the week before, and the record 6.9 million who sought assistance in late March. Initial applications for unemployment insurance have now steadily declined seven weeks in a row. But the tens of millions of Americans who have applied for assistance in just over two months is a staggering number, reflecting a 14.7% jobless rate that is the highest since the Great Depression.”

Real number of claims substantially higher - WSJ: “The claims totals exclude hundreds of thousands of self-employed and gig-economy workers receiving unemployment benefits for the first time through a temporary coronavirus-related program. The omission of self-employed workers means the actual number of workers seeking claims has been higher since the federal program called pandemic unemployment assistance, included in a stimulus package approved in late March, got under way.”

The worst may be over, but the recovery looks painfully slow - WSJ: “Business activity in the U.S., Europe and Japan continued to fall in May, though at a slower pace than in prior months, offering early signs that the global economy may have already experienced the worst of the economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak. Still, the data released Thursday suggest that any economic recovery will be painfully slow. Surveys of purchasing managers showed private-sector activity fell for the third straight month in May, despite the tentative reopening of many economies around the world. … The surveys pointed to continued job cuts… That rise in unemployment will likely act as a drag on any recovery as affected households cut back on spending. ‘Demand is likely to remain extremely weak for a prolonged period, putting further pressure on companies to make more aggressive job cuts,’ said Chris Williamson, IHS Markit’s chief business economist. ‘We therefore expect…a full recovery to take several years.’”

Vulnerable GOP senators push stimulus - Fox News: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has sought to hit pause on the government’s massive spending for coronavirus-related relief packages, but several of his Republican colleagues are pushing for additional stimulus measures during the economic crisis. McConnell told reporters earlier this month that after already spending close to $3 trillion, Congress should ‘take a pause’ to assess the current situation, which includes a rising national debt, but a contingent of GOP senators has supported moving forward with another relief package. ‘Our bill would help offset the collapse of state and local revenues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,’ Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said on the Senate floor Wednesday, pointing to rising unemployment and hits to sectors of the economy such as agriculture, hospitality, tourism and others. … Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., slammed the decision for the Senate to go on recess before taking action on another relief bill.”

SANDERS TELLS DELEGATES TO GET IN LINE
WaPo: “Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose delegates staged a raucous rebellion against Hillary Clinton at the 2016 Democratic convention, is trying to engineer a different outcome this year — by turning down the volume on his social media-driven army of 2020 delegates. The campaign of the senator from Vermont has told some supporters picked to represent him this year to sign agreements barring attacks on other candidates or party leaders, combative confrontations on social media or talking to reporters without approval. The move, which carried a threat of being removed as a delegate, has the effect of blunting one of the most powerful if divisive tools of Sanders’s movement — its unrestrained online presence and tendency to stoke controversy through other media, which has at times spiraled into abuse of his opponents, perceived and real.”

Warren completes health care flip flop amid veepstakes - Politico: “In the thick of primary season, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden brawled over ‘Medicare for All’: He called her approach ‘angry,’ ‘elitist,’ ‘condescending’; she shot back, anyone who defends the health care status quo with industry talking points is ‘running in the wrong presidential primary.’ Six months later, with Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee and Warren in the running for VP, she is striking a more harmonious chord. ‘I think right now people want to see improvements in our health care system, and that means strengthening the Affordable Care Act,’ she told students at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics this week, while adding that she still wants to get to single payer eventually. The shift is the latest public signal Warren has sent Biden's way in recent weeks that she wants the job of vice president — and wants Biden to see her as a loyal governing partner despite their past clashes, which go back decades.”

Biden digs in on inspectors general firings - NYT: “Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Wednesday blasted the Republican response to President Trump’s firings of a string of inspectors general in recent weeks, suggesting that in another era there would have been louder bipartisan criticism for ousting watchdogs. His remarks, part of a virtual round table aimed at a Wisconsin audience… Mr. Biden spoke in forceful terms about his disappointment in some of his former Republican colleagues. ‘That used to be a hobbyhorse for Republican senators,’ said Mr. Biden… ‘Republican senators joined Democrats, they were strongly, strongly, strongly supportive of these independent inspector generals.’ … ‘Where are they?’ he continued. ‘Why aren’t they speaking up about this? It really bothers me. It bothers me a lot.’”

TRUMP’S MICHIGAN SWING FINDS A STATE IN CRISIS
The Detroit News: “President Donald Trump is set to arrive Thursday in Michigan, a state beset by the historic challenges of record 22.7% unemployment, a 500-year flood in the middle of the state and the loss of more than 5,000 residents to the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit to Ford Motor Co.'s Rawsonville Components Plant in Ypsilanti, where the automaker builds ventilators for the national stockpile, comes as the president is sharply criticizing a proposal by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to send absentee ballot applications to all registered voters. And state Attorney General Dana Nessel is calling on the president to break with his practice and wear a protective mask inside the Ford plant. The plant visit is one stop on a presidential tour touting efforts by American manufacturers to produce medical supplies and personal protective equipment during the pandemic. It comes amid a campaign season upended by candidates' inability to host such traditional events as rallies — and as Trump seeks to shore up support in Michigan, a battleground state considered vitally important to his reelection chances.”

HOUSE GOP DUMPS CANDIDATE OVER NASTY POSTS
Politico: “House GOP leaders distanced themselves Wednesday night from the Republican nominee for a hotly contested California congressional district, after POLITICO's reporting revealed dozens of social media posts on his accounts that demeaned Muslims and immigrants. The National Republican Congressional Committee abruptly yanked Ted Howze, the party’s nominee against vulnerable freshman Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.), from its Young Guns program for top recruits. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy issued a stern warning to Howze, whom he endorsed personally before the primary election in March. In a statement, McCarthy said he and NRCC Chairman Tom Emmer of Minnesota ‘will take immediate action’ if Howze ‘is found to be the originator of these posts.’ Howze’s campaign has told POLITICO that he denies writing them personally, suggesting other, unidentified individuals had access to his accounts.”

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Judge’s Ruling: Testing the government’s assumptions - Fox News

HBD Rick Reichmuth! - Politico

AUDIBLE: TESTING, PERRY COMO STYLE
“And I tested very positively in another sense. So this morning. I tested positively toward negative, right? So no, I tested perfectly this morning. Meaning I tested negative. But that’s a way of saying it. Positively toward the negative.” – President Trump talking to reporters before heading to Michigan Thursday.

FROM THE BLEACHERS
“Why do 99.44% of sane upstanding folks support President Trump and 99.44% of insane nutsy folks support Democrats? Please answer with the legit truth. To quote Helen Thomas, one on the democrats side, ‘this country is going down the toilet.’ I’m getting tired of reading this bullsh** column.” – Bo Lollar, Berry, Ala.

[Ed. note: You may not be enjoying the note, Mr. Lollar, but I have to tell you that your message gave me a good laugh. And it may be true that for a lot of Americans in both parties whose minds are made up, following this campaign may just not be worth it. If you know how you’re going to vote, have determined everyone who supports the other party are “insane nutsy folks” -- or at least all but .56 percent of them -- and feel like the “country is going down the toilet” then it would be pretty hard to summon interest for daily political coverage. That would be especially true if your side was struggling. I certainly hope that you would stick around since I like your style, but I also understand why campaign coverage would not be appealing to someone who feels the way you do. Sitting back and enjoying springtime in a beautiful slice of Appalachia than fretting over something about which an individual has very limited control certainly sounds appealing on a lot of levels. But please don’t just look for sources that are only going to tell you what you want to hear. That’s the ultimate waste of time in news consumption. Whatever you decide, you are most welcome here.]

“I’m not sure why you continue to highlight the Quinnipiac polls. They have always been the outlier when it comes to Trump going far back into the dim past of 2016. They were always one of the worst polls in Trump vs. Clinton. Quinnipiac usually has the most unbalanced numbers between Trump and Biden and is always the bottom dweller in Approval/Disapproval. One must wonder where they get their numbers and how they are skewed? Though you do your best to remain neutral/non-partisan in the Halftime Report, I feel an anti-Trump bias occasionally sneaks in. Otherwise, why not feature Gallup in your headline?” –Nemo Niemann, Elliottsburg, Pa.

[Ed. note: I gather from your note, Mr. Niemann, that you are a Trump supporter, so I’m sorry for the degree to which recent news has been unhappy for you. I would first and foremost remind you that we are a LONG way from the election, and much will change. It’s too soon for either side to be crabby or boastful. Starting with your last point about Gallup, they no longer do horserace polling, only presidential approval. As you’ll see above, Gallup’s approval rating poll goes right into our average every time it’s released. As for Quinnipiac, it’s certainly a top tier poll in terms of both methods and accuracy. In 2016, the school’s final poll was indeed a little less than 2 points heavy for Clinton nationally, but that’s certainly tolerable. Another thing we like about Quinnipiac polls is that they tend to come out on our schedule. Most of the other polls that are of the same quality level are from media organizations, which means they are mostly timed for the morning news. But the Q poll comes out on the afternoon, just like us. I generally encourage readers to try to focus on averages and trends and not get too hung up on one poll or another, especially this far before the election. But if you do want a crib sheet for pollster reliability, FiveThirtyEight’s, found here, is very useful. And our favorite poll of them all, the Fox News poll, is coming out tonight, so look for results on “Special Report with Bret Baier” and here on Friday.]

Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.

DOES ANYBODY HAVE 176,552 TEASPOONS OF BUTTER?
UPI: “Crews were summoned to a stretch of highway in Tennessee to clean up a delicious mess that spilled from a tractor trailer hauling 40,000 pounds of macaroni and cheese. The Tennessee Department of Transportation confirmed the truck overturned Wednesday morning on Interstate 24, near the Interstate 40 exit in Nashville. The truck was hauling 40,000 pounds of macaroni and cheese. Photos from the scene showed pasta and powdered cheese spilled in the roadway. No injuries were reported. Officials said the cleanup was expected to be completed in the early afternoon.”

AND NOW A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“The country is now caught in the internal maelstrom that is the mind of Donald Trump.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post on May 18, 2017.

Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.