Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP, Pool) File
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Michigan Gov. Whitmer in Memorial Day coronavirus lockdown controversy over husband's reported boat request
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faced backlash from Republican lawmakers after a reported request from her husband to get the family's boat out on the water before Memorial Day weekend -- far from their home in Lansing.
Whitmer, a Democrat, famously has imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the country, sparking frequent protests. What's more, she's told people not living in Northern Michigan to stay away from vacation spots there during the holiday weekend.
In Facebook posts no longer visible to the public, NorthShore Dock LLC and its owner, Tad Dowker, focused on what Dowker said was a request last week by Whitmer's husband, Marc Mallory. The posts caught the attention of Republican state lawmakers, who said the governor's family may not have wanted to follow the guidance she's issued for the rest of the state.
"This morning, I was out working when the office called me, there was a gentleman on hold who wanted his boat in the water before the weekend," Dowker posted. "Being Memorial weekend and the fact that we started working three weeks late means there is no chance this is going to happen."
He continued, "Our office personnel had explained this to the man and he replied, 'I am the husband to the governor, will this make a difference?'" The docking company later noted that Mallory respectfully accepted that the accommodation would not be possible.
Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown refused to comment on the matter, saying the administration wouldn't address "every rumor that is spread online," The Detroit News reported. Click here for more on our top story.
Other related developments:
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- Court sides with Whitmer after GOP lawmakers challenge her coronavirus restrictions
- Whitmer extends Michigan's stay-at-home order until June 12
- California announces churches, houses of worship can reopen under certain guidelines
Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli is seen inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei province, on February 23, 2017.(Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP) (Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)
Coronavirus is just 'tip of iceberg' of infectious outbreaks, 'bat woman' researcher warns
China’s "bat woman" researcher warns that the deadly coronavirus surfacing now is "just the tip of the iceberg" in terms of what humans may soon face without a global effort to prevent similar infectious outbreaks.
“If we want to prevent human beings from suffering from the next infectious-disease outbreak, we must go in advance to learn of these unknown viruses carried by wild animals in nature and give early warnings,” Shi Zhengli, a top Chinese scientist specializing in viral transmissions from bats, told CGTN in an interview that aired Monday.
“If we don’t study [the viruses], there will possibly be another outbreak,” warned Shi, who was dubbed “bat woman” by the press because of her research involving the mammals. -- The New York Post. Click here for more.
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Cuomo admits 'we all failed' at making coronavirus projections
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo admitted Monday that coronavirus projections from experts were all wrong -- and he's getting out of the business of speculating because of it.
Cuomo said he can't predict when the hospitalization and death rate numbers will drop to the necessary threshold required for reopening certain regions because as he put it, "we all failed" at predicting.
"Now, people can speculate. People can guess. I think next week, I think two weeks, I think a month," Cuomo told reporters on Memorial Day. "I'm out of that business because we all failed at that business. Right? All the early national experts. Here's my projection model. Here's my projection model. They were all wrong. They were all wrong."
Cuomo's rare admission came during an event at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City when a reporter asked the governor when hard-hit New York City might reopen. Click here for more.
Other related developments:
- NY's daily coronavirus death rate falls below 100 for first time since March as Cuomo eyes Long Island reopening
- NYC photographers try capturing 'living history' of coronavirus pandemic in hard-hit city
- NYC's Fleet Week goes virtual to stay safe from coronavirus
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