5 things to know for May 14: Stay-home orders, vaccines, Dr. Bright, Flynn, groceries

It may be hard, but you gotta keep moving! A new study finds you don’t have to be young and in great shape to reap the benefits of exercise.

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1. Stay-at-home orders

Almost every state is in the process of reopening, but those sticking to stay-at-home orders are getting major pushback. In Wisconsin, the state’s Supreme Court has overturned the stay-at-home order issued by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Last month, Evers extended the order until May 26, but the court says such a move is an overreach of power and unnecessarily infringes on citizens’ liberties. Evers says scrapping the orders will put more lives at risk. In Michigan, another round of protests is expected today as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat, stands firm on the state’s lockdown measures. She says protests, perversely, could make it more likely the state will have to keep restrictions in place longer.

2. Vaccine

The White House has picked its leaders for its Operation Warp Speed coronavirus vaccine effort. Moncef Slaoui, the former chief of GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines division, and four-star Army Gen. Gustave Perna have been tapped to head up the effort to quickly ramp up production and organize distribution plans for a forthcoming vaccine.  President Trump says he hopes the effort will produce up to 300 million vaccine doses by January, but experts have warned meeting such a benchmark could be much further away. Earlier this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned a vaccine would likely not be ready for students returning to school in the fall. Trump said that response was “not an acceptable answer.”

3. Dr. Rick Bright

Dr. Rick Bright, the ousted director of a federal office charged with developing coronavirus countermeasures, will testify before Congress today. He’s expected to tell a House subcommittee that the Trump administration was unprepared for the coronavirus pandemic and will warn that the US will face the “darkest winter in modern history” without additional preparation. Bright was the head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority but was removed from the post after he says he was critical of some of the Trump administration’s coronavirus efforts. Bright has filed a complaint seeking to be reinstated to his position.

4. Michael Flynn

A federal judge is questioning whether President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn could be held in contempt of court for perjury. The question, raised by US Judge Emmet Sullivan, could reopen the door for Flynn to be sentenced. On the perjury issue, Flynn has under oath told the judge he is both guilty and innocent of lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia during the Trump transition. The Justice Department last week announced plans to drop the case against Flynn, prompting backlash and questions from the legal community. Earlier this week, a group of former Watergate prosecutors filed a letter asking Sullivan not to dismiss the case. Nearly 2,000 former Justice Department employees also penned an open letter asking that the case not be dismissed and criticizing Attorney General William Barr for putting the possible dismissal into motion.

5. Groceries

It’s not your imagination: Grocery prices really are spiking. Overall, the price of groceries grew 2.6% in April, which is the biggest monthly increase since 1974. A disrupted food supply chain is to blame. More people are cooking at home, but food suppliers and farmers haven’t been able to keep up with the demand and to shift their distribution from restaurants to grocery stores. Fruit and meat are among the foods that have seen the biggest change, while the price of eggs has risen 16%. While experts say changes in habits and demands are to blame, others worry about possible price gouging. Attorneys general from 11 Midwestern states have asked the Justice Department to investigate potential price fixing among meatpacking companies.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Newly released reports detail the US Navy’s encounters with ‘UFOs’

Who needs fiction when you have this kind of fascinating stuff in front of you?

A priest rode around in the back of a pickup truck blessing people

Hey, you gotta roll with the times.

Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon will partially reopen

For those who would like to social distance in a more photogenic way.

US seizes lanyards and other bogus products falsely claiming to protect against Covid-19

Lanyards, really?

Celebrities are just like us, ditching their makeup and letting their gray grow in

Hey, those gray hairs are a quarantine badge of honor!

TODAY’S NUMBER

58

That’s how many days New York City has gone without a pedestrian death, as of Tuesday. The nearly two-month span is the longest the city’s ever gone without such a death since these records have been kept. And yes, local leaders say social distancing is the reason why.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“In terms of my health I am fine, with the same minor annoyances that anyone can have.”

Maria Branyas, who at 113 years old is thought to be Spain’s oldest living person, vastly underselling her fortitude after surviving a mild case of Covid-19.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

A moment of peahen zen

I have no idea why I came across this video of a peahen hatching chicks, but it’s a reminder of how simply cool nature can be. Also, fun fact: A “peacock” only refers to males. The species is actually “peafowl.” Females, like this prolific lady, are peahens and her babies are peachicks. Now you know! (Click here to view.)