Hello from Washington, DC and Happy Mother's Day to you and all the mothers in your life. Joe Hargan thanked me today for not putting him up for adoption over the last 12 years and I appreciated the validation of all my hard work. I hope all you superhero moms out there are as equally appreciated today.
Over the last few months, I have been working on a very exciting project and I am proud to announce the upcoming launch of my new blog--Bourbon and Politics.
Not only will I write about current news and events here in DC but plan to have exclusive interviews with DC insiders (pundits, Congressmen, policy influencers) as well as the same fun content and commentary on family and culture. I hope that you all will continue to follow along. You can Sign up to get updates directly--until then I will keep you on my email list (note: I am using my new email address from Bourbon and Politics).
Now on to what's happening here in DC.
Top-line:
--Best up-to-date information on the government response to the coronavirus
--Current Coronavirus Cases in the US
--FEMA Coronavirus Rumor Control
New & Notable:
#1: At least two White House aides have recently contracted the coronavirus causing top task force advisors to quarantine. Assistants to Ivanka Trump and VP Mike Pence tested positive in recent days and it is reported that Dr. Fauci, Stephen Hahn (FDA Commissioner) and Dr. Redfield (CDC Commissioner) will all self-quarantine due to contact with the infected staffers. Currently the WH regularly tests it's employees due to their close interaction with the President and Vice President so ongoing and regular testing will continue. And, Eric Hargan is fine. Thank goodness! #2: The race continues to develop a coronavirus vaccine. Here in the U.S., Moderna has been cleared by the FDA to move into Phase 2 testing with their vaccine trials and Pfizer has begun to test their vaccine in humans. Also, the WHO is globally tracking 8 vaccine trials including a promising study being done at Oxford that has entered human trials. #3: Across the U.S., Governors are rolling out plans to reopen their states after nearly two months of "shelter in place" and "stay at home" restrictions. Plans vary by state, region, and even county and city. Here is a map of when U.S. states are ending lockdown. #4: After a shaky start, the Administration announced this weekend its plan for distributing remdesivir, the only known drug proven to help coronavirus patients. Initial shipments of the drug have gone to states hardest hit with the virus. In the formal announcement from HHS, state health departments will then distribute the drug to hospitals. For more info on remdesivir read here and here. #5: National Parks around the country are slowly beginning to reopen. The most popular national park in the country, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, partially reopened this weekend. Read here on the reopening of all parks. Interesting, Fun & Unusual:
~What have you been panic buying during quarantine? Toilet paper? Lysol? Meat? PELOTONS? Can you believe there is a $2300 waitlist? OMG.
~Our new normal--Face Masks. Here are some recommendations on how to jazz up your face mask game: Seattle Sparkle Face Masks (made by my step-sister--get 25% off using HARGAN25 at checkout) Old Navy 5-Pack Cloth Masks Shein Camo 3-Pack Cloth Masks Custom Face Masks from Signs.com (great for businesses) Fanatics Face Coverings (show team pride) Vistaprint (in child's sizes too) Etsy Kids Face Masks and if you must, 40 Pack, Disposable Face Masks ~Order Chef and The Farmer, Vivian Howard's, "Handy and Hot" Quarantine Kit. This super talented gal went to high school with me and her new cookbook is coming out soon. Right now she is offering a quarantine kit to ship from her restaurant--two condiments plus 4 recipes--to jumpstart your cooking.
~Get the pool ready for summer and order a few new pool floats. These are currently on the Hargan boys' list: Funboy Luxury Yacht and BigMouth Giant Taco. This Unicorn we will order for my niece.
~Work your way through this list: the official Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Power Rankings. Which one is your favorite? I still love Cherry Garcia.
As always, we have a few suggestions for lovely Mother's Day drinks for you and those beautiful women in your life. The Mom's Old Fashioned is a clever twist on one of my favorite drinks and the Senorita Margarita looks almost too pretty to drink. If you're in the mood for a glass of something sparkly, celebrate with a bottle of Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial.
Cheers and Happy Mother's Day from all the Hargans! Thank you again for all your friendship and support. Keep us in your prayers as we hold you close in ours. Stay safe and healthy!