10 things you need to know today: May 12, 2020

The White House orders staffers to wear masks, DOJ considers filing hate crime charges in Arbery killing, and more 

Jared Kushner wears a mask at the White House
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1. White House orders staff to wear masks

The White House on Monday ordered staffers to wear masks at work when not at their desks after two aides tested positive for the coronavirus last week. President Trump, who doesn't wear masks, said at a news conference that he ordered the change. Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted that the fight against the pandemic is looking "much better," with numbers "going down almost everywhere." Contrary to Trump's assertion, infections and deaths rose in some areas, with the total number of U.S. coronavirus deaths surpassing 80,000. Trump also said that the U.S. is testing more people per capita than many countries, including South Korea and the United Kingdom, while ignoring at least two dozen countries, including Germany and Russia, with higher testing rates.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.