Much of the discussion about COVID-19 involves models predicting the disease’s impact. Governments at all levels are relying on those models as they make decisions about the best way to respond to the pandemic. Donald van der Vaart, John Locke Foundation senior fellow and former N.C. environment secretary, explains why he believes the state should be looking at a range of models. Van der Vaart also explains why COVID-19 offers an existential threat in a way that climate change does not. The decision to shut down much of North Carolina’s economy has generated opposition. The first Raleigh protest of a social media group dubbed Reopen NC led to an arrest, along with a controversial tweet from Raleigh police. The tweet declared that protests amount to a “nonessential” activity. That assessment helped prompt U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, R-9th District, to attend the second protest. Bishop wants to protect protesters’ constitutional rights to free speech and assembly. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted JLF CEO Amy O. Cooke to launch a new series of video commentaries. They’re called “The Right AOC on Point.” During one of the earliest editions, she discussed the issue of neighbors reporting on neighbors violating state government orders shutting down much of the N.C. economy. State lawmakers have been gathering information about the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on North Carolina. They learned from Will Kehler, director of McDowell County Emergency Management, how emergency workers are dealing with COVID-19. Kehler made a pitch for increased access to personal protective equipment. The pandemic has thrown many long-standing plans into disarray. That includes plans for North Carolina’s 2020 elections. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, discusses key ways COVID-19 is changing campaigns for North Carolina’s top elected jobs.