Let’s be honest. Things have been kinda terrible, but Europe is starting to heal, Democrats are trying to unite, and various Governors are stepping up responsibly where leadership has been lacking.

Happening in the World: Shops in Austria and Italy are beginning to open again slowly as the crisis begins to get under control. Regions hardest hit in Italy are holding off on opening and those regions who are beginning to slacken restrictions are still following strict health codes and attempting to follow guidelines to mitigate spread. (BBC)

Happening in the US: Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden yesterday, hoping to unite the progressive movement spearheaded by Sanders back in the 2016 elections as to get Trump out of the white house. This has been met with various reactions among democrats, but Sanders and Biden have said they will be putting together six task forces to help solve essential problems on the democratic platform. (CNN)

Happening in New York: Governor Cuomo and other governors are fighting President Trump’s claims that he has the total authority to reopen society and are instead planning in the long term how they might best be able to slowly bring things back to how they were in such a way that would not lead to a resurgence of cases or a second wave of the pandemic. (NY Times)

JoshCore Album of the Week: This week I have a new release from the band Midwife, an indie group creating music that is dark, ambient, and something divine. The album “Forever” was just released this Friday under one of my favorite labels, The Flenser, a label to look out for if you like music with a touch of darkness, mystique, and desolation. Midwife described the genre of this album as “Heaven Metal,” in that it combines elements of genres from ambient, noise, industrial, dark folk, and even a section of spoken word to bring about something beautiful in the wake of the death of a friend. It’s one of the most beautiful albums I’ve heard so far this year and has been on repeat in my headphones since it came out.

Image Via Bwarchives