'You can leave your mask on': Nudists adapt to Covid times

In the UK there’s been a lot of reaction to the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of aiding Jeffrey Epstein in his sex-trafficking scheme. The pair is pictured on almost all of the British front pages but the headlines are all about a third man: the UK’s Prince Andrew. He has long been fighting off implication in this scandal. As The Guardian notes, Maxwell’s arrest has ramped up the pressure especially since the two remained friends even after Epstein’s arrest. The Times notes in its headline that US prosecutors yesterday urged Prince Andrew to come and talk to them. He has been in what the Times calls an “acrimonious wrangle” with US investigators who say he is refusing to answer questions. He insists he is willing to cooperate. 

Moving on to France where Emmanuel Macron has been speaking to the press ahead of a much-anticipated government reshuffle after his party’s poor results at the municipal elections. Rumours abound that Macron could replace Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, but he did not give a straightforward response to journalists. A full interview with the president can be found in Le Parisien and in France’s regional papers.

In the US, Donald Trump is set to give a speech at Mount Rushmore in a celebration ahead of US Independence Day on July 4th. Cartoonist Ed Hall has captured the brewing controversy over the event by showing the monument’s four presidents holding their noses.

They’re shown without masks, which may be because masks and social distancing will not be mandatory at the event, despite the fact that US coronavirus cases are continuing to soar. There are also concerns about wildfires and Native American groups are particularly angry about Trump’s presence at the monument. As the Washington Post reminds us, the sculptor who built Mount Rushmore was deeply involved with the Ku Klux Klan, he also built numerous confederate monuments. Mount Rushmore was also built on sacred land and some Native leaders are actually calling for the monument to be removed altogether.

Finally, while many Americans may be refusing to wear masks, there is one group that is surprisingly embracing the accessory — nudists. The Wall Street Journal reports that many nudist resorts have made facemasks compulsory. It has been a difficult change for some. One person told the paper that nudism is all about friendliness and that masks take away from that. But even more disconcerting are mask tan lines. Still, people are adapting. And if the nudists can do it, does anyone else have an excuse?