Friday, April 10th, 2020
Record Unemployment, Biden's New Promises & Star-Studded Holidays
All the news you need in less than 10 min:
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Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want perusing the latest happenings...
Economic Emergency
Another 6.6 million Americans filed for jobless claims last week. That new report form the U.S. Labor Department brings the total to nearly 17 million unemployment applications in just three weeks. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the U.S. economy is in an emergency. The Fed unveiled $2.3 trillion in new loans to keep the economy afloat. Meanwhile, Congress is racing to pass more relief money, but the Senate could not strike another deal yesterday. Lawmakers are still negotiating the details. Another sign the economy is struggling now: a new report found nearly a third of apartment renters could not pay rent at the start of this month. The direct payments from the last relief bill should arrive in many Americans’ bank accounts soon.
Unemployment Numbers: NYT, Washington Post, WSJ
Fed $2.3T in New Loans: NPR, CBS News
Dems Block Senate Relief Bill: AP, Politico
Americans Missing Rent Payments: CNN, WSJ
Fighting COVID-19 Progress
The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has now surpassed 16,000 people. It comes less than six weeks after the first American died from the new coronavirus. During that same time period, at least 25,000 Americans have recovered. There are also more signs the virus is easing in the country’s most populated areas. In New York and California, the number of new hospitalizations is growing at a slower pace. Experts credit social distancing for the turnaround. The nation’s top infectious disease doctor, Anthony Fauci, predicts COVID-19 will cause 60,000 deaths by August. That’s in comparison to the 100,000-240,000 he predicted last week.
Cases & Deaths: Johns Hopkins
NY & CA Hospitalizations: NYT, NBC News
Social Distancing Cuts Death Toll: Axios, CNN
European Cases & UK PM Recovering
Italy and Spain saw lower numbers of new cases and people being sent to the ICU. More people have died from COVID-19 in those two countries than anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, in the UK, daily death tolls are rising. One sign of hope there is British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to be out of intensive care, where he had been treated for COVID-19. Johnson is still in the hospital, but he seems to be getting better.
Read More: AP, Washington Post, Politico
Biden Adjusts Policies for Bernie Supporters
Former Vice President Joe Biden is apparently trying to unite the Democrats with new policy positions. His top Democratic competitor, Sen. Bernie Sanders, dropped out this week. Biden wants Bernie supporters on his side to beat President Trump in November. So yesterday, Biden revealed two new proposals, both of which happen to be staples of the Sanders campaign. He said he now wants Medicare available to Americans over 60, instead of 65. He also promised student loan forgiveness for lower-income Americans.
Read More: Reuters, The Hill
Travel Industry Setbacks
The new coronavirus pandemic is taking more of a toll on the travel industry. The CDC has now indefinitely extended a no-sail order for cruise ships. The airline industry is also struggling. This week, the number of Americans going through airport security sunk to a level not seen in more than 60 years. TSA reported a 96% drop in the number of people screened Wednesday, compared to the same day last year. President Trump is now promising to help the industry more with a new proposal to come out as soon as this weekend.
Cruise No-Sail Order: NBC News, Bloomberg, ABC News, USA Today
Historic Drop in Airline Passengers: CNN, The Hill
Entertainment on Hold
Broadway was hoping to reopen this weekend, but now, the return date has been pushed back until at least June 7th. Meanwhile, it’s looking like the largest movie theater chain in the country may have to file for bankruptcy. Wall Street analysts say AMC Theaters might have to stay closed through at least August. Its cash reserves are already running low. For now, AMC is only saying it prioritizes the health of its customers and looks forward to reopening in the future.
Broadway Extends Shutdown: Entertainment Weekly, Billboard
AMC on Brink of Bankruptcy: Variety, Fox Business
Return of Sporting Competitions
Professional basketball is back this weekend, sort of. ESPN is hosting a HORSE competition. That’s the game in which players try to make shots no one else can duplicate. Stars from the NBA and WNBA are taking part, along with some retired players. They’ll play from a safe social distance on their own courts. The opening round will air this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. The championships happen Thursday, April 16th at 9 p.m. ET.
Also: that controversial UFC fight has been called off. It was supposed to happen this month on tribal land in California, as a way to avoid stay-at-home orders. Now, it’s cancelled at the request of ESPN and its parent company, Disney.
NBA Competition: CBS Sports, ESPN
UFC Fight Update: AP, NYT
Unique Holiday Celebrations
On the fourth night of Passover, celebrities are celebrating with “Saturday Night Seder.” It will feature Henry Winkler, Idina Menzel, Jason Alexander, Josh Groban and many more. It promises to include comedy, music and some Jewish education. It will also raise money to help first responders dealing with coronavirus. The benefit will stream for free this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
On the next day, Easter Sunday, Joel Osteen’s mega-church is hosting an Easter service featuring rapper Kanye West, singer Mariah Carey and media mogul Tyler Perry. They’re all taking part remotely. You can stream the show at 9:30 a.m. and noon ET.
Also on Easter, famous Opera singer Andrea Bocelli will perform from the historic Duomo Cathedral in Milan, Italy, with no in-person audience. “Music for Hope” will be live-streamed on Bocelli’s YouTube channel at 1 p.m. ET.
Passover Online Benefit: Playbill, USA Today, Saturday Night Seder
Start-Studded Virtual Easter: People, TMZ, Lakewood Church, LA Times, AP News, YouTube
Feel Good Friday: Teen Pilot Delivers Medical Supplies
Teenager TJ Kim is making the most of his time off from school. For one, he’s training to be a pilot, but the best part is TJ is using his flying lessons to deliver medical supplies to healthcare workers. He fills his plane with gloves, masks, gowns and other equipment, then TJ and his flight instructor take them to rural hospitals in need. The hardest part is finding the supplies, but his whole family has made it their mission. They call it Operation S.O.S. (Supplies Over Skies.)
Read More: AP, Bloomberg
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