USA Today: US economic round-up: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/07/26/covid-economy-unemployment-report-6-charts/5471545002/ .
Duel over relief package: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/02/pelosi-mnuchin-coronavirus-relief-trump-390412 . Searching for any sense of immediacy in these reports. The economy almost certainly will turn down again even if a deal is reached tomorrow because of expected administrative delays in implementing the deal (see next item).
WSJ: Delayed test results hurt workers: https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-americans-wait-without-pay-for-covid-19-test-results-11596360602 . If you’re looking for institutional racism, it’s worth thinking this situation through. Suppose COVID-19 only infected people in the C-suite. Do you think a 16-day delay in test results would be acceptable? Obviously, after 16 days, the test result is of no value – this is longer than the 14-day quarantine period. PUA “might” pay? We still have 20,000 people in Oregon who have been waiting over 3 months for their PUA claim to be processed. And the state says that redefining the unemployment benefit to $200 will take 5 weeks to reprogram, while a 70% of pay definition will take 2 months or more.
WSJ: Russia vaccine: More on “Sputnik 2”: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-aims-to-begin-mass-vaccinations-against-covid-19-in-october-11596291673 . Yet another example of why politicizing a public health crisis is unsafe.
Sadly but not unexpectedly, COVID-19 deaths are occurring among people who have politicized wearing masks. First, Herman Cain, shown not wearing a mask at the Trump rally in Tulsa. Now, Charlie Montgomery, at least connected to the Trump rally in Phoenix (not sure if he was present; photos online suggest he was at the Tulsa rally): https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/29/turning-point-usa-founder-dies-coronavirus-complications-387077 . Public health advice should be followed, not politicized. In my view, this is not an area for “robust debate”, at least not outside the public health/medical community.
WSJ: Credit card debt unexpectedly falls: https://www.wsj.com/articles/consumers-flush-with-stimulus-money-shun-credit-card-debt-11596373201 . Keep in mind that paying off credit card debt is not saving; it is spending.
WSJ: Small business navigates the pandemic: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-shuttered-more-than-1-million-small-businesses-here-is-how-five-survived-11596254424 .
PPP money flowed to Chinese-owned businesses: https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/chinese-owned-companies-received-millions-in-ppp-loans-analysis-shows (link replaced 11/12/20). Once again, oversight of these programs is needed. But we’re still looking at the $600 …
Pandemic: People stranded abroad: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/03/the-people-that-covid-19-has-cut-off-from-home .
Cruise ships hit with COVID-19 again: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/03/two-cruise-ships-hit-by-coronavirus-weeks-after-industry-restarts . Stupidity apparently knows no bounds.
Online school and kids’ mental health: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/07/31/covid-online-school-kids-mental-health-teachers/5529846002/ .