Friday, July 24, 2020

The Rundown: Jobless Claims Rise

➤U.S. PASSES FOUR MILLION CORONAVIRUS CASES: The U.S. on Thursday passed four million confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, with one-quarter of those cases in just the last 15 days. That comes as the nation has a near-record number of coronavirus hospitalizations, with some 59,600 as of Wednesday, according to the Covid Tracking Project, just 300 short of the mid-April peak. In Florida, one of the biggest hot-spot states, more than 50 hospitals have reached capacity in their intensive care units, and statewide, only 15 percent of ICU beds are available. The number of coronavirus deaths is also continuing to rise.



Florida reported 173 deaths yesterday and California reported 157 deaths, both daily record highs for the states. In Arizona, there were 89 deaths reported, bringing its total to 3,000, with more than one-third of them in the past 15 days. Overall in the U.S., there have been more than 144,200 deaths as of early this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University's count.

President Trump yesterday pulled back some from his demand that all schools fully reopen in the fall, saying during a White House news conference that school districts in coronavirus hot spots may need to delay their reopenings. In addition to insisting that schools had to fully reopen with in-person classes, Trump had charged that any Democratic opposition to doing so was for political reasons. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued updated guidelines about schools that spoke strongly about the need to reopen them, saying children suffer from not being in school, don't get as sick from the coronavirus, and are less like to spread it than adults. However, the CDC did say school and local officials should take into account how much the virus is spreading in their area. It also didn't appear to remove its previous guidelines that Trump had said were too tough, which included things like students and teachers wearing masks, spreading out desks and staggering schedules

First-Time Unemployment Claims Rise: The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits rose for the first time last week since late March, according to data from the Labor Department released yesterday, raising concerns that the ongoing surge of the coronavirus is stopping or even reversing the economic recovery. More than 1.4 million people filed initial claims for unemployment benefits, up from 1.3 million the week before. Although it had previously been declining since late March, it also marked the 18th straight week that it topped one million people. It had never been more than 700,000 before the pandemic.

Trump Drops Insistence on Payroll Tax Cut, GOP Pushes Back Release of Relief Package: President Trump yesterday gave up his insistence that a payroll tax cut be included in a new coronavirus relief package, giving in to opposition to it from top Senate Republicans, although Trump blamed it on Democrats in a tweet. But despite that breakthrough, Republicans pushed back the release of the $1 trillion relief package they're working on until next week, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was supposed to unveil it yesterday. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin addressed how the package deals with the expiration today of the extra $600 weekly unemployment benefit, saying it would be redesigned to give a typical worker 70 percent of their income.

CDC: 40 Percent of U.S. Adults Have at Least One Condition That Puts Them at Coronavirus Risk: A report out yesterday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that some 40 percent of adults in the U.S. have at least one health condition that puts them at risk for severe complications from COVID-19. These chronic conditions include obesity, Type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. The report found that counties with the highest prevalence of people having at least one of the conditions were concentrated in the Southeast, as well as in some parts of Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and northern Michigan.

➤GOV'T. WATCHDOGS TO REVIEW CONDUCT OF FEDERAL AGENTS IN PORTLAND; JUDGE SAYS REPORTERS CAN'T BE ARRESTED: Two government watchdogs said yesterday that they've opened investigations into the conduct of federal agents who were controversially sent to Portland, Oregon, starting earlier this month with a mission is to protect federal property amid at-times violent protests that have been going on in the city since George Floyd's death. The Justice Department and Homeland Security Department watchdogs are acting in response to allegations from local officials, some members of Congress and also some members of the public of abuse of power by the agents. The protests, which local officials said had been dying down, have escalated again after accusations that agents were pulling people off the street in unmarked cars without probable cause, and also were operating beyond their jurisdiction of federal property.

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Portland ruled yesterday that the federal agents can't arrest or use physical force against journalists or legal observers at the protests if they're not suspected of committing crimes. The Justice Department had in court fillings called such an order, quote, "unworkable in light of the split-second judgments that federal law enforcement officers have to make while protecting federal property and themselves during dynamic, chaotic situations." Judge Michael Simon's temporary restraining order also says journalists can ignore dispersal orders issued by authorities.


➤TRUMP SCRAPS REPUBLICAN CONVENTION PLANS FOR JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: President Trump said yesterday that plans to hold the Republican National Convention's public events in Jacksonville, Florida, had been scrapped because of the coronavirus, which has been surging in the state. Trump said at a White House briefing, "We didn’t want to take any chances. We have to be vigilant. We have to be careful, and we have to set an example." The event had already been moved from its original location of Charlotte, North Carolina, because Democratic Governor Roy Cooper refused to guarantee that they could hold the four-day event without any coronavirus restrictions, such as on the number of people allowed in the arena or requiring that they wear masks. The business part of the convention was still going to take place in North Carolina, and that part will go forward, with a much smaller number of delegates than normal formally renominating Trump on August 24th. Trump said it's still to be determined how he will deliver his acceptance speech.

The Democrats will be holding an almost entirely virtual convention to nominate Joe Biden. Biden plans to accept the nomination and give his speech in person in Milwaukee, but it's not yet known whether there will a significant number of people there in person to hear it.

➤CHINA ORDERS U.S. TO CLOSE CONSULATE IN CHENGDU: China on Friday ordered the U.S. to close its consulate in the city of Chengdu, after the U.S. on Tuesday ordered Beijing to close its consulate in Houston within 72 hours, as tensions between the two nations continue to ratchet up. In issuing the order, the Trump administration had accused Chinese agents of trying to steal medical and other research in Texas. China's foreign ministry said in a statement Friday, "The measure taken by China is a legitimate and necessary response to the unjustified act by the United States." It continued, "The current situation in Chinese-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see. The United States is responsible for all this." The Chengdu consulate is one of five the U.S. has in China, in addition to the embassy in Beijing.

➤SENATE PASSES DEFENSE BILL THAT INCLUDES REMOVING CONFEDERATE NAMES FROM MILITARY BASES: The Senate yesterday (July 23rd) passed annual defense legislation that this year includes a provision to rename military bases named after Confederate officers, despite a veto threat from President Trump. The Republican-led Senate passed the measure on a veto-proof 86-14 vote, after the Democratic-led House also passed it by a veto-proof majority one day earlier. The House and Senate will now have to negotiate a final version to send to Trump. The president has threatened to veto the defense legislation if it includes the provision to rename the military bases.

Newsday 7/24/20

WSJ 7/24/20
➤YANKEES, DODGERS WIN TO KICK OFF MLB SEASON: Four months after it was supposed to begin, MLB's coronavirus-delayed, shortened season finally kicked off yesterday (July 23rd), with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers getting wins on Opening Day. In the first game, the Yankees beat the reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals 4-1, the victory coming after the game was called following a nearly two-hour rain delay in Washington that began in the top of the sixth inning.


New York's Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer in the first inning, but there were no fans to cheer it on in the empty stadium. In Los Angeles, the Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 8-1. Rookie pitcher Dustin May got the start after for the Dodgers after Clayton Kershaw went on the injured list with a back issue, and he allowed one run and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.


Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist who's become a trusted figure during the coronavirus pandemic, threw the ceremonial first pitch before the Nationals-Yankee game. The masked Fauci's throw went well wide of home plate and bounced past Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle, who was there to catch it.




 ➤MLB PLAYERS KNEEL IN SUPPORT OF BLACK LIVES MATTER: The players, managers and coaches of the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees all kneeled together in support of Black Lives Matter before the start of their game last night, and then stood for the National Anthem. Players and other members of both teams also held a long black ribbon while standing spaced apart from each other along the two foul lines. In Los Angeles, members of the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants also held a black ribbon before their game. Some of the Giants kneeled during the National Anthem, including manager Gabe Kapler, as did the Dodgers' new star outfielder Mookie Betts, with teammates Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy resting a hand on each of his shoulders.

➤MLB, PLAYERS AGREE TO EXPAND PLAYOFFS TO 16 TEAMS: MLB and the players' union agreed yesterday (July 23rd) to expand the playoffs from 10 teams to 16 for the pandemic-shortened season. Sixteen of the 30 teams will advance to a best-of-three first round: the first- and second-place teams in every division and the next two teams by winning percentage in each league. Those winners move on to the best-of-five Division Series, where the usual format resumes.

➤NASCAR'S HAMLIN GETS FIFTH WIN THIS SEASON: Denny Hamlin won at Kansas Speedway last night (July 23rd) for his NASCAR Cup Series-leading fifth win of the season. The Super Start Batteries 400 was also his second straight victory at Kansas Speedway.

➤FORMER REDSKINS TO BE CALLED WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM FOR SEASON: The former Washington Redskins will use the name Washington Football Team for the upcoming NFL season, giving the organization time to choose a new name. Executive vice president and chief marketing officer Terry Bateman said Thursday (July 23rd) that they wanted to, quote, "go slow with the renaming process and really be very thoughtful, very inclusive, respectful and all those things." Team owner Dan Snyder agreed to drop the Redskins name, which he'd long said he wouldn't do despite criticism from Native American groups, under pressure from sponsors. 
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