- Stranger Than Fiction
- Posts
- Stranger Than Fiction
Stranger Than Fiction
A brief daily note of things you might find interesting or useful
I’ll be sharing stories from doctors, nurses and other medical workers who are on the frontlines of COVID-19. You can read them here. The article will continue to be updated with new stories. If you know frontline workers who would like to be included, let me know.
You can support my newsletter using PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, or purchase a subscription on Substack.Don’t forget to join us in the Stranger Slack for access to source documents and a running feed of news throughout the day.
TOP NEWS
COVID-19 cases surge for the third straight day in the U.S. after stabilizing. After it nearly doubled to 4,591 over 24 hours Thursday, the number of cases in the U.S. continued to rise, with New York, New Jersey and Michigan among those hardest hit. New cases in the U.S. have risen for three consecutive days, with the total now over 671,000. There are now 2.1 million cases world-wide and the global death toll is nearly 150,000 with more than 33,000 in the U.S.
China raised its official coronavirus death toll by almost 40%. The death toll in China is 4,632, after officials in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged, declared the discovery of 1,290 previously uncounted cases. China attributes the inaccurate count to those who died at home and weren’t recorded in the system along with hospitals that were too overwhelmed to record results.
White House announced a three-phase guideline for states to reopen. The COVID-19 Task Force announced a gradual process to lift restrictions after the Trump administration set out criteria that relies on governors to set specific timelines for their states.
Stock market continues to rally despite devestating economic news. The U.S. futures market shrugged off news that China’s economy shrank 6.8% in the first three months of 2020. It was the first contraction since Beijing began reporting quarterly gross domestic product in 1992. A positive close today would mark the second straight week of gains for U.S. markets.
China may be secretly conducting nuclear tests. Officials noticed a “high tempo of activity” at China’s Lop Nur test site, extensive excavations at the site, and Beijing’s purported use of special chambers to contain explosions.
WHAT I’M READING + WATCHING + LISTENING TO
FRONTLINE investigates how Washington State — where the first known U.S. case of COVID-19 was detected — and the Trump administration responded to the unfolding crisis.
THE COMMENT
“The political risks for the Fed are also greater from such business destruction than they would be from loan losses. The only way for the Fed to maintain its independence is with support from the middle class across the country. Wall Street and the Beltway media won’t be enough to hold off populist anger if much of the American economy crumbles. And wait until Donald Trump is heard from.” - WSJ Editorial Board
THE STRANGEST
THE AV ROOM