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Stranger Than Fiction
A brief daily note of things you might find interesting or useful
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TOP NEWS
U.S. is considering grounding flights between virus hot spots. The U.S. reached 216,722 reported COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the global total to just under one million. There were 75,000 new cases reported worldwide yesterday.
Another 3.1 million Americans are believed to have filed for unemployment last week. That’s more than the total number of unemployment filings in the entire previous six months. The federal rescue package increased the pool of workers who could receive benefits to include independent contractors and the self-employed.
Pelosi and McConnell are at odds over additional coronavirus stimulus. Pelosi wants to move forward on legislation on infrastructure, which President Trump agrees would be prudent based on record low interest rates. McConnell said in regards to Pelosi, “She needs to stand down on the notion that we’re going to go along with taking advantage of the crisis to do things that are unrelated to the crisis,”
Food banks are reporting unprecedented demand across the U.S. as millions lose jobs. The Guardian found that demand for food aid has increased as much as eightfold in some areas. One in three people seeking groceries at not-for-profit pantries last month had never previously needed emergency food aid.
THE ELECTION
THE COMMENT
“I’ve been in this business over 30 years and nothing compares to what we’re seeing now. Not even when the steel mills closed down did we see increased demand like this,” said Sheila Christopher, director of Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, which represents 18 food banks across 67 counties.
THE STRANGEST
THE AV ROOM