We’re covering signs that the government’s stimulus program isn’t working, the spread of the coronavirus to workers in U.S. food processing plants, and, for a change of pace, Weird Al Yankovic. And it’s Friday, so there’s a new news quiz.
By Chris Stanford
A storefront in Miami. An analysis of small businesses that employ hourly workers suggests more than 40 percent have closed since the coronavirus crisis began. Scott McIntyre for The New York Times
‘Sudden black hole’ for the economy
More than 16 million Americans lost their jobs in the past three weeks, and there is a growing consensus among economists that the government’s efforts were too small and came too late to prevent businesses from abandoning workers.
The Federal Reserve said on Thursday that it could pump $2.3 trillion into the economy, using measures that go far beyond anything the central bank attempted during the 2008 financial crisis.
It’s as if “the economy as a whole has fallen into some sudden black hole,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief U.S. financial economist at Oxford Economics.
Related: A federal loan program that promises emergency relief to small businesses has run low on funding. The program is supposed to offer up to $2 million, but recent applicants said they were told that loans would be capped at $15,000 per borrower.
“My mom said the guy at the plant said they had to work to feed America. But my mom was sick,” said the son of a woman who worked at a poultry plant in Georgia. She died on Thursday.
There is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted through food, but health experts have advised wiping down packaging because the virus could survive on those surfaces for days.
■ The number of new patients hospitalized with the virus in New York State is shrinking, but the daily death toll on Thursday was near 800 for a second day, bringing total fatalities to more than 7,000.
■ Allies of President Trump told The Times that they wanted him to limit his appearances at daily coronavirus briefings. The briefings have had high TV ratings, but Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said the president “sometimes drowns out his own message.”
■ Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain was moved out of intensive care. Dominic Raab, the country’s caretaker leader, offered no timetable for when Mr. Johnson might return to work and signaled that lockdown measures would extend beyond next week.
Since World War II, the idea that global trade enhances security and prosperity has driven most major economies. When people exchange goods across borders, the logic goes, they gain better and cheaper products and become less likely to take up arms.
Now, with the entire world simultaneously in need of the same lifesaving tools, national interests are winning out. At least 69 countries have banned or restricted the export of protective equipment, medical devices or medicines, according to one estimate.
“The contest is over far more than which countries will make iPads or even advanced jets,” our reporters write. “This is a battle for supremacy over products that may determine who lives and who dies.”
The singer who in the 1980s built a career out of song parodies has, somehow, never gone away.
A writer for The Times Magazine explains: “After 40 years, Yankovic is now no longer a novelty, but an institution — a garish bright patch in the middle of America’s pop-cultural wallpaper, a completely ridiculous national treasure, an absurd living legend.”
Above, Weird Al with 232 fans at a photo shoot in January, before the world got a lot weirder.
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Shift for Joe Biden: The former vice president announced proposals to lower the eligibility age for Medicare to 60 and to expand student debt forgiveness programs, part of an effort to appeal to progressives.
Wisconsin’s election mess: In the state’s scramble to expand voting by mail, thousands of absentee ballots went undelivered or were nullified.
Snapshot: Above, the Wells Tavern in London, which shut down last month during the coronavirus pandemic. Through two world wars, Britain’s pubs stayed open, but they have now been forced to close. (That includes the one favored by your briefing team and the rest of The Times’s London newsroom, a.k.a. “the Crown we go to.”)
News quiz: Did you follow the headlines this week? Test yourself.
Modern Love: In this week’s column, a woman who lost her husband of 56 years on the eve of the pandemic braced for despair, but felt resilient.
Late-night comedy: “Easter doesn’t feel at all exciting this year, probably because I’ve spent the last three weeks driving around looking for eggs already,” Jimmy Kimmel said.
What we’re reading: This recent Q. and A. in the Harvard Business Review with David Kessler, the co-author of “On Grief and Grieving.” James Robinson, our director of global analytics, said it “gave a name to something I think a lot of us are feeling: anticipatory grief.”
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Now, a break from the news
Melissa Clark
Cook: Matzo brei is the traditional Passover breakfast, which some prefer sweet and others savory. Our food writer Melissa Clark goes for savory, topped with fried onions.
It turns out, Times journalists had joined them: “Not The New York Times” was also an inside job.
Andrew Sondern/The New York Times
The parody featured three sections, 24 joke advertisements, 73 spoof articles and 155 fake news briefs, all meticulously edited to mimic The Times’s style. Even the typefaces used on the front page and the spacing of the headlines replicated those of the real paper.
The writer of one column praised Genghis Khan for his ability to “get things done,” and an in-depth investigation by a team of 35 Not The Times reporters found that cocaine “appears popular.”
“We all had a lot of time on our hands,” the designer Richard Yeend said.
After the strike ended, the Times journalists went back to work and kept quiet about their satirical moonlighting.
That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.
— Chris
Thank you Weird Al provided this morning’s soundtrack. Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh provided the break from the news. The Back Story was based on reporting by Alex Traub. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about reports of attacks on Asian-Americans. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Hurricanes have strong ones (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • The Times’s climate journalists will discuss some of the unexpected consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in a group call with readers today at 11:30 a.m. Eastern. R.S.V.P. here.
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The news pouring in of deaths across the nation—across the world—from COVID-19 has been nothing short of heartbreaking.
The COVID-19 crisis is shining a bright light on the many devastating shortcomings of our current health care system. In fact, tens of millions of people in America are without coverage during this crisis, and many more risk loss of coverage with the loss of their jobs. What's especially cruel and irrational is President Trump's recent decision against opening a special health care enrollment period for people who are uninsured and his continued support for a lawsuit by Republican State Attorneys General to invalidate the Affordable Care Act. [1] This is costing lives. It's past time for President Trump, Congress, and state leaders to take immediate and urgent actions to improve access to health insurance and provide health care stability for America's families.
We have a health care emergency in America. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were nearly 28 million people across the U.S. who were uninsured for a variety of reasons—and all need to be able to enroll in coverage in light of the pandemic. These are people who won't qualify for health care enrollment due to a job loss (or "qualifying life event"), so a special enrollment period is necessary for them to enroll. [2] Additionally, a new study shows that tens of millions more will lose coverage due to the economic impact of this health crisis. [3] Further, there are still 14 states which have refused to expand Medicaid to low-income uninsured adults, and many other policies have been adopted to create barriers for people to access coverage. [4,5]
In addition, the Trump Administration and 18 Republican State Attorneys General are continuing their crusade to invalidate the Affordable Care Act through a lawsuit set to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this Fall. If they are successful, it would rip health care coverage away from millions of families and throw our health care markets into chaos in a time when they are already overburdened with the pandemic response. [6,7]
This all adds up to be a full on health care emergency.
When you click, you'll automatically sign onto our letter that reads:
Dear President Trump, Congress, and Governors,
The COVID-19 pandemic shows how critical it is for everyone to have access to quality, affordable health coverage and care. Now is NOT the time to play politics with our health. This is why it is critical for you to defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) against a lawsuit by Republican State Attorneys General to invalidate it, expand health coverage in every way possible NOW to ensure everyone can get care when they need it, and take the following measures to protect families:
Open a special enrollment period for HealthCare.gov and all state Marketplaces so that those who are uninsured can enroll in coverage immediately.
Defend the Affordable Care Act against the Texas v. U.S. lawsuit which would invalidate the Affordable Care Act and rip coverage away from millions just as they need it most.
Move forward legislation to provide health care for all.
Increase premium tax credits and promote marketplace enrollment to inform people about their health care coverage options.
Urge all states to expand Medicaid to low-income uninsured adults and enable Medicaid to cover costs of COVID-19 treatment for uninsured people.
Prohibit work requirements and cost-sharing for Medicaid eligibility.
Ban the practice of surprise medical bills to protect families from financial ruin.
Prohibit pandemic profiteering on treatments, medical supplies, and a future vaccine by implementing anti-price-gouging measures.
Ensure immigrants can access no-cost testing and treatment for COVID-19.
Our health depends on the health of the person next to us, and the person next to them. Ensuring others can access care—regardless of where they are from or their ability to pay—is how we take care of ourselves. We will pull through this crisis by pulling together. Anyone who seeks to use this crisis to divide us, scapegoat Asian Americans, immigrants, or those struggling to make ends meet, endangers us all.
Dear fellow South Carolinians, Thank you for subscribing to my weekly e-newsletter, and please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
My Office Status In an effort to ensure the health and safety of my staff and their families, all of my offices in the state are now teleworking along with my Washington office. Serving South Carolinians remains our top priority, and we will continue to do everything within our power to assist you and answer any questions we can. We are frequently checking each office’s voicemail box and will return calls as quickly as possible. You are also able to send an email through my website at https://www.scott.senate.gov/contact/email-me.
I, too, am working remotely and conducting tele-meetings. Last week, I video conferenced with the South Carolina Hospital Association, several South Carolina Chambers of Commerce, and pastors from across the state to learn more about how my office can meet the needs of healthcare workers and facilities, small-businesses, non-profits and other individuals throughout the state.
COVID-19 Health Updates In the event you have missed any of the daily White House Coronavirus Task Force briefings (or Governor McMaster’s briefings), I am posting summaries and updates of each one on my Facebook page. My office and I are committed to keep South Carolinians as informed and up-to-date as possible. The more we know about the current situation, the more we can do to protect one another and stop the spread of this virus.
Here are some highlights from last week’s conferences:
The CDC is strongly advising the use of non-medical cloth masks in public as an additional voluntary health measure to prevent asymptomatic people from spreading the virus.
Governor McMaster has ordered that more of the state’s non-essential businesses – including clothing, shoe, jewelry, and craft stores, department stores, florists, and furniture stores –must close by today at 5:00 p.m. Grocery stores, gas stations, hardware and home improvement stores will remain open.
People coming to South Carolina from certain “hot spots” – New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New Orleans – must quarantine for 14 days and may not stay in short term rental properties such as hotels, timeshares, Airbnb lodging, etc. Violators could face a criminal penalty of up to 30 days in jail or $1,000 in fines.
As of April 5, South Carolina has identified 2,049 cases of COVID-19, which have tragically resulted in 44 deaths. The state’s hospital bed capacity is at 52%. You can visit scdhec.gov for regular updates.
Protecting Our Seniors As this virus continues to disproportionately affect the lives of older citizens, I am determined to put every safeguard in place to ensure their health and safety. Last Friday, Senator Warner (D-VA) and I wrote a bipartisan letter to Secretary Azar and Administrator Verma, encouraging both HHS and CMS to consider solutions to protect Medicare beneficiaries from high-risk settings and to provide safe access to care.
The letter requests that they “ensure beneficiary access to Part B drugs, provide appropriate payment for these drugs, and sufficiently reimburse for administration services rendered when provided in the home setting.” You can read the full letter here.
United in Prayer Our nation has already experienced so much loss due to COVID-19, and health officials are now predicting that April could be the most disastrous month yet. That is why, along with Senator Coons (D-DE) and U.S. Representatives Cleaver (D-MO-05) and Walker (R-NC-06), I am joining in a bipartisan call for April to be designated a National Month of Prayer. We ask that anyone who would like to participate lift up private, non-denominational prayer at noon each day for the health of our nation. Specifically, we are asking God for protection for our health care professionals and first responders, for strength for the families that have someone infected, and to heal those who have lost someone to coronavirus. We are also praying for clarity and strength for the Coronavirus Task Force members and state public health officials.
Be it after the shootings at Mother Emanuel church or the horrific attacks on September 11, 2001, in times of tragedy, our country often turns to faith and prayer to unite us in common resolve. With the projected death toll from coronavirus currently estimating at least 100,000 people, we can all do our part – from social distancing and washing our hands to keeping those on the frontlines of this battle in our prayers each day.
Resources If you are feeling ill, click here for information from the South Carolina Hospital Association on telehealth options. More complete information on resources for South Carolinians is also available on my website or my Facebook page.
For your own safety and the safety of others, don’t forget to wash your hands for 20 seconds, use cloth masks in public, and stay home when at all possible. More CDC guidelines and other helps are available at www.coronavirus.gov.
These are challenging times for us all, but I want to encourage you not to lose heart. My many talks with individuals across the state have confirmed what I know to be true: South Carolinians are resilient, resourceful, and more unified than ever. Together, we will make it through.
Sincerely,
Tim
Lowcountry 2500 City Hall Lane 3rd Floor Suite North Charleston, SC 29406 Phone: (843) 727-4525 Fax: (855) 802-9355
Midlands 1901 Main Street Suite 1425 Columbia, SC 29201 Phone: (803) 771-6112 Fax: (855) 802-9355
Upstate 104 South Main Street Suite 803 Greenville, SC 29601 Phone: (864) 233-5366 Fax: (855) 802-9355
Washington, DC 104 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-6121 Toll Free: (855) 425-6324 Fax: (202) 228-5143
My next Telephone Town Hall on the spread of COVID-19 will be on TUESDAY, April 7th at 7:00 p.m.
The purpose of this call is to inform you of what Congress, the Administration and the Commonwealth of Virginia are doing and what you can do to limit the spread of COVID-19. I will also provide an overview of the recently enacted Coronavrius Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the support it offers to families, individuals and small business owners.
Joining me for this important call to help answer your questions will be Dr. Jordan Asher, the Chief Physician Executive for Sentara Healthcare; Carl Knoblock with the Small Business Administration; and Bill Walton and Valerie Braxton-Williams with the Virginia Employment Commission.
If you would like to participate in this Tele-Town Hall you can do so by calling 855-927-0895 at the time of the event, or you can register to receive the call and stream the event by going to bobbyscott.house.gov/live. The event will also be streamed on my Facebook page.
If you have any questions about this event, please call either of my offices at (757) 380-1000 or (202) 225-8351.
My next Telephone Town Hall on the spread of COVID-19 will be on TUESDAY, March 7th at 7:00 p.m.
The purpose of this call is to inform you of what Congress, the Administration and the Commonwealth of Virginia are doing and what you can do to limit the spread of COVID-19. I will also provide an overview of the recently enacted Coronavrius Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the support it offers to families, individuals and small business owners.
Joining me for this important call to help answer your questions will be Dr. Jordan Asher, the Chief Physician Executive for Sentara Healthcare;Carl Knoblock with the Small Business Administration; and Bill Walton and Valerie Braxton-Williams with the Virginia Employment Commission.
If you would like to participate in this Tele-Town Hall you can do so by calling 855-927-0895 at the time of the event, or you can register to receive the call and stream the event by going to bobbyscott.house.gov/live. The event will also be streamed on my Facebook page.
If you have any questions about this event, please call either of my offices at (757) 380-1000 or (202) 225-8351.
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