President Trump finally invoked the Defense Production Act. The belated move might help six companies [1]—among them General Electric—produce thousands of the extra ventilators that are needed. Several weeks into the coronavirus crisis, the administration is also finalizing guidance on the broader use of face masks [2].
The Democratic National Convention will be late. The event in Wisconsin was pushed back to August [3], and many states have already delayed their primaries. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are already no longer on the campaign trail.
The US navy fired a captain who asked for coronavirus help. Brett Crozier of the USS Theodore Roosevelt was punished for his “extremely poor judgment” [4] after he wrote an urgent letter to superiors calling for “decisive action” to prevent deaths as Covid-19 spread on deck.
Google will start releasing user location data in 131 countries. Governments can use the information [5] to assess the effectiveness of social distancing rules. The tech giant said the data will be “aggregated, anonymized,” but there are concerns about the privacy implications.
The US publishes employment figures. Almost 10 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits [6] over the past two weeks, and the release of official figures today will be the first since the government ordered the mass shutdown of businesses.
If you are out of a job and health insurance, these are your options. Some choices for the newly jobless include enrolling in Obamacare, paying for insurance that’s normally provided by an employer, or seeking Medicaid in some states [7].
Oil CEOs are meeting Trump today to discuss energy policy. Crude had its biggest-ever one-day percentage price increase [8] yesterday, after the US president claimed that Russia and Saudi Arabia would make output cuts.
This piece was written by Wayne Dupree on April 3, 2020. It originally appeared in WayneDupree.com [9] and is used by permission.
Read more at WayneDupree.com:
Acosta Viciously Mocks ‘My Pillow’ Mike Lindell’s WH Speech – His Response Has Christians Everywhere Cheering [10]
[VIDEO] Naked Woman Goes Bonkers Inside Home Depot, Shouts “I Hate America” Threatens to “Kill” Officers [11]
[VIDEO] Chicago Nurse Quits Job; Claims Nurses Not Wearing Masks, Work Environment Not Protected! [12]