Absent further financial relief from the federal government, the United States seems destined for a full-blown economic catastrophe. As of June, 17.8 million Americans remain out of work, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (That number, which is often an underestimate even in normal times, doesn’t account for virus-related shutdowns in July; this month’s data will be published in early August.) But Congress’ extra unemployment benefits of $600/month are set to expire in less than two weeks. Other programs, like an eviction moratorium on some federally insured homes and a pause on student loan payments, are also set to end in the coming weeks. Yet the virus rages on, forcing more states to close—and some to re-close—meaning many U.S. residents will surely continue to need financial help.
The good news is that Congress is back from recess today, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at least acknowledge they need to do something. They are, of course, split on what that something might be.
Back in May, the House, with a Democratic majority, passed a $3 trillion relief bill called the HEROES Act, which extends the extra unemployment benefits through January 2021, includes another round of stimulus payments for many Americans, and more. The Senate, led by a Republican majority, has yet to even entertain that package; Senate Majority leader Majority Mitch McConnell has dismissed it as a liberal wish list.
Meanwhile, Republicans have also not introduced a new stimulus bill of their own (that’s expected to come this week). But Republican legislators have largely been skeptical of extending the increased unemployment benefits as they currently stand, arguing that they disincentivize people from seeking work. Furthermore, some Republicans, including McConnell, also want to tack on changes to liability laws that would protect companies from being held legally responsible should employees get sick with or die from the virus, and some want financial help primarily for schools that bring kids back into the classroom this fall. Republicans hope that Democrats will hold their nose and vote for a compromise bill, but major disagreements between the parties could further delay the much-needed relief. (No matter what, any package in the Senate will involve some compromise, given that the bill needs 60 votes to pass, and Republicans only have 53 seats.)
Lawmakers are aiming to reach a deal and have Trump sign it before the next recess, which begins Aug. 10. As I, and many of you, likely know, there’s nothing quite as motivating as a little deadline pressure. And with the political stakes this high, it’s unlikely Congress will go home without passing some form of additional relief.
“With control of the Senate increasingly up for grabs, several Republican senators, some in states that have among the largest outbreaks, will be under pressure to pass a bill that shows they are delivering for their constituents,” says TIME congressional reporter Alana Abramson. “And to do it as quickly as possible, so that they can go and campaign on it.”
Over the next few weeks, we’ll learn more about what that bill will look like, and how effective it might actually be.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
The Global Situation
More than 14.5 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 1 AM eastern time today, and more than 606,000 people had died.
Here is every country with over 250,000 confirmed cases:
There’s more good news on the vaccine front: in a study of 1,077 adults aged 18 to 55, researchers at the U.K.’s Oxford University found that their vaccine triggered a strong and relatively long-lasting immune response to the virus, which was especially potent when a second dose was administered. The Oxford vaccine faces plenty more testing before it’s deemed ready for prime time, but Cambridge pharma giant AstraZeneca has already committed to mass producing 2 billion doses of the vaccine if and when it’s set to go.
India, where COVID-19 is running rampant, recorded 40,425 new cases of the virus over the past 24 hours, a new daily record for the country. The country has reported more than 1.8 million cases in total since the pandemic began, and nearly 27,500 people have died there.
European Union leaders are nearing a deal on a massive coronavirus-related stimulus package for hard-hit member countries meant to pull the bloc out of its deepest recession since World War II. Core to the debate was how much of the package should take the form of grants, and how much should come as low-interest loans. “After lengthy talks last night, we worked out a framework for a possible agreement,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today, Bloomberg News reports. The overall package could be as large as €750 billion (about $856 billion), but the exact details have yet to be agreed upon.
Canadian officials have denied Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays permission to play home games at the Rogers Centre, citing the risk of repeated cross-border travel between Canada and the United States. Canada is closed to all but “essential” traffic from the U.S., a designation that baseball players apparently did not meet. Pittsburgh’s PNC Park and Buffalo’s Sahlen Field are being eyed as alternatives , though the latter is a minor league ballpark and would require significant upgrades with little time to spare. The National Hockey League is preparing to play the remainder of its season in Toronto and Edmonton, but all 31 teams are relocating to those cities for the duration of play.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. recorded more than 3.7 million coronavirus cases as of 1 AM eastern time today. More than 140,500 people have died.
On July 19, there were 61,847 new cases and 415 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump said today that the Administration's regular coronavirus briefings will resume tomorrow at 5 PM eastern time. The briefings, a can't-miss daily fixture of American life during the early days of the pandemic here, have since become sporadic at best. In announcing their return, Trump cast them as a television win. "We had a good slot. A lot of people were watching," Trump said, CNN reports. "In the history of cable television there's never been anything like it."
In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace that aired Sunday, Trump said that he’s a “believer in masks” but said it’s up to individual governors to enact mandates requiring them. The President has mostly refused to be seen wearing a mask in public, save for one notable appearance at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center earlier this month. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said last week that if everyone in the U.S. wore a mask, “I think in four, six, eight weeks we could bring this epidemic under control.”
Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation yesterday, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said the city could be “on the brink” of another stay-at-home order after a dramatic rise in cases there. However, he said, other leaders would be responsible for such decisions. “Mayors often have no control over what opens up and doesn’t,” Garcetti said. “That’s either at a state or county level.” California is recording a seven-day average of 9,127 cases a day as of yesterday, according to the California Department of Public Health, up from 8,664 the week prior; many of the new cases are in Los Angeles County.
Walmart today joins the ranks of major U.S. retailers requiring customers to wear masks, a rule that’s also in place at Kroger and Kohl's locations, among others. Mask mandates issued by big retail chains could increase compliance in cities and states where facial coverings are not mandatory, but could also spark further confrontations between resistant customers and store employees. Winn-Dixie, a supermarket chain popular across the American South, announced today that it will not require shoppers to wear masks in order to avoid such conflicts.
Also beginning today, passengers on Delta Air Lines who say they refuse to wear a mask before boarding a flight will be required to undergo a private “Clearance to Fly” assessment with a medical professional, who will evaluate those passengers’ exemption requests. “Any false claims of a disability or health condition to obtain an exemption from wearing a mask or face covering may result in the suspension of travel privileges on any Delta flight for the duration of the mask/face covering requirement,” reads the airline’s information page on the new policy. Absent strict industry-wide rules from the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. airlines have been left on their own to implement rules and procedures regarding mask-wearing, social distancing and more. (European airlines have also been left to set their own rules.)
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of July 20, 1 AM eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
What The U.S. Can Learn From Other Countries About Reopening Schools
As school districts across the U.S. weigh whether to reopen schools for in-person classes this fall, they can learn from countries where reduced class sizes and social distancing measures seem to have prevented major outbreaks so far. Read more here.
Amid Social Upheaval and COVID-19, Black Women Create Their Own Health Care Support Networks
Black women across the U.S., who have long faced systemic racism and sexism in the health care world and beyond, are banding together to address the medical and mental health challenges posed by the pandemic and the ongoing fight for racial justice. Read more here.
I Won’t Return to the Classroom, and You Shouldn’t Ask Me To
“Asking me to return to the classroom amid a pandemic and expose myself and my family to COVID-19 is like asking me to take that bullet home to my own family,” writes Mount Vernon, Wash. public school teacher Rebecca Martinson in a provocative essay for The New York Times. “I won’t do it, and you shouldn’t want me to.” Read more here.
How New York Has Kept Coronavirus at Bay
While New York went through hell and back earlier this year, it’s now one of the few states where the virus seems at least somewhat under control. How did the state get a handle on COVID-19, and what can other states learn from its experience? ABC News has potential answers. Read more here.
China Is Using Uighur Labor to Produce Face Masks
Some Chinese companies are using a controversial Uighur labor program to produce masks, a New York Times investigation found. Uighurs are a mostly Muslim ethnic group that has long faced persecution in China; the labor program is an effort to turn them and other Muslim groups into “an army of workers,” according to previous Times reporting. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Alex Fitzpatrick and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
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