If We Were Friends With John Paulson, Part V

GOP Governors End COVID Unemployment Benefits to Make People Go Back to Work

coronavirus stimulus

By Matt Stieb

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has opted out of federal payments because they are often “greater than the worker’s previous paychecks.”

Dogecoin Survives Musk’s SNL Jokes, Will Fund Moon Mission

dogecoin

It’s been another wacky 48 hours for the internet’s favorite meme/joke crypto, which is not supposed to be worth anything but somehow is.

Most Popular

The U.S. Is Playing Catch-Up at Vaccine Diplomacy

foreign interests

By Jonah Shepp

America can still make a major difference in the efforts to get COVID-19 vaccines into arms globally, but Russia and China have a big head start.

Congratulations, You Weren’t Crushed by Space Debris Today

death from above

That enormous Chinese space rocket has finished its uncontrolled fall back to earth.

5/8/2021

rip

The Obama Family’s First Dog, Bo, Has Died

The Obamas’ beloved Portuguese water dog, who became a White House celebrity in his own right, was 12.

5/8/2021

the national interest

Elizabeth Warren’s Book Shows She Has No Idea Why Her Campaign Failed

By Jonathan Chait

Persist is an account of a campaign bubble that doesn’t know it was in a bubble.

5/8/2021

political animals

How the White House Polices Language in Washington

By Olivia Nuzzi

Including the president’s.

Have Over 343,000 More Americans Died From COVID?

covid-19

A new analysis suggests COVID has killed far more people than the CDC estimates, as well as twice as many globally, but some experts are skeptical.

NYC Still Storing COVID-19 Victims in Makeshift Morgues

covid-19

By Paola Rosa-Aquino

The remains of 750 bodies are being kept in the trailers, which opened in April 2020 as COVID-19 deaths overwhelmed the city.

5 Explanations for April’s Bad Jobs Report

the economy

By Eric Levitz

Day cares are shuttered, the pandemic isn’t over, UI benefits are generous, and two other theories for last month’s big miss.

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Former Officers in George Floyd’s Death

crime

Derek Chauvin and three other former Minneapolis police officers have been indicted on charges of violating George Floyd’s civil rights.

Hopefully You Won’t Be Crushed by Space Debris This Weekend

don't panic

By Mia Mercado

Experts don’t know exactly where a 23-ton Chinese rocket part will land.

5/7/2021

A disappointing jobs report

The American jobs engine slowed markedly last month, confounding rosy forecasts of the pace of the recovery and sharpening debates over how best to revive a labor market that was severely weakened by the coronavirus pandemic.

Employers added 266,000 jobs in April, the government reported Friday, far below the vigorous gains registered in March. The jobless rate rose slightly to 6.1 percent, as more people rejoined the labor force.

… Economists had forecast an addition of about a million jobs. The increase for March was revised down to 770,000 from 916,000.

U.S. added 266,000 jobs in April, as hiring slowed.

—NYT

Meet Trump’s New Apprentice

gop

By Matt Stieb

A one-time moderate from New York, Elise Stefanik embraced Trump’s election-fraud claims and may soon be rewarded with Liz Cheney’s leadership seat.

5/7/2021

Full approval would allow the companies to market the vaccine directly to customers, and may make it easier for employers and schools to require vaccinations

Pfizer and the German company BioNTech have become the first companies to apply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for full approval of their Covid-19 vaccine for use in people 16 and older. The vaccine is currently being administered to adults in America under an emergency use authorization granted in December.

The approval process is likely to take months.

The companies said in a statement on Friday that had submitted their clinical data, which includes six months of information on the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, to the F.D.A. They plan to submit additional material, including information about the manufacturing of the vaccine, in the coming weeks.

Pfizer and BioNTech apply for full U.S. approval for their Covid vaccine.

—New York Times

Tish James Wants In on Jacob Wohl Election Robocall Suit

New York’s AG moved to join a federal suit over Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman’s alleged voter-suppression plot, seeking fines of $2.75 million.

When Trump’s Next Coup Happens, the Republican Party Will Fully Support It

the national interest

By Jonathan Chait

The Cheney debate shows the party elite has made up its mind.

All the Endorsements in the NYC Mayoral Race

nyc mayoral race

With the June 22 primary approaching, Democratic mayoral candidates are racking up endorsements from politicians, organizations, and celebrities.

Uh-oh, Jim Dolan Found a New Team to Meddle With

the sports section

By Joe DeLessio

The widely reviled Knicks owner had mostly left his hockey club alone. Not anymore.

DeSantis Signs Voting Restrictions Into Law in Fox News ‘Exclusive’

The Florida governor turned the enactment of yet another restrictive Republican voting measure into a segment on Fox & Friends.

New Survey Finds Republicans More Eager to Get Vaccinated

By Paola Rosa-Aquino

Enthusiasm has plateaued, but there are positive developments in the rush to inoculate the country, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Can Biden’s Low-Key Strategy Work Forever?

intelligencer chats

By Gabriel Debenedetti and Benjamin Hart

His executive branch has seemed almost invisible at times — a stark contrast to his predecessor’s.

The Sexist Backlash to Universal Day Care

By Sarah Jones

Women left the workforce. The right wants to keep it that way.

5/6/2021

A DeSantis spokeswoman said the bill signing was a “Fox exclusive”

Breaking: Ron DeSantis signs Georgia-style voter suppression bill #SB90 restricting mail ballot drop boxes, making it harder to vote by mail, criminalizing giving food/water to voters in line & expanding partisan challenges to vote counting. Only Fox was allowed to cover signing

—@AriBerman

5/6/2021

More positive news on the economy

Weekly jobless claims hit a fresh pandemic-era low for the fourth consecutive week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, with 498,000 Americans filing for initial unemployment benefits in the week that ended May 1.

That’s down 92,000 from last week’s upwardly revised level, the lowest figure since mid-March of last year. The streak of weekly declines, which started with a surprise drop in mid-April, suggests the recovery is gaining traction, pulling scores of workers back into the folds of the labor market as business restrictions continue to loosen and vaccinations pick up.

Jobless claims notch fourth straight week of pandemic lows

—Washington Post