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Have Over 343,000 More Americans Died From COVID?

By Chas Danner

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

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.

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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

Suzanne Simard Changed How the World Sees Trees

just asking questions

By Robert Moor

The pathbreaking ecologist on what she’s learned about interspecies collaboration, tree sentience, and nature’s resilience.

Working Families Party Issues Dual Endorsement of Maya Wiley and Dianne Morales

nyc mayoral race

By Matt Stieb

The progressive group’s co-sign — revoked from Stringer following a groping allegation — could help the candidates gain much-needed momentum.

Liz Cheney Wants to Save American Democracy From Trump’s Next Coup

the national interest

By Jonathan Chait

A Republican who seems to have read How Democracies Die.

U.S. Supports WTO Plan to Lift Vaccine Patent Protections

coronavirus vaccine

By Matt Stieb

The Biden administration will now encourage other countries to agree to a WTO measure waiving IP protections for the vaccines.

What Happens Next After the Derek Chauvin Verdict

crime

Derek Chauvin’s attorney has filed a motion for a new trial, and many other legal issues remain unresolved.

No Country for New Babies

babies

By Eric Levitz

In 2020, the U.S. birth rate declined by 4 percent, bringing the nation’s fertility to its lowest point in over a century.

How Far Along Is New York City in Its Reopening This Spring?

By Matt Stieb and Paola Rosa-Aquino

Citi Field and Yankee Stadium will have separate sections for vaccinated and unvaccinated fans, and people can get J&J shots at the ballpark.

5/5/2021

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said DOJ is reviewing the court’s decision and will have “more to say later today”

A federal judge on Wednesday vacated a nationwide freeze on evictions that was put in place by federal health officials to help cash-strapped renters remain in their homes during the pandemic.

The ruling was a win for a coalition of property owners and realtors, who brought one of several challenges against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) eviction moratorium, which was first enacted under former President Trump and later extended through June.

In a 20-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was appointed by Trump, ruled that the agency exceeded its authority with the temporary ban.

“The question for the Court is a narrow one: Does the Public Health Service Act grant the CDC the legal authority to impose a nationwide eviction moratorium? It does not,” Friedrich wrote.

Federal judge vacates CDC's eviction moratorium

—The Hill