The Analyzer News Roundup for May 4, 2020
States have slowly begun to reopen amid pressure from the Trump administration to kickstart the economy.
Nearly a dozen states partially opened on Friday, including Texas, Tennessee and Georgia, the first mass reopening of business since the pandemic ravaged the country nearly six weeks ago. Several other states, including Florida and Indiana, have partially opened on Monday.
Protests flared in states that are still under lockdown orders, including in Illinois and Michigan.
On Monday, House Republicans pushed back against a proposal by the Democrats to allow representatives to vote by proxy from outside of Washington and also grant committees the ability to meet virtually.
The House was scheduled to return from a month-long stoppage on April 20 but continues to sit in an extended recess.
Meanwhile, the full Senate is to reconvene on Monday for the first time in a month. The first item on their agenda is to vote on the nominee inspector general for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
J. Crew is the first major U.S. retailer to collapse in the face of the global pandemic. The multi-brand apparel producer filed bankruptcy on Monday. The company was founded in 1947.
The pandemic has hobbled the world economy. Just last month, sales of clothing and related accessories were halved. The decline is believed to be even sharper in April.
Retailers are not alone is struggling to attract customers. Entertainment conglomerate Disney has also been devastated by the virus. With theme parks, movie and TV studios, hotel chains and more, the media mouse has furloughed an estimated 100,000 employees and slashed executive pay up to 50 percent.
Over the weekend, Trump accused the Chinese government of making a “horrible mistake” in its virus response. He blamed the authoritarian regime of coordinating a far-reaching cover-up that allowed the virus to spread more rapidly around the world.
Public health officials have also criticized Beijing for withholding information and acting too slowly. Intelligence officials told the New York Times that bureaucrats in Wuhan have lied about infection rates, testing and death counts, fearful they will be punished if they do otherwise.
