WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Monday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes:
“I wish that when we went into lockdown we looked like Italy.” Quote of the day, from Dr. Deborah Birx, Corona Virus Task Force coordinator, to KARK-TV.
- Is it true, as she said, that, “Americans don’t react well to that sort of prohibition.” Was it innate American stubborn individualism that made the difference? Italy: 35,400 deaths. America: 173,716 deaths (Worldometer).
- The White House is reported to be preparing another “skinny” virus relief bill, somewhat similar to that already rejected by Democrats. With no negotiations in sight, market optimists continued to bet on an early vaccine – the Nasdaq reached still another record high – while pessimists counted down to the outbreak of social unrest of the hungry, jobless and small-business dispossessed. Several currencies, including the euro, strengthened early Tuesday vs. the dollar.
- The Democratic National Convention has begun, with one of its main themes is that President Trump’s six weeks of inaction early on and his urging for states to reopen instead of wearing masks that made the difference. “Liberate” states under lockdown, he had tweeted.
- “Americans learned a critical lesson, how vulnerable we are when we are divided,” N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo told the Convention’s remote viewers.
- Two and a half months before a presidential election is not the best time to grieve the lack of unity. A Republican speaking at the Democratic convention, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, gets the full broadside from President Trump aboard AF1 Monday evening: “He was a loser as a Republican and he’ll be a loser as a Democrat.”
- When President Trump first conflated what he said were fraud-prone mail-in ballots with what he saw as the inadequacies of the U.S. Postal Service, another provocative cul de sac with which to harass his enemies, it probably wasn’t as obvious as it is now that Democrats would pounce. Whether he had anything to do with mail delivery or not, protest mail started to pile up at congressional offices as the narrative that Trump was sabotaging mail delivery caught fire. White House Chief of Staff Meadows on CNN Sunday tried to flip the script and the president followed suit Monday. He said he wants to speed up the mail, not slow it down. Too late. House Speaker Pelosi called the House back into session for Saturday to vote to bolster USPS funding and Democratic-led committees will hear the Postmaster General – during the Republican National Convention – say it was his predecessor who triggered cutbacks.
- President Trump, among his many comments Monday as he traveled said he is announcing another “important” pardon Tuesday.
- The first city in the world to have full 5G coverage is Shenzhen, China, it was announced Monday. The U.S., without a national contender in the 5G race, widened its sanctions vs. China’s Huawei.
- Upcoming U.S. economic data includes U.S. housing starts at 8:30 ET and the Redbook same-store sales at 8:55a ET.. The morning’s NAHB builder’s confidence index set a new record high while the Empire States reading of northeast manufacturing dropped sharply.
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