csmonitor--2020-03-31--Daily for March 31, 2020

Daily for March 31, 2020

The grocer gets up at 5 a.m. , and washes his hands .
In the dark he dresses , eats something , tries “ to clear [ his ] mind , ” and opens his email .
He begins .
On another day , in other times , this is when he would have looked at numbers – order sizes maybe , sales by hour , prior-year traffic .
He would have been planning , imagining innovations , thinking hard about customer demands and employee needs and competitor strategies .
He would have been thinking hard about how he might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loves to do .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , we ’ ve removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s free .
But today the grocer will do none of that .
The grocer ’ s name is Mark Mignosa .
And right now his grocery store – Fruit Center Marketplace , in Hingham , Massachusetts – could be almost any grocery store in locked-down America , and his story almost any grocer ’ s story .
Except that his store isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I need it to keep getting me food .
Will there be groceries ?
By 6:30 a.m. , after the emailing from home about health department updates , tactical questions from managers , and the day ’ s “ directives ” ( “ Even more handwashing !
” ) , he ’ s in the Fruit Center ’ s aisles .
“ And from the moment you hit the store , you ’ re on , ” he says .
The doors will open at 7 , instead of 8 , for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” shoppers , and away the day will race .
Agenda : Get enough goods on the emptying shelves , keep customers safe and calm , keep employees healthy and committed , and keep himself from getting sick .
Ready , set , go .
Mr. Mignosa knows what I ’ m thinking , because he knows everybody ’ s thinking it .
Will our food keep showing up ?
Sometime in the past few weeks , as coronavirus cases and social lockdowns spread , Mr. Mignosa watched Americans decide they could no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they needed them .
Hence the hoarding .
Almost half the stores responding to a national Progressive Grocer poll likened their customers to frantic prospectors in a river running out of gold .
The Fruit Center was no exception ; foot traffic rose between 100 % and 200 % , and average checkout tallies doubled .
Business still remains at “ holiday levels , ” says Mr. Mignosa , which is hard to manage in the best of times , and brutally hard when the “ holiday ” refuses to end .
Of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , have questions : How can we expect the food system to keep working when it seems like most people don ’ t go to work ?
Will we ever actually see toilet paper again ?
According to supply chain analysts and grocery industry insiders – as well as Mr. Mignosa ’ s own instincts and experience – the answers are easy : Yes , there will be toilet paper ; in fact there were a few rolls yesterday .
( “ Fred found some from an industrial paper distributor .
The crew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They can find things.
” ) It sold out .
More ’ s coming .
And yes , the U.S. food supply chain will keep getting us food .
Just not everything we ’ re used to .
The Fruit Center and its sister location in nearby Milton – both co-owned and co-managed by Mr. Mignosa and his brother , Michael – are about half the size of average supermarkets but still need deliveries from 30 distributors and some 200 vendors .
Supply isn ’ t perfect , Mr. Mignosa says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ impressed by the product flow.
” He wishes product flow were his biggest worry .
The morning goes both fast and slow .
Fast because of so much work , “ and with very short staff .
We ’ re down a few people in every department.
” Employees have begged off due to illness , or discomfort with the exposure , or the need to care for others at home .
( “ Which is absolutely understandable , and what you expect , ” Mr. Mignosa says .
“ We need people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them.
” ) Slow because it ’ s just a few weeks since the national emergency declaration and already you can see the accumulating weariness among the staff – the wish for the days to hurry up and the bad dream to be over .
Massachusetts is among the worst-hit states so far , with more than 5,700 confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
In the store , Mr. Mignosa likes to move – constantly circulating with short quick steps .
When he stops to talk , his torso tilts forward a little , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might fall between you .
He ’ s the kind of boss who wears the same outfit the clerks and stockers do .
If there ’ s a sudden need for baggers at the checkout , he ’ s the kind of boss who bags .
Before all this , says Mr. Mignosa , “ everything about our days was completely different .
The whole focus would have been customer service , quality , freshness , the personal development '' of employees .
( The Fruit Center has 300 . )
Then there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with orders and find new sources of must-have items .
Cleaning goods and paper products remain hard to get , along with backroom store supplies like bathroom soaps and sanitizers , and sometimes deli meats and water , “ like before a storm.
” The other day there wasn ’ t any canola oil or dried black beans .
“ A lot of comfort food is going on , ” Mr. Mignosa says .
Meanwhile , the store ’ s processes and tactics are changed almost daily .
The salad bar is closed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To facilitate safe social distancing , the store is metered now ; 50 or 60 shoppers are allowed in ; after that it 's one in , one out .
Plastic glass barriers have been erected at checkouts , and hourly wages have been hiked $ 2 ( as has become increasingly common industrywide ) .
In front of the fish counter and deli counter and checkout stations , there ’ s blue tape on the floor to keep people at a distance .
There are signs up .
By lunchtime Mr. Mignosa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has washed his hands .
Nor how many conversations he has had – with staffers , with customers .
“ All centered on the same issue.
” Sometimes it feels like the conversations are all he does .
“ We ’ re all a little frightened , because we ’ re all on the front line .
I don ’ t even want to say that because I don ’ t want to scare anybody , but it ’ s the truth.
” In Italy , an infected grocery clerk has died ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he circulates and he talks .
“ It ’ s the time you have with every individual that matters .
They need it , they ’ re sacrificing so much , they ’ re such pros , ” says Mr. Mignosa .
He tries to reach everybody .
“ Could be three minutes , 10 minutes .
Could be a couple people , could be one at a time.
” Customers , too , seem hungry to talk .
All day they ask Mr. Mignosa and his Fruit Center colleagues , “ How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” The questions are repeated so often that one might imagine they grow stale when there ’ s so much work to do .
“ No !
” Mr. Mignosa says .
“ No , no , we need people to ask us that .
We need to ask them how they ’ re doing , too .
With customers there ’ s more of a connection now than ever – because we ’ re all going through this together .
It helps everyone .
Afternoon .
Mr. Mignosa is in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many cars .
He ’ s traffic-copping , smiling – directing people in his simultaneously decisive and self-effacing way .
Outside the main door , shoppers are lined up in the manner we ’ ve all now learned – spread out like fence posts that got abandoned before the actual fencing went up .
I recognize some of them by sight if not name ; 20 years of patronage among others just as loyal will do that .
They seem calm .
I ask them how they ’ re doing .
Good , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple – Christine and Alden – tell me , “ This is nice.
” Nice ?
“ Yeah , I feel better here , ” explains Christine .
“ I mean this is our store .
At home , the news – it can seem like nothing is working .
Anywhere .
And the isolation ... ” She looks around ; the sky is gray but it ’ s not too cold .
“ Well , normal-ish , ” Alden revises .
He changes the subject .
“ I seriously want to thank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that weird ?
” I say I know what he means .
Inside the store a fully masked customer at the checkout waves his arm to indicate his filled cart and gives me a muffled , “ This is great , ” the skin around his eyes crinkling with a smile you can ’ t see .
Meanwhile people keep floating slowly through the aisles , nodding to one another as they calculate just what 6 feet looks like .
There ’ s still no toilet paper .
“ Or flour or chicken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It troubles him .
Because normal is exactly what he ’ s going for .
It isn ’ t normal , though .
The shelves may look serene but the duck ’ s feet are windmilling frantically below the surface , just as they are behind the scenes at other supermarkets and food distributors and loading docks across the country .
Mr. Mignosa can ’ t get his staff to leave on time .
“ It ’ s overwhelming , the amount of load coming in [ for restocking ] , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 p.m. instead of its previous 8 p.m. to allocate hours for sanitizing and stock handling , but there ’ s still not enough time to get the work done , “ and they don ’ t wan na leave.
” Mr. Mignosa adds , “ I keep insisting it ’ s important to leave .
You have to get rest .
You have to take care of yourselves.
” Does Mr. Mignosa take his own advice ?
Sometime between 5:30 and 6 p.m. , he goes home .
He has been at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ ll do it again .
Maybe you feel about some store that ’ s local to you the way I feel about the Fruit Center .
Especially now .
On occasion over the past two decades I feared for it , as a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe ’ s and a Fresh Market came to town ( joining two other supermarkets already here ) .
But the Fruit Center just kept getting better , and thrived .
It ’ s the kind of store where if you ask a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he doesn ’ t tell you or point ; he drops what he ’ s doing and takes you to them , no matter how many aisles away .
The store is good , is the thing .
Flagrantly competent , delightful to be in , easy to count on .
You can count on it without even thinking about it .
You can take it for granted .
Over the phone , I tell Mr. Mignosa about the customers who wanted to thank him and his people for their service , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You know , ” he says , “ we get a lot of that now .
Seems ridiculous but I almost feel like a first responder , or a fireman , whatever .
It ’ s not like we ’ re depended on for survival or anything.
” Yet you kind of are , I remind him , because : food .
“ People are so grateful .
It keeps you going .
And when we get that support , in an email or a conversation , we immediately try to blast it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s like : This is it .
This is why .
We can do this.
” And of course , I know they can .
I know they will .
It ’ s a grocery store , but right about now it feels a little heroic .
Mr. Mignosa is home for the night , his phone on ( “ always ” ) but his computer off .
He and his wife have three kids – two in college and a high school freshman – and now the whole family is back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family ’ s great ; they ’ re very balanced , ” he says , his voice making it sound as though “ balanced ” might be the hardest and most precious thing in the world .
“ It ’ s a good reset for me.
” So , he resets .
Does he worry about how long he and his crew can keep going ?
“ No .
I ’ m just not at that point ; I don ’ t think about that .
Nothing past tomorrow matters .
“ There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep this going for our community.
” So tomorrow , like today , he ’ ll do the best thing he can think to do , which is to do his job as well as he can do it .
But first , he needs some rest .
So he ’ ll go to bed .
Right after he washes his hands .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , we ’ ve removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s free .

A day in the life of a grocer: Social distance, community embrace Collapse
The grocer gets up at 5 a.m., and washes his hands.
In the dark he dresses, eats something, tries “to clear [his] mind,” and opens his email. He begins.
On another day, in other times, this is when he would have looked at numbers – order sizes maybe, sales by hour, prior-year traffic. He would have been planning, imagining innovations, thinking hard about customer demands and employee needs and competitor strategies. He would have been thinking hard about how he might make his store better, as he loves to do.
Editor’s note: As a public service, we’ve removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.
But today the grocer will do none of that.
The grocer’s name is Mark Mignosa. And right now his grocery store – Fruit Center Marketplace, in Hingham, Massachusetts – could be almost any grocery store in locked-down America, and his story almost any grocer’s story. Except that his store isn’t any store.
It’s mine.
And like anybody, I need it to keep getting me food.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff View caption Hide caption Mark Mignosa, co-owner and president of the Fruit Center Marketplace, an independently owned grocery store, poses in front of the fully stocked produce aisle in his store on March 25, 2020, in Hingham, Massachusetts. Grocery stores are considered essential businesses during the coronavirus crisis.
Will there be groceries?
By 6:30 a.m., after the emailing from home about health department updates, tactical questions from managers, and the day’s “directives” (“Even more handwashing!”), he’s in the Fruit Center’s aisles. “And from the moment you hit the store, you’re on,” he says. The doors will open at 7, instead of 8, for a newly added hour restricted to “60-and-over” shoppers, and away the day will race.
Agenda: Get enough goods on the emptying shelves, keep customers safe and calm, keep employees healthy and committed, and keep himself from getting sick. Ready, set, go.
Mr. Mignosa knows what I’m thinking, because he knows everybody’s thinking it. Will our food keep showing up?
Sometime in the past few weeks, as coronavirus cases and social lockdowns spread, Mr. Mignosa watched Americans decide they could no longer trust groceries to be available when they needed them. Hence the hoarding. Almost half the stores responding to a national Progressive Grocer poll likened their customers to frantic prospectors in a river running out of gold. The Fruit Center was no exception; foot traffic rose between 100% and 200%, and average checkout tallies doubled. Business still remains at “holiday levels,” says Mr. Mignosa, which is hard to manage in the best of times, and brutally hard when the “holiday” refuses to end.
Of course his customers, like shoppers everywhere, have questions: How can we expect the food system to keep working when it seems like most people don’t go to work? Will we ever actually see toilet paper again?
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff View caption Hide caption Customers shop at the Fruit Center Marketplace during the coronavirus crisis, on March 25, 2020, in Hingham, Massachusetts. The store is limiting the number of people allowed inside at one time to allow for social distancing.
According to supply chain analysts and grocery industry insiders – as well as Mr. Mignosa’s own instincts and experience – the answers are easy:
Yes, there will be toilet paper; in fact there were a few rolls yesterday. (“Fred found some from an industrial paper distributor. The crew we have, they’re veterans. They can find things.”) It sold out. More’s coming.
And yes, the U.S. food supply chain will keep getting us food. Just not everything we’re used to.
The Fruit Center and its sister location in nearby Milton – both co-owned and co-managed by Mr. Mignosa and his brother, Michael – are about half the size of average supermarkets but still need deliveries from 30 distributors and some 200 vendors. Supply isn’t perfect, Mr. Mignosa says. “But honestly, I’m impressed by the product flow.”
He wishes product flow were his biggest worry.
On the front lines
The morning goes both fast and slow. Fast because of so much work, “and with very short staff. We’re down a few people in every department.” Employees have begged off due to illness, or discomfort with the exposure, or the need to care for others at home. (“Which is absolutely understandable, and what you expect,” Mr. Mignosa says. “We need people to do what’s right for them.”)
Slow because it’s just a few weeks since the national emergency declaration and already you can see the accumulating weariness among the staff – the wish for the days to hurry up and the bad dream to be over. Massachusetts is among the worst-hit states so far, with more than 5,700 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff View caption Hide caption Liam Carey stocks produce at the Fruit Center Marketplace during the coronavirus crisis, on March 25, 2020, in Hingham, Massachusetts. He says he is happy to still have a job.
In the store, Mr. Mignosa likes to move – constantly circulating with short quick steps. When he stops to talk, his torso tilts forward a little, as though to catch any words that might fall between you. He’s the kind of boss who wears the same outfit the clerks and stockers do. If there’s a sudden need for baggers at the checkout, he’s the kind of boss who bags.
Before all this, says Mr. Mignosa, “everything about our days was completely different. The whole focus would have been customer service, quality, freshness, the personal development" of employees. (The Fruit Center has 300.)
Then there’s the scramble to keep up with orders and find new sources of must-have items. Cleaning goods and paper products remain hard to get, along with backroom store supplies like bathroom soaps and sanitizers, and sometimes deli meats and water, “like before a storm.” The other day there wasn’t any canola oil or dried black beans. “A lot of comfort food is going on,” Mr. Mignosa says.
Meanwhile, the store’s processes and tactics are changed almost daily. The salad bar is closed. The soup table is closed. To facilitate safe social distancing, the store is metered now; 50 or 60 shoppers are allowed in; after that it's one in, one out. Plastic glass barriers have been erected at checkouts, and hourly wages have been hiked $2 (as has become increasingly common industrywide). In front of the fish counter and deli counter and checkout stations, there’s blue tape on the floor to keep people at a distance. There are signs up.
By lunchtime Mr. Mignosa has no idea how many times he has washed his hands. Nor how many conversations he has had – with staffers, with customers. “All centered on the same issue.” Sometimes it feels like the conversations are all he does.
“We’re all a little frightened, because we’re all on the front line. I don’t even want to say that because I don’t want to scare anybody, but it’s the truth.” In Italy, an infected grocery clerk has died; the news reports are everywhere.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff View caption Hide caption Signs at the Rocky Neck Fish counter instruct customers to stay behind a line at the Fruit Center Marketplace during the coronavirus crisis, on March 25, 2020, in Hingham, Massachusetts.
So he circulates and he talks. “It’s the time you have with every individual that matters. They need it, they’re sacrificing so much, they’re such pros,” says Mr. Mignosa. He tries to reach everybody. “Could be three minutes, 10 minutes. Could be a couple people, could be one at a time.”
Customers, too, seem hungry to talk. All day they ask Mr. Mignosa and his Fruit Center colleagues, “How are you? You guys doing OK?” The questions are repeated so often that one might imagine they grow stale when there’s so much work to do. “No!” Mr. Mignosa says. “No, no, we need people to ask us that. We need to ask them how they’re doing, too. With customers there’s more of a connection now than ever – because we’re all going through this together. It helps everyone.
“It helps me.”
When normal is a gift
Afternoon. Mr. Mignosa is in the parking lot, where there are too many cars. He’s traffic-copping, smiling – directing people in his simultaneously decisive and self-effacing way.
Outside the main door, shoppers are lined up in the manner we’ve all now learned – spread out like fence posts that got abandoned before the actual fencing went up.
I recognize some of them by sight if not name; 20 years of patronage among others just as loyal will do that. They seem calm. I ask them how they’re doing.
Good, they each say. Considering.
One couple – Christine and Alden – tell me, “This is nice.” Nice?
“Yeah, I feel better here,” explains Christine. “I mean this is our store. At home, the news – it can seem like nothing is working. Anywhere. And the isolation ...” She looks around; the sky is gray but it’s not too cold.
“Here feels ... normal.”
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff View caption Hide caption Customers leave with their purchases from the Fruit Center Marketplace.
“Well, normal-ish,” Alden revises. He changes the subject. “I seriously want to thank these guys for their service. Is that weird?” I say I know what he means.
Inside the store a fully masked customer at the checkout waves his arm to indicate his filled cart and gives me a muffled, “This is great,” the skin around his eyes crinkling with a smile you can’t see. Meanwhile people keep floating slowly through the aisles, nodding to one another as they calculate just what 6 feet looks like. There’s still no toilet paper. “Or flour or chicken stock,” Mr. Mignosa says. It troubles him.
Because normal is exactly what he’s going for.
It isn’t normal, though. The shelves may look serene but the duck’s feet are windmilling frantically below the surface, just as they are behind the scenes at other supermarkets and food distributors and loading docks across the country. Mr. Mignosa can’t get his staff to leave on time. “It’s overwhelming, the amount of load coming in [for restocking],” he tells me. The store closes at 6 p.m. instead of its previous 8 p.m. to allocate hours for sanitizing and stock handling, but there’s still not enough time to get the work done, “and they don’t wanna leave.”
Mr. Mignosa adds, “I keep insisting it’s important to leave. You have to get rest. You have to take care of yourselves.”
Does Mr. Mignosa take his own advice?
Sometime between 5:30 and 6 p.m., he goes home. He has been at the store for 11 hours.
Tomorrow he’ll do it again.
“Reset”
Maybe you feel about some store that’s local to you the way I feel about the Fruit Center. Especially now.
On occasion over the past two decades I feared for it, as a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe’s and a Fresh Market came to town (joining two other supermarkets already here). But the Fruit Center just kept getting better, and thrived. It’s the kind of store where if you ask a stocker for the location of the capers, he doesn’t tell you or point; he drops what he’s doing and takes you to them, no matter how many aisles away.
The store is good, is the thing. Flagrantly competent, delightful to be in, easy to count on. You can count on it without even thinking about it. You can take it for granted.
Over the phone, I tell Mr. Mignosa about the customers who wanted to thank him and his people for their service, and I hear him exhale.
“You know,” he says, “we get a lot of that now. Seems ridiculous but I almost feel like a first responder, or a fireman, whatever. It’s not like we’re depended on for survival or anything.”
Yet you kind of are, I remind him, because: food.
“People are so grateful. It keeps you going. And when we get that support, in an email or a conversation, we immediately try to blast it around the store to everyone. It’s like: This is it. This is why. We can do this.”
And of course, I know they can. I know they will. It’s a grocery store, but right about now it feels a little heroic.
Mr. Mignosa is home for the night, his phone on (“always”) but his computer off. He and his wife have three kids – two in college and a high school freshman – and now the whole family is back together in the lockdown. “My family’s great; they’re very balanced,” he says, his voice making it sound as though “balanced” might be the hardest and most precious thing in the world. “It’s a good reset for me.”
So, he resets. Does he worry about how long he and his crew can keep going? “No. I’m just not at that point; I don’t think about that. Nothing past tomorrow matters.
“There’s no doubt that we can keep this going for our community.”
So tomorrow, like today, he’ll do the best thing he can think to do, which is to do his job as well as he can do it.
But first, he needs some rest. So he’ll go to bed.
Right after he washes his hands.
Editor’s note: As a public service, we’ve removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.


csmonitor--2020-04-16--California to give relief funds to undocumented immigrants

California will be the first state to give cash to immigrants living in the country illegally who are hurt by the coronavirus , offering $ 500 apiece to 150,000 adults who were left out of the $ 2.2 trillion stimulus package approved by Congress .
Many Americans began receiving $ 1,200 checks from the federal government this week , and others who are unemployed are getting an additional $ 600 a week from the government that has ordered them to stay home and disrupted what had been a roaring economy .
But people living in the country illegally are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and advocates have been pushing for states to fill in the gap .
Wednesday , Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced he would spend $ 75 million of taxpayer money to create a Disaster Relief Fund for immigrants living in the country illegally .
`` We feel a deep sense of gratitude for people that are in fear of deportations that are still addressing essential needs of tens of millions of Californians , '' said Mr. Newsom , who noted 10 % of the state 's workforce are immigrants living in the country illegally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in state and local taxes last year .
Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove said Mr. Newsom should spend the money instead on food banks , equipment for students to continue their education online , and local governments struggling with revenue losses .
`` Instead of meeting these urgent needs , Governor Newsom has chosen to irresponsibly pursue a left-wing path and unilaterally secured $ 125 million for undocumented immigrants , '' said Ms. Grove , who represents Bakersfield .
California has an estimated 2.2 million immigrants living in the country illegally , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pew Research Center .
State officials wo n't decide who gets the money .
Instead , the state will give the money to a network of regional nonprofits to find and vet potential recipients .
Advocates say that 's key to making the plan work because immigrants are unlikely to contact the government for fear of deportation .
`` You need to use organizations that have trusted relationships with these families , '' said Jacqueline Martinez , CEO of the Latino Community Foundation .
A group of charities has committed to raising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from private donors , potentially offering benefits to another 100,000 people .
But that money will have fewer limitations , meaning grants could be more than $ 500 or less , depending on the cost-of-living where a person lives .
Organizers began raising money on Friday and have raised more than $ 6 million so far , with contributions from the Emerson Collective , Blue Shield of California Foundation , the California Endowment , the James Irvine Foundation , the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative , and an anonymous donor .
`` We want this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefit as many people as possible , '' said Daranee Petsod , president of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees .
California has been the most aggressive state in the nation when it comes to giving benefits to immigrants living in the country illegally .
Last year , California became the first state to give taxpayer-funded health benefits to low-income adults 25 and younger living in the country illegally .
This year , Mr. Newsom had proposed expanding those benefits to seniors 65 and older .
The spending announced Wednesday means Mr. Newsom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 billion responding to the coronavirus , an extraordinary amount in just over one month .
Thursday , state lawmakers are scheduled to have their first oversight hearing of Mr. Newsom 's spending .
California has more than 26,600 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 850 deaths , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Those numbers are far behind other virus hot spots in the United States like New York and New Jersey , which public health officials attribute to the state 's aggressive implementation of physical distancing and stay-at-home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Californians have filed for unemployment benefits – more than all of the claims California processed in 2019 combined .
The state 's Employment Development Department has been overwhelmed , causing delays for many people seeking assistance .
Wednesday , Mr. Newsom announced the state 's call center will expand its hours to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. , seven days a week .
More than 1,300 state employees have been reassigned to help process the claims .
And Mr. Newsom said the state will begin distributing federal unemployment benefits by the end of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't eligible for them , including the gig workers and the self-employed .
At least five other states are already issuing those benefits , prompting criticism from some state lawmakers .
`` The people in Sacramento are making promises , and the bureaucracies and the technology are failing the people , '' Republican state Assemblyman Jim Patterson said .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s @ @

California will be the first state to give cash to immigrants living in the country illegally who are hurt by the coronavirus, offering $500 apiece to 150,000 adults who were left out of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package approved by Congress.
Many Americans began receiving $1,200 checks from the federal government this week, and others who are unemployed are getting an additional $600 a week from the government that has ordered them to stay home and disrupted what had been a roaring economy.
But people living in the country illegally are not eligible for any of that money, and advocates have been pushing for states to fill in the gap. Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would spend $75 million of taxpayer money to create a Disaster Relief Fund for immigrants living in the country illegally.
"We feel a deep sense of gratitude for people that are in fear of deportations that are still addressing essential needs of tens of millions of Californians," said Mr. Newsom, who noted 10% of the state's workforce are immigrants living in the country illegally who paid more than $2.5 billion in state and local taxes last year.
Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove said Mr. Newsom should spend the money instead on food banks, equipment for students to continue their education online, and local governments struggling with revenue losses.
"Instead of meeting these urgent needs, Governor Newsom has chosen to irresponsibly pursue a left-wing path and unilaterally secured $125 million for undocumented immigrants," said Ms. Grove, who represents Bakersfield.
California has an estimated 2.2 million immigrants living in the country illegally, the most of any state, according to the Pew Research Center. State officials won't decide who gets the money. Instead, the state will give the money to a network of regional nonprofits to find and vet potential recipients. Advocates say that's key to making the plan work because immigrants are unlikely to contact the government for fear of deportation.
"You need to use organizations that have trusted relationships with these families," said Jacqueline Martinez, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation.
A group of charities has committed to raising another $50 million for the fund from private donors, potentially offering benefits to another 100,000 people. But that money will have fewer limitations, meaning grants could be more than $500 or less, depending on the cost-of-living where a person lives.
Organizers began raising money on Friday and have raised more than $6 million so far, with contributions from the Emerson Collective, Blue Shield of California Foundation, the California Endowment, the James Irvine Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and an anonymous donor.
"We want this to be as equitable as possible and benefit as many people as possible," said Daranee Petsod, president of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees.
California has been the most aggressive state in the nation when it comes to giving benefits to immigrants living in the country illegally. Last year, California became the first state to give taxpayer-funded health benefits to low-income adults 25 and younger living in the country illegally. This year, Mr. Newsom had proposed expanding those benefits to seniors 65 and older.
The spending announced Wednesday means Mr. Newsom has committed to spending more than $2 billion responding to the coronavirus, an extraordinary amount in just over one month. Thursday, state lawmakers are scheduled to have their first oversight hearing of Mr. Newsom's spending.
California has more than 26,600 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 850 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Those numbers are far behind other virus hot spots in the United States like New York and New Jersey, which public health officials attribute to the state's aggressive implementation of physical distancing and stay-at-home orders.
Since mid-March, 2.7 million Californians have filed for unemployment benefits – more than all of the claims California processed in 2019 combined. The state's Employment Development Department has been overwhelmed, causing delays for many people seeking assistance.
Wednesday, Mr. Newsom announced the state's call center will expand its hours to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. More than 1,300 state employees have been reassigned to help process the claims. And Mr. Newsom said the state will begin distributing federal unemployment benefits by the end of the month to people who usually aren't eligible for them, including the gig workers and the self-employed.
At least five other states are already issuing those benefits, prompting criticism from some state lawmakers.
"The people in Sacramento are making promises, and the bureaucracies and the technology are failing the people," Republican state Assemblyman Jim Patterson said.
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This story was reported by The Associated Press.
Editor’s note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.


csmonitor--2020-04-16--Beneath Trump-WHO spat, a US-China race for leadership

“ Paradoxically it may be that the Chinese become a bigger player ” in global health if they move to fill the void left by a U.S. pullback , says Stephen Morrison , at the Center for Strategic and International Studies .
And if Mr. Trump ’ s aim in suspending WHO funding is to hold China responsible and counter its quest to come out of the pandemic looking like a leader , the approach is likely to backfire , some say .
The president ’ s critics say the move against WHO fits a pattern of Mr. Trump seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But experts in global health say a broader concern is that the withholding of funds sends a terrible message , in particular to poorer countries that even in more normal circumstances depend heavily on WHO .
President Donald Trump ’ s attacks on the World Health Organization are consistent with his criticism of and withdrawal from international organizations and agreements .
But the U.S. row with WHO also underscores what many experts say is a troubling lack of global leadership for addressing the coronavirus pandemic , a challenge as grave as anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ II .
Late in February , when President Donald Trump was still minimizing the impact he anticipated from the coronavirus on the United States , he had only glowing remarks to make about the World Health Organization ’ s role in checking the new global threat .
Along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , WHO was “ working hard and very smart ” to help the world bring the novel coronavirus under control , President Trump tweeted Feb. 24 .
But these days , with the U.S. topping the list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases and counting more than 33,000 deaths from COVID-19 – and with criticism mounting of the slow and uncoordinated early response to the pandemic from the White House – the president ’ s messaging about the United Nations ’ premier health organization is very different .
On Tuesday Mr. Trump announced from the Rose Garden that he was suspending U.S. funding for WHO – about $ 450 million annually , or just over 20 % of its budget – and railed against the institution charged with promoting “ the health of all peoples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” by its “ mistakes.
” WHO had failed to warn the world of the seriousness of the new virus early enough , he said , when it could have made a difference .
Moreover , the president charged WHO with abetting China in a disinformation campaign about the coronavirus ’ s origins and subsequent cover-up of the outbreak – actions Mr. Trump said worsened the impact of the virus outside China .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.N. structure ’ s global health agency – created along with so many other multilateral institutions as part of a postwar , U.S.-led international order – are consistent with his criticism of and withdrawal from international organizations and agreements .
But the U.S. row with WHO also underscores what many international experts say is a troubling lack of global leadership for addressing a challenge as grave as anything the world has faced since World War II .
The president ’ s critics say the move against WHO fits a pattern of Mr. Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failings somewhere else .
But experts in global health issues point to a broader concern , saying Mr. Trump ’ s action sends a terrible message to the world .
In particular , they say , to poorer countries with weak health infrastructures that even in more normal circumstances depend heavily on WHO for everything from malaria and polio-eradication programs to maternal and infant health campaigns .
“ One of the things the WHO has been very good about is channeling resources to the global south , to countries with fewer resources to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so [ cutting WHO funding ] will be particularly poorly viewed in those countries , ” says Ian Johnstone , a professor of international law and expert in international institutions at Tufts University ’ s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford , Massachusetts .
“ It sends an unfortunate message – one the Trump administration has communicated from the beginning – that it doesn ’ t have much faith in international organizations and is reluctant to engage in international cooperation.
” And even some who are more supportive of the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large international bureaucracies say the middle of a pandemic is not the time for the single largest contributor to WHO ’ s budget to halt funding .
The time to evaluate WHO ’ s shortcomings in terms of the pandemic will come , they say , but cutting funding now will only weaken any support the U.S. might have garnered for reforming WHO .
Moreover , the Trump administration ’ s efforts to hold China responsible for its early cover-up of the virus outbreak will be undercut by defunding WHO , says Brett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Heritage Foundation in Washington .
“ The U.S. has taken pains to counter Chinese disinformation and focus the world on the fact that Chinese actions and inactions facilitated the spread of COVID-19 and impeded the international response , leading to enormous loss of life and economic hardship , ” says Mr. Schaefer .
“ Those efforts will be immediately overshadowed by an announcement that the U.S. is cutting funding to the WHO even as other nations , both developed and developing , are expressing anger toward China for its role in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is simply unrealistic to expect an international organization like WHO , which serves its member states and has very little authority to impose measures on them , to come down hard on a global power like China .
Chinese leader Xi Jinping “ is pushing the narrative that ‘ I intervened and I stopped this inside China , ’ and there ’ s no way that WHO can contradict that , ” says Derek Scissors , China scholar and U.S.-China relations expert at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington .
“ It would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] contradicting the U.S. government on its economic reporting and forecasts , ” he adds .
“ You ’ re just not going to have an international organization like that contradicting its most important members.
” Health experts close to WHO say its officials , including Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , are frustrated that many of the organization ’ s 194 member states have paid little heed to the global emergency declaration it issued Jan. 30 and subsequent guidance for addressing the pandemic .
Mr. Trump accuses WHO of being slow to inform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but in fact Director-General Tedros , as he is known , has held nearly daily briefings on the health emergency since late January , often issuing guidance and stark warnings on the consequences of not taking swift mitigating actions .
Some global health experts say there was a time when the organization did act quickly and decisively with China to halt the spread of a threatening virus .
They point to the tough , early actions that former WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland , a no-nonsense former prime minister of Norway , took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reach of the SARS epidemic .
Despite the director-general ’ s lack of authority to investigate and censure WHO member states , Ms. Brundtland went ahead and held China ’ s feet to the fire anyway .
And now WHO and Ms. Brundtland are widely credited with keeping SARS in check and limiting deaths worldwide to under 1,000 .
But Mr. Scissors says the situation in 2002 was quite different , in particular because China was still not the political and economic bigfoot it is today .
Others say Ms. Brundtland carried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Tedros simply doesn ’ t have .
In any case , if Mr. Trump ’ s aim in suspending WHO funding is in part to counter China and its quest to come out of the pandemic looking like a leader , the approach is likely to backfire , some say .
“ Paradoxically it may be that the Chinese become a bigger player ” in global health if they move to fill the void left by a U.S. pullback , says Stephen Morrison , director of the Global Health Policy Center at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Washington .
Noting that the pandemic is entering a “ new phase in which we ’ re going to see higher impact in low-income countries … in Africa and Asia where WHO remains a central player , ” Mr. Morrison says China coming to WHO ’ s financial rescue now could further muffle any criticism of China ’ s role in the pandemic .
“ The WHO has to be deferential ” to its member states , ” he says .
“ It ’ s deferential to the U.S. , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .

“Paradoxically it may be that the Chinese become a bigger player” in global health if they move to fill the void left by a U.S. pullback, says Stephen Morrison, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
And if Mr. Trump’s aim in suspending WHO funding is to hold China responsible and counter its quest to come out of the pandemic looking like a leader, the approach is likely to backfire, some say.
Was the World Health Organization too uncritical of China? Its power to challenge member states is limited, say experts, and withholding U.S. funding amid the pandemic only opens the door to greater Chinese influence.
The president’s critics say the move against WHO fits a pattern of Mr. Trump seeking to shift blame for his own failings. But experts in global health say a broader concern is that the withholding of funds sends a terrible message, in particular to poorer countries that even in more normal circumstances depend heavily on WHO.
President Donald Trump’s attacks on the World Health Organization are consistent with his criticism of and withdrawal from international organizations and agreements. But the U.S. row with WHO also underscores what many experts say is a troubling lack of global leadership for addressing the coronavirus pandemic, a challenge as grave as anything the world has faced since World War II.
Late in February, when President Donald Trump was still minimizing the impact he anticipated from the coronavirus on the United States, he had only glowing remarks to make about the World Health Organization’s role in checking the new global threat.
Along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO was “working hard and very smart” to help the world bring the novel coronavirus under control, President Trump tweeted Feb. 24.
But these days, with the U.S. topping the list of countries with the most reported coronavirus cases and counting more than 33,000 deaths from COVID-19 – and with criticism mounting of the slow and uncoordinated early response to the pandemic from the White House – the president’s messaging about the United Nations’ premier health organization is very different.
Why We Wrote This Was the World Health Organization too uncritical of China? Its power to challenge member states is limited, say experts, and withholding U.S. funding amid the pandemic only opens the door to greater Chinese influence.
On Tuesday Mr. Trump announced from the Rose Garden that he was suspending U.S. funding for WHO – about $450 million annually, or just over 20% of its budget – and railed against the institution charged with promoting “the health of all peoples” for causing “so much death” by its “mistakes.” WHO had failed to warn the world of the seriousness of the new virus early enough, he said, when it could have made a difference.
Moreover, the president charged WHO with abetting China in a disinformation campaign about the coronavirus’s origins and subsequent cover-up of the outbreak – actions Mr. Trump said worsened the impact of the virus outside China.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.
Mr. Trump’s attacks on the U.N. structure’s global health agency – created along with so many other multilateral institutions as part of a postwar, U.S.-led international order – are consistent with his criticism of and withdrawal from international organizations and agreements. But the U.S. row with WHO also underscores what many international experts say is a troubling lack of global leadership for addressing a challenge as grave as anything the world has faced since World War II.
The president’s critics say the move against WHO fits a pattern of Mr. Trump seeking to shift blame for his own failings somewhere else.
But experts in global health issues point to a broader concern, saying Mr. Trump’s action sends a terrible message to the world. In particular, they say, to poorer countries with weak health infrastructures that even in more normal circumstances depend heavily on WHO for everything from malaria and polio-eradication programs to maternal and infant health campaigns.
“One of the things the WHO has been very good about is channeling resources to the global south, to countries with fewer resources to address a challenge like a pandemic, so [cutting WHO funding] will be particularly poorly viewed in those countries,” says Ian Johnstone, a professor of international law and expert in international institutions at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Massachusetts.
“It sends an unfortunate message – one the Trump administration has communicated from the beginning – that it doesn’t have much faith in international organizations and is reluctant to engage in international cooperation.”
Unintended consequences
And even some who are more supportive of the president and share some of his skepticism toward large international bureaucracies say the middle of a pandemic is not the time for the single largest contributor to WHO’s budget to halt funding.
The time to evaluate WHO’s shortcomings in terms of the pandemic will come, they say, but cutting funding now will only weaken any support the U.S. might have garnered for reforming WHO.
Moreover, the Trump administration’s efforts to hold China responsible for its early cover-up of the virus outbreak will be undercut by defunding WHO, says Brett Schaefer, an expert in international institutions at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.
“The U.S. has taken pains to counter Chinese disinformation and focus the world on the fact that Chinese actions and inactions facilitated the spread of COVID-19 and impeded the international response, leading to enormous loss of life and economic hardship,” says Mr. Schaefer. “Those efforts will be immediately overshadowed by an announcement that the U.S. is cutting funding to the WHO even as other nations, both developed and developing, are expressing anger toward China for its role in the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Others say it is simply unrealistic to expect an international organization like WHO, which serves its member states and has very little authority to impose measures on them, to come down hard on a global power like China.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping “is pushing the narrative that ‘I intervened and I stopped this inside China,’ and there’s no way that WHO can contradict that,” says Derek Scissors, China scholar and U.S.-China relations expert at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.
“It would be like the [International Monetary Fund] contradicting the U.S. government on its economic reporting and forecasts,” he adds. “You’re just not going to have an international organization like that contradicting its most important members.”
Health experts close to WHO say its officials, including Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, are frustrated that many of the organization’s 194 member states have paid little heed to the global emergency declaration it issued Jan. 30 and subsequent guidance for addressing the pandemic.
Mr. Trump accuses WHO of being slow to inform the world of the gathering threat, but in fact Director-General Tedros, as he is known, has held nearly daily briefings on the health emergency since late January, often issuing guidance and stark warnings on the consequences of not taking swift mitigating actions.
A check on China
Some global health experts say there was a time when the organization did act quickly and decisively with China to halt the spread of a threatening virus. They point to the tough, early actions that former WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland, a no-nonsense former prime minister of Norway, took in 2002 that are credited with limiting the reach of the SARS epidemic.
Despite the director-general’s lack of authority to investigate and censure WHO member states, Ms. Brundtland went ahead and held China’s feet to the fire anyway. And now WHO and Ms. Brundtland are widely credited with keeping SARS in check and limiting deaths worldwide to under 1,000.
But Mr. Scissors says the situation in 2002 was quite different, in particular because China was still not the political and economic bigfoot it is today. Others say Ms. Brundtland carried weight as a former prime minister that Mr. Tedros simply doesn’t have.
In any case, if Mr. Trump’s aim in suspending WHO funding is in part to counter China and its quest to come out of the pandemic looking like a leader, the approach is likely to backfire, some say.
“Paradoxically it may be that the Chinese become a bigger player” in global health if they move to fill the void left by a U.S. pullback, says Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Noting that the pandemic is entering a “new phase in which we’re going to see higher impact in low-income countries … in Africa and Asia where WHO remains a central player,” Mr. Morrison says China coming to WHO’s financial rescue now could further muffle any criticism of China’s role in the pandemic.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
“The WHO has to be deferential” to its member states,” he says. “It’s deferential to the U.S., and it’s deferential to China.”
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.


csmonitor--2020-06-20--Top Manhattan prosecutor leaves job after standoff with Barr

An extraordinary standoff between the Justice Department and Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman ended Saturday when the prosecutor agreed to leave his job with an assurance that his investigations into allies of President Donald Trump would not be disturbed .
[ Editor 's note : This article has been updated throughout , from its original version , after Mr. Berman reversed course late Saturday and agreed to step down . ]
The announcement capped two days of conflicting statements , allegations of political interference in prosecutions , and defiance from Berman .
On Saturday , Attorney General William Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resign under pressure prompted President Donald Trump to fire him .
Mr. Trump tried to distance himself from the dispute , telling reporters the decision “ was all up to the attorney general.
” This episode deepened tensions between the Justice Department and congressional Democrats , who have accused Mr. Barr of politicizing the agency and acting more like Mr. Trump ’ s personal lawyer than the country ’ s chief law enforcement officer .
It also raised questions about ongoing investigations in the Southern District of New York , most notably a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s personal attorney .
Mr. Barr set off the whirlwind chain of events on Friday night with a surprise announcement that Mr. Berman was resigning , without explanation .
But Mr. Berman insisted he had not resigned , was not stepping down and his investigations would continue .
On Saturday morning , he showed up to work , telling reporters , “ I ’ m just here to do my job . ''
“ Unfortunately , with your statement of last night , you have chosen public spectacle over public service , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released by the Justice Department .
He said the idea that Mr. Berman had to continue on the job to safeguard investigations was “ false.
” Although Mr. Barr said Mr. Trump had removed Mr. Berman , the president told reporters : “ That ’ s all up to the attorney general .
Attorney General Barr is working on that .
That ’ s his department , not my department . ''
Mr. Trump added : “ I was n't involved.
” The administration ’ s push to cast aside Mr. Berman amounted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Justice Department and one of the nation ’ s top districts , which has tried major mob , financial crimes , and terrorism cases over the years .
Only days ago , allegations surfaced from former Trump national security adviser John Bolton that the president sought to interfere in an investigation by Mr. Berman ’ s office into the state-owned Turkish bank in an effort to cut deals with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan .
Mr. Berman initially vowed to stay on the job until a replacement was confirmed .
He changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he would allow Mr. Berman 's second in command , Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss , to become acting U.S. attorney .
Mr. Berman said Ms. Strauss ' appointment signaled that Barr had decided “ to respect the normal operation of law . ''
He said he was stepping down immediately .
The administration 's efforts to replace Mr. Berman with a handpicked replacement , however , were already running into roadblocks before Mr. Barr agreed to install Ms. Strauss .
After announcing Mr. Berman 's resignation , the White House said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chairman Jay Clayton , a well-connected Wall Street lawyer with virtually no experience as a federal prosecutor , for the job .
But Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a close Trump ally , said he was unlikely to proceed with Mr. Clayton ’ s nomination unless New York ’ s senators , Democrats Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand , gave their consent to the pick .
Senator Schumer said the bid to oust Mr. Berman “ reeks of potential corruption of the legal process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would “ not be complicit ” in helping fire a prosecutor investigating corruption .
Both lawmakers called for Mr. Clayton to withdraw from consideration .
Senator Schumer also called for the department ’ s inspector general and Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate Mr. Berman 's ouster .
And the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee , Rep. Jerry Nadler , D-N.Y. , said Mr. Berman has an open invitation to testify before his panel .
Mr. Berman , a Republican who contributed to the president ’ s election campaign , worked for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was personally interviewed by Mr. Trump before being tapped as U.S. attorney .
But he won over some skeptics after overseeing numerous prosecutions and investigations with ties to Mr. Trump .
Though Mr. Berman is said to be unclear about the exact reason he was fired , people familiar with his thinking said his job had always seemed in jeopardy and he never had the sense it was secure .
Among the most high profile investigations he was overseeing was into Mr. Giuliani ’ s business dealings , including whether he failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Charges in the case do not appear imminent , according to people familiar with the matter .
They were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity .
The Southern District has also prosecuted a number of Trump associates , including Mr. Trump ’ s former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen , who served a prison sentence for lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes .
Mr. Cohen was recently released from a federal prison to continue serving his sentence on home confinement over coronavirus concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of two Florida businessmen , Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman , who were associates of Mr. Giuliani and tied to the Ukraine impeachment investigation .
The men were charged in October with federal campaign finance violations , including hiding the origin of a $ 325,000 donation to a group supporting Mr. Trump ’ s reelection .
Under Mr. Berman ’ s tenure , his office also brought charges against Michael Avenatti , the combative lawyer who gained fame by representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits involving Mr. Trump .
Mr. Avenatti was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nike after prosecutors said he threatened to use his media access to hurt Nike ’ s reputation and stock price unless the sportswear giant paid him up to $ 25 million .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
AP writers Colleen Long , Eric Tucker , Zeke Miller , and Marcy Gordon in Washington ; and Tom Hays and Kevin Hagen in New York contributed to this report .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage @ @ @ @ @ @

An extraordinary standoff between the Justice Department and Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman ended Saturday when the prosecutor agreed to leave his job with an assurance that his investigations into allies of President Donald Trump would not be disturbed.
[Editor's note: This article has been updated throughout, from its original version, after Mr. Berman reversed course late Saturday and agreed to step down.]
The announcement capped two days of conflicting statements, allegations of political interference in prosecutions, and defiance from Berman. On Saturday, Attorney General William Barr said Mr. Berman’s refusal to resign under pressure prompted President Donald Trump to fire him. Mr. Trump tried to distance himself from the dispute, telling reporters the decision “was all up to the attorney general.”
This episode deepened tensions between the Justice Department and congressional Democrats, who have accused Mr. Barr of politicizing the agency and acting more like Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer than the country’s chief law enforcement officer. It also raised questions about ongoing investigations in the Southern District of New York, most notably a probe into Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney.
Mr. Barr set off the whirlwind chain of events on Friday night with a surprise announcement that Mr. Berman was resigning, without explanation. But Mr. Berman insisted he had not resigned, was not stepping down and his investigations would continue.
On Saturday morning, he showed up to work, telling reporters, “I’m just here to do my job."
Hours later, Mr. Barr announced Mr. Berman's firing.
“Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service,” Mr. Barr wrote in a letter released by the Justice Department. He said the idea that Mr. Berman had to continue on the job to safeguard investigations was “false.”
Although Mr. Barr said Mr. Trump had removed Mr. Berman, the president told reporters: “That’s all up to the attorney general. Attorney General Barr is working on that. That’s his department, not my department." Mr. Trump added: “I wasn't involved.”
The administration’s push to cast aside Mr. Berman amounted to a political and constitutional clash between the Justice Department and one of the nation’s top districts, which has tried major mob, financial crimes, and terrorism cases over the years.
Only days ago, allegations surfaced from former Trump national security adviser John Bolton that the president sought to interfere in an investigation by Mr. Berman’s office into the state-owned Turkish bank in an effort to cut deals with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Mr. Berman initially vowed to stay on the job until a replacement was confirmed. He changed his mind late Saturday after Mr. Barr said he would allow Mr. Berman's second in command, Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, to become acting U.S. attorney.
Mr. Berman said Ms. Strauss' appointment signaled that Barr had decided “to respect the normal operation of law." He said he was stepping down immediately.
The administration's efforts to replace Mr. Berman with a handpicked replacement, however, were already running into roadblocks before Mr. Barr agreed to install Ms. Strauss.
After announcing Mr. Berman's resignation, the White House said it was nominating Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton, a well-connected Wall Street lawyer with virtually no experience as a federal prosecutor, for the job.
But Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a close Trump ally, said he was unlikely to proceed with Mr. Clayton’s nomination unless New York’s senators, Democrats Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, gave their consent to the pick.
Senator Schumer said the bid to oust Mr. Berman “reeks of potential corruption of the legal process," and Senator Gillibrand said she would “not be complicit” in helping fire a prosecutor investigating corruption. Both lawmakers called for Mr. Clayton to withdraw from consideration.
Senator Schumer also called for the department’s inspector general and Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate Mr. Berman's ouster. And the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said Mr. Berman has an open invitation to testify before his panel.
Mr. Berman, a Republican who contributed to the president’s election campaign, worked for the same law firm as Mr. Giuliani and was personally interviewed by Mr. Trump before being tapped as U.S. attorney. But he won over some skeptics after overseeing numerous prosecutions and investigations with ties to Mr. Trump.
Though Mr. Berman is said to be unclear about the exact reason he was fired, people familiar with his thinking said his job had always seemed in jeopardy and he never had the sense it was secure.
Among the most high profile investigations he was overseeing was into Mr. Giuliani’s business dealings, including whether he failed to register as a foreign agent. Charges in the case do not appear imminent, according to people familiar with the matter. They were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The Southern District has also prosecuted a number of Trump associates, including Mr. Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who served a prison sentence for lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes. Mr. Cohen was recently released from a federal prison to continue serving his sentence on home confinement over coronavirus concerns.
Mr. Berman has overseen the prosecution of two Florida businessmen, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were associates of Mr. Giuliani and tied to the Ukraine impeachment investigation. The men were charged in October with federal campaign finance violations, including hiding the origin of a $325,000 donation to a group supporting Mr. Trump’s reelection.
Under Mr. Berman’s tenure, his office also brought charges against Michael Avenatti, the combative lawyer who gained fame by representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits involving Mr. Trump. Mr. Avenatti was convicted in February of trying to extort Nike after prosecutors said he threatened to use his media access to hurt Nike’s reputation and stock price unless the sportswear giant paid him up to $25 million.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Colleen Long, Eric Tucker, Zeke Miller, and Marcy Gordon in Washington; and Tom Hays and Kevin Hagen in New York contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.


csmonitor--2020-03-23--Gathering spiritually, calming pandemic fears

There ’ s a growing list of restrictions around gathering publicly right now , and that ’ s understandable .
And it ’ s natural and right to support efforts to contain the coronavirus .
But there ’ s another kind of gathering that ’ s essential to healing fear , especially during a pandemic .
Christ Jesus described it this way : “ Where two or three are gathered together in my name , there am I in the midst of them ” ( Matthew 18:20 ) .
This kind of gathering can take place even when we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a coming together in thought , an openness to the spiritual view of life that Jesus taught .
And it ’ s one of the most practical , health-giving things we can do .
Collective prayer is a powerful way to come together , and billions on our planet unite in a simple prayer Jesus taught : the Lord ’ s Prayer .
Mary Baker Eddy , who founded Christian Science , once spoke of the Lord ’ s Prayer as a “ bond of unity ” and a “ point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see “ Pulpit and Press , ” p. 22 ) .
Its ideas are universally true , a prayer that people of all backgrounds can “ gather around.
” In her book about spiritual healing , “ Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures , ” Eddy gives a spiritual interpretation of the Lord ’ s Prayer .
It begins , “ Our Father which art in heaven , Our Father-Mother God , all-harmonious ” ( p. 16 ) .
I ’ ve experienced healing in my life again and again by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God governing all creation in total harmony .
Once , while in a remote part of Africa , I felt a fever drain from my body as the sense of our Father impelled me to include everyone around me in my prayer , even the mosquitoes .
My prayers affirmed that we are all part of one all-harmonious , spiritual creation .
As it says in the Bible , “ God blessed them ” ( Genesis 1:22 , 28 ) .
Everything our good and loving God creates is made to bless , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creation certainly doesn ’ t include or cause disease .
This spiritual outlook enabled Jesus to heal , and it ’ s at the heart of his prayer .
As I prayed in this way , the fear gripping me was replaced by what felt like a flood of love , God ’ s love , for me and everything around me , and the fever just melted away .
I was well .
( You can read more about this healing here . )
That experience and many others have given me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prayer .
I ’ ve also glimpsed what it really means to gather “ in my name ” as Jesus taught .
It ’ s about gathering not around a human personality but around the universal idea of Christ , or Truth , that Jesus lived and taught .
Christ means anointed or divinely inspired .
I like to think of it as our divine creator ’ s “ communication link ” to everyone , everywhere .
Opening our hearts to the Christ enlightens our whole way of thinking , giving us a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governed by God , rather than a battle for survival in a dangerous world .
Christ is an irresistible power bringing us all together , enlightening our perspective of everything , helping us see our common bond as children of one infinite God .
This is what makes gathering in prayer so powerful .
And so healing !

There’s a growing list of restrictions around gathering publicly right now, and that’s understandable. And it’s natural and right to support efforts to contain the coronavirus.
But there’s another kind of gathering that’s essential to healing fear, especially during a pandemic. Christ Jesus described it this way: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
This kind of gathering can take place even when we can’t meet in person. It’s a coming together in thought, an openness to the spiritual view of life that Jesus taught. And it’s one of the most practical, health-giving things we can do.
Collective prayer is a powerful way to come together, and billions on our planet unite in a simple prayer Jesus taught: the Lord’s Prayer. Mary Baker Eddy, who founded Christian Science, once spoke of the Lord’s Prayer as a “bond of unity” and a “point of convergence” for all Christians (see “Pulpit and Press,” p. 22). Its ideas are universally true, a prayer that people of all backgrounds can “gather around.”
In her book about spiritual healing, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” Eddy gives a spiritual interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer. It begins, “Our Father which art in heaven, Our Father-Mother God, all-harmonious” (p. 16).
I’ve experienced healing in my life again and again by treasuring that idea of one universal Father-Mother God governing all creation in total harmony. Once, while in a remote part of Africa, I felt a fever drain from my body as the sense of our Father impelled me to include everyone around me in my prayer, even the mosquitoes. My prayers affirmed that we are all part of one all-harmonious, spiritual creation. As it says in the Bible, “God blessed them” (Genesis 1:22, 28). Everything our good and loving God creates is made to bless, not to harm. So the divine creation certainly doesn’t include or cause disease. This spiritual outlook enabled Jesus to heal, and it’s at the heart of his prayer.
As I prayed in this way, the fear gripping me was replaced by what felt like a flood of love, God’s love, for me and everything around me, and the fever just melted away. I was well. (You can read more about this healing here.)
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That experience and many others have given me tangible proof of the healing power of prayer. I’ve also glimpsed what it really means to gather “in my name” as Jesus taught. It’s about gathering not around a human personality but around the universal idea of Christ, or Truth, that Jesus lived and taught. Christ means anointed or divinely inspired. I like to think of it as our divine creator’s “communication link” to everyone, everywhere.
Opening our hearts to the Christ enlightens our whole way of thinking, giving us a spiritual view of life and health as governed by God, rather than a battle for survival in a dangerous world. Christ is an irresistible power bringing us all together, enlightening our perspective of everything, helping us see our common bond as children of one infinite God. This is what makes gathering in prayer so powerful. And so healing!


csmonitor--2020-03-26--As jobless numbers spike, a question rises: When can economy reopen?

“ We have to stop the threat of this epidemic , ” says Sherry Glied , a health economist at New York University .
“ There ’ s no point rebuilding while the bombs are still dropping.
” Still , the recent focus on containing the spread of the COVID-19 disease could be key to limiting the ultimate costs both to the economy and to human lives .
Some Americans are chafing already at the restrictions – not least of them President Donald Trump , who this week suggested lifting restrictions at least partially by Easter on April 12 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some economists are also calling for a return-to-work timetable to protect the economy from long-term damage .
It ’ s a sign of how the stay-at-home orders that 21 states will have in place by the end of this week represent a blunt instrument , which may help keep the coronavirus from spreading but is also pounding the economy in unprecedented ways .
On Thursday , the U.S. Labor Department reported that 3.3 million Americans filed initial jobless claims , a record in more than 50 years of data and more than four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are beginning to chafe under the coronavirus restrictions that authorities have put into place – not least of them President Donald Trump , who this week suggested lifting restrictions at least partially by Easter on April 12 to start revving up the economy .
It ’ s an ambitious timetable and , to many , a callous one .
How dare a president , or anyone , put the health of the economy ahead of the safety of citizens ?
But the president ’ s statement highlights another reality that conservatives especially have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders that 21 states will have in place by the end of this week represent a blunt instrument , which may keep the virus from spreading but is also pounding the economy in unprecedented ways .
The latest evidence came Thursday , when the U.S. Labor Department reported that 3.3 million Americans filed initial jobless claims last week , a record in more than 50 years of data and more than four times the previous record .
A recession is likely , if not already underway .
The restrictions on the economy are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to close , throwing millions out of work , and keeping consumers , a mainstay of the economy , from shopping .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .
Some analysts are predicting that economic activity could shrink by up to a quarter this spring , a terrifying drop that , were there no recovery the rest of the year , would mean economic dislocation on a scale that would outstrip any single year of the Great Depression .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really if authorities will ease the restrictions , but when .
In theory , the sooner that happens , the less damage the economy will sustain .
But there ’ s a big caveat .
The recent focus on containing the spread of the COVID-19 disease could be key to both limiting the ultimate costs both to the economy and to human lives – including the risk of hospital systems becoming overwhelmed with patients .
For now , that focus on containment remains paramount , many say .
“ We will get to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only ] so much risk we have to be willing to take , but right now we ’ re not in that world , ” says Sherry Glied , a health economist and dean of New York University ’ s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service .
“ We have to stop the threat of this epidemic , ” she adds .
“ There ’ s no point rebuilding while the bombs are still dropping.
” In her view , it makes sense to wait for progress on the scientific front , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for how it will reopen the economy in the future , while also making sure basic needs like food and housing are met .
Already , nations including Denmark and Britain are trying to cap economic damage by covering a large chunk of worker salaries for businesses that have seen revenues plunge .
A $ 2 trillion relief package moving through Congress Thursday , similarly , throws a lifeline to businesses ( loans ) and workers ( cash payments and stepped-up jobless benefits ) .
In weighing how and when to reopen the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that no one has fully quantified the risks posed by the virus .
“ We don ’ t have that data , ” says Howard Markel , a medical doctor and professor of the history of medicine at the University of Michigan ’ s School of Public Health .
The number of reported deaths has triggered alarm in the medical community and suggests that this virus is several times more deadly than a more typical seasonal flu .
But public health officials have not been able to establish a concrete fatality rate because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get a handle on the number of individuals who have become infected and recovered .
When will health authorities have a handle on those numbers ?
“ My hope is two to four weeks , ” Dr. Markel says .
It ’ s such timetables that make Mr. Trump ’ s Easter deadline , just over two weeks away , look unrealistic .
Even with the data in hand , health authorities would have to determine the best ways to ease restrictions .
Should they target only hard-hit regions ?
Or is it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and those diagnosed with other diseases ?
According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center , the U.S. has become the global epicenter of the pandemic with nearly 86,000 confirmed cases , more than any other nation .
With the House of Representatives taking up the $ 2 trillion Senate-passed rescue bill , health authorities have some breathing room to determine the best ways to keep the population safe .
The economy can accept a certain amount of risk , and cost-benefit analyses are made routinely , points out Vivian Ho , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor at Baylor College of Medicine , both in Houston .
“ It ’ s a tough exercise in this particular situation , but someone needs to put those numbers down .
We need to start thinking of maybe we should not shut everything down.
” “ You ’ re talking about real damage to people ’ s lives , to the 30 million small businesses in America , ” says Chris Edwards , director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute , a libertarian think tank in Washington .
“ People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these small businesses and in their careers .
And some of them could be ruined permanently.
” Already , some Americans are beginning to push back on the restrictions , such as by holding social gatherings .
A Louisiana pastor continues to defy Louisiana ’ s ban on gatherings of more than 50 by busing in attendees from five different parishes ( counties ) for Sunday services with what he claims are up to 1,000 people .
In Texas , public officials have begun to complain openly about the restrictions .
“ My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to work .
Let ’ s get back to living , ” Lt. Gov .
Dan Patrick told Fox News in an interview Monday .
“ Let ’ s be smart about it … but don ’ t sacrifice the country .
Don ’ t do that .
Don ’ t sacrifice the American dream.
” In Harris County , home to Houston , Republican state Sen. Paul Bettencourt warned that a stay-at-home order restricting business would be “ economically calamitous.
” There ’ s no real precedent for the economic threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu of 1918 occurred in a far different context .
The country was coming off a war footing .
Restrictions were limited to certain cities .
Even comparisons to sudden recent economic disasters like 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis are off base , says Jonathan Bydlak , director of the Fiscal and Budget Policy Project at the R Street Institute , a free-market think tank in Washington .
“ We ’ re dealing with a very unique situation , and there ’ s not a whole lot in economics books that teach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Nevertheless , many economists continue to stress the importance of taming the virus first before tackling the economy .
“ I think the first order of business will be to get the spread of the virus under control , and then resume economic activity , ” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told NBC ’ s “ Today ” show Thursday .
While not opposing that sequence , two high-profile economists called on Monday for a timetable to avoid letting the economy die of neglect .
A quarter of all workers should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and 75 % of workers within four months , wrote Nobel Prize winner Paul Romer and Alan Garber , a physician and economist at Harvard University , in a New York Times opinion column .
The return to work would be coupled with ramped-up testing and widespread use of protective gear by workers , which they said should limit the spread of the virus .
Still , even from a strictly economic point of view , trying to reopen the economy before virus cases have spiked could lead to a longer disruption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near a flattening of the curve ” of infection , says Joe Brusuelas , chief economist of RSM US LLP , part of a global network of independent audit , tax , and consulting firms .
“ Should we move prematurely , it could risk the general spread of the disease that would require subsequent shutdowns.
” Editor ’ s note : This story has been updated to reflect the number of cases in the United States surpassing all other nations .
As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free @ @ @ @

“We have to stop the threat of this epidemic,” says Sherry Glied, a health economist at New York University. “There’s no point rebuilding while the bombs are still dropping.”
Still, the recent focus on containing the spread of the COVID-19 disease could be key to limiting the ultimate costs both to the economy and to human lives.
Some Americans are chafing already at the restrictions – not least of them President Donald Trump, who this week suggested lifting restrictions at least partially by Easter on April 12 to start revving up the economy. And some economists are also calling for a return-to-work timetable to protect the economy from long-term damage.
Tame the coronavirus, then tackle the economy? A difficult and sensitive debate is emerging over how to get back to “open for business.”
It’s a sign of how the stay-at-home orders that 21 states will have in place by the end of this week represent a blunt instrument, which may help keep the coronavirus from spreading but is also pounding the economy in unprecedented ways.
On Thursday, the U.S. Labor Department reported that 3.3 million Americans filed initial jobless claims, a record in more than 50 years of data and more than four times the previous record.
Some Americans are beginning to chafe under the coronavirus restrictions that authorities have put into place – not least of them President Donald Trump, who this week suggested lifting restrictions at least partially by Easter on April 12 to start revving up the economy.
It’s an ambitious timetable and, to many, a callous one. How dare a president, or anyone, put the health of the economy ahead of the safety of citizens? But the president’s statement highlights another reality that conservatives especially have been grumbling about: The extraordinary stay-at-home orders that 21 states will have in place by the end of this week represent a blunt instrument, which may keep the virus from spreading but is also pounding the economy in unprecedented ways.
The latest evidence came Thursday, when the U.S. Labor Department reported that 3.3 million Americans filed initial jobless claims last week, a record in more than 50 years of data and more than four times the previous record.
Why We Wrote This Tame the coronavirus, then tackle the economy? A difficult and sensitive debate is emerging over how to get back to “open for business.”
A recession is likely, if not already underway. The restrictions on the economy are so far-reaching that businesses have been forced to close, throwing millions out of work, and keeping consumers, a mainstay of the economy, from shopping.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.
Some analysts are predicting that economic activity could shrink by up to a quarter this spring, a terrifying drop that, were there no recovery the rest of the year, would mean economic dislocation on a scale that would outstrip any single year of the Great Depression.
To many experts, the question is not really if authorities will ease the restrictions, but when. In theory, the sooner that happens, the less damage the economy will sustain. But there’s a big caveat. The recent focus on containing the spread of the COVID-19 disease could be key to both limiting the ultimate costs both to the economy and to human lives – including the risk of hospital systems becoming overwhelmed with patients. For now, that focus on containment remains paramount, many say.
“We will get to a moment where there will be [only] so much risk we have to be willing to take, but right now we’re not in that world,” says Sherry Glied, a health economist and dean of New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. “We have to stop the threat of this epidemic,” she adds. “There’s no point rebuilding while the bombs are still dropping.”
In her view, it makes sense to wait for progress on the scientific front, and for the government to be planning now for how it will reopen the economy in the future, while also making sure basic needs like food and housing are met.
Already, nations including Denmark and Britain are trying to cap economic damage by covering a large chunk of worker salaries for businesses that have seen revenues plunge. A $2 trillion relief package moving through Congress Thursday, similarly, throws a lifeline to businesses (loans) and workers (cash payments and stepped-up jobless benefits).
SOURCE: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (with data from U.S. Department of Labor) | Jacob Turcotte/Staff
In weighing how and when to reopen the economy, part of the conundrum is that no one has fully quantified the risks posed by the virus.
“We don’t have that data,” says Howard Markel, a medical doctor and professor of the history of medicine at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. The number of reported deaths has triggered alarm in the medical community and suggests that this virus is several times more deadly than a more typical seasonal flu. But public health officials have not been able to establish a concrete fatality rate because testing limitations have made it difficult to get a handle on the number of individuals who have become infected and recovered. When will health authorities have a handle on those numbers? “My hope is two to four weeks,” Dr. Markel says.
It’s such timetables that make Mr. Trump’s Easter deadline, just over two weeks away, look unrealistic.
Even with the data in hand, health authorities would have to determine the best ways to ease restrictions. Should they target only hard-hit regions? Or is it better to focus on sheltering the elderly and those diagnosed with other diseases?
“Real damage to people’s lives”
According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the U.S. has become the global epicenter of the pandemic with nearly 86,000 confirmed cases, more than any other nation.
With the House of Representatives taking up the $2 trillion Senate-passed rescue bill, health authorities have some breathing room to determine the best ways to keep the population safe.
The economy can accept a certain amount of risk, and cost-benefit analyses are made routinely, points out Vivian Ho, an economics professor at Rice University and a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, both in Houston. “It’s a tough exercise in this particular situation, but someone needs to put those numbers down. We need to start thinking of maybe we should not shut everything down.”
“You’re talking about real damage to people’s lives, to the 30 million small businesses in America,” says Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington. “People’s lives and dreams are in these small businesses and in their careers. And some of them could be ruined permanently.”
Already, some Americans are beginning to push back on the restrictions, such as by holding social gatherings. A Louisiana pastor continues to defy Louisiana’s ban on gatherings of more than 50 by busing in attendees from five different parishes (counties) for Sunday services with what he claims are up to 1,000 people.
In Texas, public officials have begun to complain openly about the restrictions.
“My message is: Let’s get back to work. Let’s get back to living,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Fox News in an interview Monday. “Let’s be smart about it … but don’t sacrifice the country. Don’t do that. Don’t sacrifice the American dream.”
In Harris County, home to Houston, Republican state Sen. Paul Bettencourt warned that a stay-at-home order restricting business would be “economically calamitous.”
There’s no real precedent for the economic threat now facing the U.S. The Spanish flu of 1918 occurred in a far different context. The country was coming off a war footing. Restrictions were limited to certain cities.
Even comparisons to sudden recent economic disasters like 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis are off base, says Jonathan Bydlak, director of the Fiscal and Budget Policy Project at the R Street Institute, a free-market think tank in Washington. “We’re dealing with a very unique situation, and there’s not a whole lot in economics books that teach you how to deal with these situations.”
Dangers in reopening too quickly
Nevertheless, many economists continue to stress the importance of taming the virus first before tackling the economy.
“I think the first order of business will be to get the spread of the virus under control, and then resume economic activity,” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told NBC’s “Today” show Thursday.
While not opposing that sequence, two high-profile economists called on Monday for a timetable to avoid letting the economy die of neglect.
A quarter of all workers should be back on their jobs within two months, and 75% of workers within four months, wrote Nobel Prize winner Paul Romer and Alan Garber, a physician and economist at Harvard University, in a New York Times opinion column. The return to work would be coupled with ramped-up testing and widespread use of protective gear by workers, which they said should limit the spread of the virus.
Still, even from a strictly economic point of view, trying to reopen the economy before virus cases have spiked could lead to a longer disruption.
“We’re not anywhere near a flattening of the curve” of infection, says Joe Brusuelas, chief economist of RSM US LLP, part of a global network of independent audit, tax, and consulting firms. “Should we move prematurely, it could risk the general spread of the disease that would require subsequent shutdowns.”
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the number of cases in the United States surpassing all other nations.
As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.