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U.S. NEWS Saturday 25 July 2020
Continued from Front Republican Gov. Mike Par-
With the boost, she can af- son allowed the state to
ford diapers, baby formula, reopen in mid-June. The
rent and utilities. Without it, number of positive tests set
Wendt said, his daughter a record three days in a
and her two children might row this week.
move in with him. Birx said health profession-
"The politicians need to als have "called out the
get their ducks in a row." next set of cities" where
Wendt said. "The pressure's they see early warning
not on them, it's on all of us signs because if those cities
blue-collar workers who are make changes now they
struggling to make a living." "won't become a Phoenix."
In addition to the end of Arizona's sprawling capi-
the $600 payments, federal tal has suffered a severe
protections against evic- outbreak, though Birx said
tions also are set to expire. Friday the federal govern-
Standard unemployment ment was seeing encour-
benefits often leave re- aging declines in positive
cipients with poverty-level test results there and in San
incomes, but they are sure Antonio, which like much of
to continue, even as states Texas has been hard hit.
wrestle with diminishing un- The governor of Vermont,
employment trust funds. where cases have been
Every state offers assis- among the nation's low-
tance for at least some un- est, responded Friday by
employed workers based issuing an order requiring
on a portion of their previ- people to wear masks in
ous earnings. The maximum public. "We are still in very
amounts vary widely, from good shape, but it is time to
$235 a week in Mississippi prepare," Republican Gov.
to $1,234 in Massachusetts. Phil Scott said. Also Friday,
Benefits are available for as McDonald's announced it
few as six weeks in Geor- would soon start requiring
gia and up to 28 weeks in masks in its restaurants. Special events workers who were forced out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic
Montana. Most states nor- Masks continue to be a na- marched Tuesday, July 21, 2020, in Salt Lake City.
mally cut people off after tional flashpoint. Police in Associated Press
26 weeks. Green Bay, Wisconsin, were
The potential loss of ben- investigating death threats checks rolling. Republicans returning to the job. Sup- tourism-dependent state is
efits comes at a time of in- made against elected who control the Senate porters cast that as an using nearly one-fifth of its
creasing pessimism about city officials over a new have proposed benefits acknowledgement that main pot of federal coro-
job prospects. Nearly half mandate requiring face worth 70% of what people wages were too low, and navirus aid.
of Americans whose fami- coverings in public build- made before. said the extra money was a Georgia is allowing people
lies experienced a layoff ings. Indiana's governor The $600 weekly bonus is chance for workers to build to earn more from part-
during the pandemic now dropped a planned crimi- technically set to expire up a cushion in case they time jobs while still receiving
believe those jobs are lost nal penalty from the state- July 31, but the cutoff is ef- remained unemployed af- unemployment benefits.
forever, according to a wide face mask mandate fectively Saturday owing ter benefits expire. In most places, however,
new poll from The Associ- that he signed Friday after to how states process pay- The federal government is similar measures have not
ated Press-NORC Center objections from many law ments. offering interest-free loans taken hold.
for Public Affairs Research. enforcement officials and Other aspects of the en- to states that deplete their The New Hampshire Legis-
Aside from the pandemic's some conservative legisla- hanced benefits will contin- unemployment insurance lature, controlled by Dem-
economic damage, the vi- tors. ue, including coverage for trust funds, and 10 states ocrats, approved a bill to
rus itself threatens to over- Sunbelt states that have some gig workers and free- have received them so far. increase the maximum
whelm parts of the country been besieged in recent lancers who are usually in- But paying the U.S. back af- payment by $100 weekly,
that have been relatively weeks are still struggling. eligible for unemployment, ter a crisis can keep states to $527. Republican Gov.
unscathed. Florida, for example, re- as well as a 13-week exten- from building up reserves. Chris Sununu vetoed it, say-
White House coronavirus ported 135 new deaths and sion of regular payments Pennsylvania just finished ing that some of the details
response coordinator Dr. 12,000 new cases, pushing that the federal govern- paying off its loans from the could have jeopardized
Deborah Birx warned in a its total of identified infec- ment is helping to subsidize. Great Recession. federal funding. In Arizo-
television interview that the tions past 400,000. In Cali- Critics noted that the ex- Hawaii is one state that na, Democrats have also
surge of cases in the South fornia, officials reported a tra cash payments meant is preserving part of the pushed for adding $100 to
and Southwest could make record 159 deaths Friday, many workers were receiv- boost, increasing unem- the maximum weekly ben-
its way north. bringing total deaths to ing more for not working ployment checks by $100 efit of $240, but Gov. Doug
"What started out very around 8,200. California than they did working — a a week for the rest of the Ducey, a Republican, de-
much as a Southern and now has more than 435,000 possible disincentive for year. To pay for it, the ferred to Congress.q
Western epidemic is start- confirmed cases.
ing to move up the East Meanwhile, lawmakers in
Coast, into Tennessee, Ar- Washington were negoti-
kansas, up into Missouri, up ating a new coronavirus
across Colorado," Birx told relief bill as state and local
NBC's "Today" show. She governments, schools, busi-
implored people to wear nesses and others pushed
masks, wash hands and for a new dose of aid. Con-
keep at least 6 feet apart. gressional Democrats have
In Missouri, confirmed cas- sought to keep the extra
es have risen sharply since $600 in unemployment