The Daily Valet. - 6/24/20, Wednesday

✔️ The Battle Isn't Over

June 24, 2020

Wednesday, June 24th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Let’s hear it for the bees ...

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today's edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

The Battle Isn’t Over Just Yet

Dr. Fauci tells Congress the virus is not under control

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, told Congress on Tuesday that he was seeing a “disturbing surge” of infections in some parts of the country, as Americans ignore social distancing guidelines and states reopen, reports the New York Times.

Fauci—along with other top health officials—also said they’ve not been asked to slow down testing, in contrast to President Trump’s claim last weekend that he had ordered fewer tests be performed because they were uncovering too many infections.

More than three months after Trump declared an emergency because of the global pandemic, Dr. Fauci said the picture was a “mixed bag,” with some bright spots, but also some dark ones and many unknowns.

He told lawmakers he understands the pent-up desire to get back to normal and venture back out after months of stay-at-home orders and business shutdowns. But he also cautioned against “throwing caution to the wind.”

The warning comes as states like Florida and Texas report all-time highs in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions. What’s more, it’s younger people that are testing positive these days, reports NBC News. That’s likely because the elderly are being far more cautious and young people are going out more frequently. Former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden put it this way: “We’re sick and tired of waiting to reopen, but COVID isn’t tired of making us sick.”

↦ DIg Deeper: Take a closer look at the regional distribution of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., visualized in chart form.

Is Another Stimulus Check Coming?

Lawmakers seem to be split on the issue

President Trump has told aides he's in favor of sending Americans another round of stimulus checks, believing that the payments will boost the economy and help his chances at reelection in November, reports the Washington Post.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow also floated the idea of another round of cash checks on Tuesday during an interview with Fox Business. But he also said the administration may want to send payments primarily to those who need them most, rather than the nearly 160 million Americans who received the first round.

Last month, the Democratic-led House passed the $3 trillion HEROES Act that included an additional round of direct payments, but the Republican-controlled Senate has resisted, with leaders saying they want to wait and see what, if any, additional aid is needed.

So if more payments do come, who gets what? According to the American Enterprise Institute, most Americans would get more money in a second stimulus under the HEROES Act. Its analysis found that the average household would receive $2,170, compared with $1,729 for the first stimulus checks.

↦ FYI: A recent Census Bureau survey shows that nearly half of U.S. households have taken a painful hit to their bank accounts during the recession caused by the pandemic.

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A Different Kind of Travel Ban

The European Union is reopening, but can we go?

The European Union plans to ban American travelers from entering when it reopens its borders on July 1st because of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the States, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Under current plans, the U.S. would join Brazil and Russia on the list of forbidden countries—as all three have had a comparably poor response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Travel from China, as well as some developing countries, will be allowed, the report states.

Prohibiting American travelers from entering the European Union would have significant economic, cultural and geopolitical ramifications, reports the New York Times. Millions of American tourists visit Europe every summer. And business travel is obviously common, given the huge economic ties between the United States and Europe.

While I'm not looking to get on a plane for 10 hours anytime soon, I still don't like the idea of knowing I can't go to Europe because they won't let me in.

The Bees Are Okay

U.S. honeybees are doing better after a bad year

American honeybee colonies have bounced back after a bad year, the annual beekeeping survey finds.

You've no doubt heard that scientists have been watching the population of pollinators—crucial to the world's food supply—shrink for decades. Honeybees, the most easily tracked, are threatened by mites, diseases, pesticides and loss of food.

But, according to the Associated Press, beekeepers only lost 22.2% of their colonies this past winter. It was the second smallest winter loss in the 14 years of surveying done by several different U.S. universities.

In order to help preserve colonies, new U.S. Department of Agriculture research suggests keeping bees inside “cold storage” during the winter.

↦ Dig Deeper: A new documentary, The Pollinators, shows the trials that the bees and the food supply face in the United States.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Fighting “stress belly”

A classic lunar watch

This see-through ghost car

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