The coronavirus is spreading at more than double the rate of the rest of the U.S. in counties that are at least a quarter Hispanic, a New York Times analysis out Friday indicates.
Why it matters: Many Latinos continued working as states shuttered businesses, keeping the economy running "at the cutting tables of food-processing plants, as farm hands, as hospital orderlies, food preparers, supermarket workers and in many other jobs deemed essential," The Times writes.
Coronavirus outbreaks in the South and West still pose a risk for more spread even in the states steadily mitigating cases, NIAID director Anthony Fauci stressed at a White House coronavirus task force press briefing on Friday.
Why it matters: This week, California, Florida and Texas have all seen more than 5,000 new cases each day, a first for any state other than New York since the pandemic was declared.
Planned Parenthood interim president Alexis McGill Johnson will take over the role permanently and also become CEO, the organization announced Friday.
Why it matters: Johnson is a civil rights and social justice activist and is Planned Parenthood's second Black president, according to The Daily Beast, which first reported the promotion. The organization has long refuted claims by anti-abortion activists that it was founded on racist ideals because its founder, Margaret Sanger, was a proponent of eugenics.
16 of the NBA's 302 players — or 5.3% — tested positive for the coronavirus after league-wide testing, the Players Association announced Friday.
Why it matters: It's the first in a series of regular tests for the players, with the league set to restart on July 30 in Orlando, Florida. Players who participate in voluntary workouts at their team's facilities will also be tested every other day beginning next week, per ESPN.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued an executive order Friday for all bars to close by 12 p.m. today and that restaurants must decrease their capacity from 75% to 50% due to a surge in coronavirus cases.
Why it matters: Abbott's orders could signal a beginning of second wave re-closures by states.
Microsoft will permanently close most of its physical retail stores, but its London, New York City, Sydney and Redmond campus locations will remain open as Microsoft showrooms dubbed "experience centers," the company announced Friday.
Why it matters: Microsoft has yet to re-open any of its physical stores since it closed them all due to the coronavirus pandemic, even as states started easing restrictions, The Verge notes.
Europe is facing pressure to include natural gas and nuclear power as part of its plan for sustainable finance.
Why it matters: Europe represents the progressive edge of the world’s response to climate change and controls a lot of finance in developing nations, so what it does on these controversial energy sources could set the bar globally.
Here's more proof that plexiglass is one of the hottest commodities of the coronavirus pandemic: A word that was almost never mentioned is popping up in corporate earnings calls and company press releases.
What's going on: Plexiglass is the must-have partition for places around the world doing business in the COVID-19 era — restaurants, grocery stores handing out free samples, casinos, even possibly schools (once students return).
The Trump administration formally asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to overturn the Affordable Care Act, AP reports.
Why it matters: Nearly 20 million Americans could lose health care coverage and protections for those with pre-existing conditions if the court rules to overturn ACA.
The number of people who lost jobs and related health coverage and then signed up for Affordable Care Act health plans on the federal website was up 46% this year compared with 2019, representing an increase of 154,000 people, the federal government said in a new report.
The bottom line: The rush of people going to HealthCare.gov was tied to "job losses due to COVID-19," the government said.
Microbrews are providing us with macro clues about the state of the U.S. economy — and how confident Americans actually feel about reopening amid the pandemic.
The big picture: The national trend shows that more watering holes are opening up, with 85% of locations open and pouring beer last weekend. And if the bars are open, it's a good sign that those communities have opened up, too.
A fair price for Gilead's coronavirus drug, remdesivir, likely should not exceed $2,800 for a course of treatment, according to updated estimates from experts at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review.
The bottom line: Gilead hasn't released a final price for remdesivir yet, and it could set the bar for other coronavirus treatments that come after it.
Essential workers have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic for months, but the U.S. is still doing relatively little to protect them.
Why it matters: With no end to the pandemic in sight, America's frontline workers still must choose between risking their health and losing their source of income.
