Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Jul 21, 2017 - Technology

What a world without drivers will look like

Kim Hart, Ina Fried

Giphy

What will it look like when fully autonomous vehicles take over the roads? Forrester has some predictions in a new report:

Platoons of autonomous trucks will replace human-driven freight, especially on long-haul routes, as soon as it is technologically and legally possible. (David wrote about the implications of this a while back.)Your insurance bill may stay high. Sure, human error will be taken out of the equation. But all those high-tech sensors and software will make it more difficult to decipher what's to blame when something goes wrong, per CNET. (We're not so sure about this: Other people think that the cost of insurance will be baked into the car price because drivers won't really be at fault).Your commute will be bombarded with ads. Advertisers and media companies will compete for a spot inside the new vehicle experience and big brands will sponsor rides.

Bottom line: As Forrester puts it, "We predict that by 2035, the global economy will be unrecognizably different

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1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

House passes $1.9 trillion COVID relief package

Photo: Screenshot via C-SPAN

The House approved President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package on a 219-212 vote early Saturday morning, sending it to the Senate for a possible rewrite before it gets to Biden's desk.

The big picture: The vote was a critical first step for the package, which includes $1,400 cash payments for many Americans, a national vaccination program, ramped-up COVID testing and contact tracing, state and local funding and money to help schools reopen.

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8 hours ago - Health

Biden says it's "not the time to relax" after touring vaccination site

President Biden speaking after visiting a FEMA Covid-19 vaccination facility in Houston on Feb. 26. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

President Biden said Friday that "it's not the time to relax" coronavirus mitigation efforts and warned that the number of cases and hospitalizations could rise again as new variants of the virus emerge.

Why it matters: Biden, who made the remarks after touring a vaccination site in Houston, echoed CDC director Rochelle Walensky, who said earlier on Friday that while the U.S. has seen a recent drop in cases and hospitalizations, "these declines follow the highest peak we have experienced in the pandemic."

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Updated 8 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Health: Most COVID-19 survivors can weather risk of reinfection, study says — "Twindemic" averted as flu reports plummet amid coronavirus crisis
Vaccine: FDA advisory panel endorses J&J COVID vaccine for emergency use — About 20% of U.S. adults have received first vaccine dose, White House says — New data reignites the debate over coronavirus vaccine strategy.
Economy: What's really going on with the labor market.
Local: All adult Minnesotans will likely be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine by summer — Another wealthy Florida community receives special access to COVID-19 vaccine.
Sports: Poll weighs impact of athlete vaccination.

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