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President Trump finally invoked the Defense Production Act. The belated move might help six companies—among them General Electric—produce thousands of the extra ventilators that are needed. Several weeks into the coronavirus crisis, the administration is also finalizing guidance on the broader use of face masks.
The Democratic National Convention will be late. The event in Wisconsin was pushed back to August, and many states have already delayed their primaries. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are already no longer on the campaign trail.
The US navy fired a captain who asked for coronavirus help. Brett Crozier of the USS Theodore Roosevelt was punished for his “extremely poor judgment” after he wrote an urgent letter to superiors calling for “decisive action” to prevent deaths as Covid-19 spread on deck.
Google will start releasing user location data in 131 countries. Governments can use the information to assess the effectiveness of social distancing rules. The tech giant said the data will be “aggregated, anonymized,” but there are concerns about the privacy implications.
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The world’s financial health
The US publishes employment figures. Almost 10 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits over the past two weeks, and the release of official figures today will be the first since the government ordered the mass shutdown of businesses.
If you are out of a job and health insurance, these are your options. Some choices for the newly jobless include enrolling in Obamacare, paying for insurance that’s normally provided by an employer, or seeking Medicaid in some states.
Oil CEOs are meeting Trump today to discuss energy policy. Crude had its biggest-ever one-day percentage price increase yesterday, after the US president claimed that Russia and Saudi Arabia would make output cuts.
Quartz investigates
Influencers wanted. Have you been asked to promote questionable coronavirus claims? Quartz is investigating efforts to spread misinformation or confusion about coronavirus through social media influencers (big and small), and we need your help.
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The coronavirus pandemic is reshaping education… With 1.5 billion students out of school and hundreds of millions attempting to learn online, the biggest edtech experiment in history is reshaping what learning looks like in the 21st century.
…and leaving an indelible mark on our workplaces. Quartz talked to CEOs, consultants, and other workforce experts about what we stand to gain and lose from the changes wrought by the coronavirus crisis—and what’s impossible to predict.
Quartz daily obsession
From hiccup to chain reaction to total collapse. The easiest way to think about cascading failure is as a line of tumbling dominoes—or the plot of Jurassic Park, a blockbuster about how the smallest of errors can lead to total catastrophe. The Quartz Daily Obsession will sort it all out.
Matter of debate
Should elite athletes be forced to take a pay cut? In the US, hockey and basketball players are under pressure to curtail their wages, while in England, the government is asking Premier League soccer players to “make a contribution.” But perhaps it should be on CEOs, sponsors, and apparel giants to help instead.
Surprising discoveries
Mice have a range of facial expressions. Researchers found six basic mouse emotions: disgust, pleasure, pain, fear, sickness, and flight.
Your Zoom ID is vulnerable. A program called zWarDial can help hackers expose your meeting and ruin your day.
Earth is moving less, thanks to coronavirus. Researchers say there is less observable seismic noise.
Meanwhile, Mars might be made up of mini planets. Researchers found two types of ancient and unmixed rocks below the Red Planet’s surface.
Some raptors looked like flying cheetahs. Quill knobs found on a skeleton in New Mexico indicates the Dineobellator had feathers across its six-feet-long body.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, mousey expressions, and unlocked Zoom meetings to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Adam Rasmi and Hasit Shah.