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Joe Biden responds to sexual assault allegations. The presumptive Democratic nominee breaks his silence today on claims made by Tara Reade, who said he sexually assaulted her in the 1990s. Yesterday, his campaign began auditioning VPs—Biden has pledged to pick a woman.
Donald Trump leaves the White House for the first time in a month. The US president ends his isolation today to spend some leisure time in Camp David over the weekend. Trump is getting more active, with trips and interviews, maybe because he’s behind Biden in polls.
Armed protesters stormed Michigan’s State Capitol. They burst into the building to protest governor Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders. Up north, Canada is expected to announce a ban on some assault rifles following the country’s deadliest mass shooting in history last month.
Amazon mostly delivered, and Apple froze. Amazon’s revenue rose sharply yesterday, even as it warned investors that it may lose money in the months ahead due to a sharp rise in coronavirus-related expenses. Apple shares dipped after it announced flat revenue.
Lockdowns are forcing workers to get creative to celebrate May Day. In France, they’re protesting on social media or chanting from their windows. In Portugal, union members will gather in a square but remain 13 feet apart. In Finland, workers replaced their traditional May Day picnics with live streams of wine tastings and cocktail lessons from local restaurants.
Rescuing the global economy
Lockdowns are being eased around the world. Some 25 US states began lifting restrictions to combat the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Elsewhere, Australia, Germany, and South Africa are doing the same, and the UK has pledged a lockdown exit strategy.
Trump is at loggerheads with lawmakers over dismal jobless figures. There have been 30 million new unemployment benefit claims since March. The US president wants to cut payroll taxes, an approach that both Republicans and Democrats reject.
The US Fed expanded its loan program. It has given the green light to businesses with up to 15,000 employees the option to request loans. House speaker Nancy Pelosi is also pushing for a multi-year $1 trillion stimulus program to help states and cities cope with the pandemic.
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- The global transition to home fitness is fraught with injury, but experts say staying healthy and safe is a lot easier than it sounds. In our latest field guide on the home fitness boom, we share their advice on working out safely.
- Tesla saw its stock surge after reporting the company’s third-consecutive profitable quarter on Wednesday. These six charts help explain the automaker’s surprisingly successful streak.
- Corporate war rooms are having a moment right now. This is why military phrases are so popular in the corporate fight against Covid-19.
We’re obsessed with the Overton window
Ready for some window shopping? Since its obscure origins in a Midwestern think tank in the 1990s, the Overton window has become one of the best-known political science concepts in the US. The idea of a mappable range of acceptable political discourse—and, more importantly, strategies for manipulating it—has entranced politicians, activists, and lobbyists for nearly 25 years. Let’s change the terms of debate with the Quartz Daily Obsession.
Surprising discoveries
Eels at a Japanese aquarium are feeling pretty lon-eel-y. So why don’t you give them a video call?
Scientists discovered the first-known swimming dinosaur. Meet the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus.
The Spanish government is screening films for people in their balconies. The huge screens were installed in Madrid.
Shipments of illicit drugs have increased during the pandemic. Traffickers are using ingenious methods to smuggle cocaine into Europe.
Some of Japan’s health centers are reporting coronavirus figures over fax. But it’s 2020 and the health ministry has asked they be sent online.
You asked about remdesivir
What’s the deal with remdesivir?
Okay, you haven’t asked yet, but we know it’s coming. Here’s what we know.
Remdesivir is an antiviral originally developed as a treatment for Ebola. It had minimal effect, but researchers later discovered it blocked some coronaviruses—including those behind SARS and MERS—from replicating in animals. Now, the drug is now being tested in Covid-19 patients—and currently, the only way to get access is to be part of a clinical trial.
On April 29, we got the results—but not the data—of one US-run trial. Of 1,063 patients, those given remdesivir recovered in about 11 days, compared to 15 days for those given a placebo. It didn’t show reduced deaths, and, crucially, this is just one study. A smaller remdesivir study found no benefit compared to placebo.
The US study isn’t peer-reviewed yet—a critical vetting process for research. But based on its results, the FDA is expected to issue an emergency use authorization, which would let doctors treat patients with remdesivir outside of trials.
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