Pandemic, Week 20 (Nothing to See Here)

This week it was reported that the US economy contracted at a 33 percent annualized rate in the second quarter of 2020, the worst on record. Congress and the White House were not able to reach an agreement on extending emergency unemployment benefits, which means an estimated 20 million people will lose the $600 per week enhanced benefits that Congress had approved in March. Federal agents withdrew from Portland, though they are slated to go to Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee. President Obama spoke at John Lewis's funeral and called for both a return and expansion of Lewis's Voting Rights Act. Meanwhile Trump tweeted that due to concerns about voter fraud associated with mail-in ballots, we should delay the election (which he is not legally allowed to do). He's also discussed banning Tik-Tok.

In COVID news, the world hit 18.0 million cases and 689,000 deaths. The U.S. reported a total of 4.8 million cases and 158,000 deaths. California is now the number one state in terms of cases with Florida a close second and Texas now third. Former Presidential candidate Herman Caine died this week, after contracting COVID at the Tulsa Trump rally. Texas Congressman, and mask naysayer, Louise Gohmert, announced at an in-person meeting with staff, that he had contracted COVID. Baseball games were briefly suspended after 21 players from the Marlins tested positive. DC schools announced they would be all virtual for at least the first term, through November 6th.

But while everything seemed to be happening in the world, very little happened with us this week. After arriving back home from Iowa around 8 pm on Sunday, we unloaded and unpacked. We spent the week trying to tie up all lose ends at work, Owen completed his summer intensive (which it turns out did not end last week as previously reported), and Nora recorded this week's musical podcast (an homage to Grandpa Fawcett who spent the week watching a season of its namesake), Air Disasters.

Now we just need to pack for a week at the beach as Hurricane Isaias descends on the Outer Banks, because this is how 2020 roles.

(Sorry, we didn't take any pictures this week.)