The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8 percent annual rate last quarter, the Commerce Department estimated on Wednesday. Nearly every economic indicator—including gross domestic product, consumer spending, business investment—has plummeted since the coronavirus pandemic hit. And this quarter’s numbers likely will be worse.
More than 20 meat processing plants in the United States have temporarily shut down because of coronavirus outbreaks among their workers. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order under the Defense Production Act to keep the facilities open. The president said ranchers are providing plenty of beef, pork, poultry, and other meats—it’s just a matter of getting it processed and distributed.
South Korea tried once again to quell rumors about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s health on Monday. The Japanese magazine Shukan Gendai, citing an anonymous member of Kim’s medical team, reported last week that the dictator collapsed on a trip to the countryside this month. He needed a stent, but a delay in the surgery left him in a vegetative state, according to the report. In response, a state-run newspaper in North Korea reported Kim was alive and well and sent a thank you letter to builders in the resort town where he has stayed the past few weeks.
Journalism | What Bari Weiss’ resignation from The New York Times tells us about the state of journalism
