THE BIG STORY
Another 6.6 million people filed for unemployment in the last week.
It means almost 17 million people have lost their jobs amid the coronavirus shutdowns across the country — a surge of unemployment unlike anything that's happened in living memory.
The unemployment crisis has hit some states especially hard, according to the numbers on our live tracking page. STAYING ON TOP OF THIS A difference among neighbors
"A natural experiment in stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus is playing out on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee, where an early start to social distancing is pitted against a late one," reports Dan Vergano.
Kentucky's governor was quick to declare a state of emergency and close schools, bars, and restaurants, while neighboring Tennessee took a more relaxed approach, only issuing a stay-at-home order at the end of March. "This is not a mandated 'shelter in place' order, because it remains deeply important to me to protect personal liberties," Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said when announcing the order on March 30.
As of this afternoon, Kentucky has reported 1,149 COVID-19 cases and 65 deaths, while Tennessee has reported 4,363 cases and 79 deaths. Tennessee has almost twice as many confirmed cases per person, and its outbreak is expected to peak almost a month earlier than Kentucky's — a sign that the early lockdown may have helped flatten the curve of infections and reduce stress on hospitals.
SNAPSHOTS Joe Biden will be the Democratic presidential nominee. Bernie Sanders ended his campaign yesterday, and in a text message to supporters Biden acknowledged that he has won the 2020 primary. "It's Joe Biden, and I will be your Democratic nominee for president," the text read.
Linda Tripp, whose secret recordings of conversations with Monica Lewinsky led to Bill Clinton's impeachment, died yesterday. She was 70.
Google has banned its employees from using Zoom on company computers. "It does not meet our security standards for apps used by our employees," the company told BuzzFeed News.
The coronavirus outbreak has delayed the citizenship ceremonies for thousands of immigrants across the country. Among other things, it means they may not be able to vote in the 2020 election.
Ileana Gonzalez of Cuba holds back tears as the oath of allegiance is administered to new citizens during a naturalization ceremony at Everglades National Park, July 3, 2019. (Miami Herald / Getty Images) HELP US KEEP QUALITY NEWS FREE FOR ALL
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A NEW KIND OF DEATH PENALTY The crisis in our prisons
For the 1.3 million people being held in state prisons across the country, there's no social distancing. Neither are there many good options to protect yourself, like frequent handwashing or masks.
Antonio McDowell is 23 years into a 103-year sentence for a murder he says he didn't commit. He's one of more than 50 people who say a retired Chicago detective framed them for murder, a BuzzFeed News investigation revealed in 2017. So far, 20 people who've accused the detective of misconduct have already had their convictions thrown out; McDowell is seeking a new trial as evidence of his innocence mounts.
But that has been put on hold by the coronavirus outbreak, and McDowell, who has developed a serious medical condition in prison, worries he might not survive long enough to prove his innocence and regain his freedom.
"The fear of death, on top of being framed," McDowell told Melissa Segura from his prison cell this week. "I'm petrified."
GET THAT MONEY What's the deal with that $1,200 check?
Weeks ago Congress passed trillions of dollars in relief spending to help people and businesses make it through the coronavirus crisis. Part of the deal was a one-time payment of up to $1,200 for most US adults, plus $500 for each of their children. So where's your money?
We've put together a Q&A on how much you should expect to get, and when you should get it. In short: If you filed a tax return last year or this year and earned less than $75,000 (or $150,00 for couples who file jointly), you should get the full $1,200 in the next couple of weeks, deposited directly into the bank account where you got your tax return.
But things get a bit more complicated if you earned more than that, or if you're a college student listed as a dependent on your parents' tax returns, or if you didn't get your tax return deposited directly into a bank account. You might get less money, or it might take longer to arrive, or you might get nothing at all. The details are all here.
WELCOME TO SCIENCE HELL
Here's my theory on how gravity *really* works
Yesterday we published excerpts from Department of Mind-Blowing Theories: Science Cartoons by Tom Gauld, a new book coming out this week. There's a bunch more where this came from, but I thought I'd end the newsletter with one I particularly enjoyed, given that this is what about half my Twitter feed looks like all day now. Blessed be the scientists today, Tom BuzzFeed, Inc.
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