MARCH 11, 2020

Full News Archive

• Headline: Stimulus Talks Amidst Virus Concerns. Impact: If Trump had taken the virus seriously, perhaps the economy wouldn't have had to wear a mask of its own—who knew stimulus checks could lead to an unexpected boom in home delivery pizza sales and a resurgence of 'Tiger King' viewership?. Fact: The only thing more inflated than the $700 billion price tag for the stimulus was the ballooning number of people who suddenly became 'experts' on economics thanks to late-night infomercials..
• Headline: Testing Delays and U.S. COVID-19 Response. Impact: The government's slow response to testing turned it into a national scavenger hunt—only instead of finding hidden treasures, people were searching for toilet paper and hand sanitizer like they were gold bars.. Fact: Missed chances in testing made sure that 'let’s just wing it' became the official motto of the pandemic response team..
• Headline: Let’s Talk About Coronavirus Bailouts, Before We Need Them. Impact: The 2008 bailouts became a template for future interventions, inadvertently ensuring that every economic crisis would have its own 'let's throw money at the problem' moment, like a kid trying to fix a broken toy with duct tape.. Fact: The debate on bailouts could fill an entire library with hot takes, which is ironic considering libraries were probably the last place you wanted to go during a pandemic..