Coronavirus Update

The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose to more than 587,000 with 23,644 confirmed deaths.

• Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday said more than 80 million Americans will receive their stimulus direct deposits by Wednesday (Here's everything you need to know about the stimulus payments).
• The FDA has granted emergency use authorization for a saliva-based coronavirus test developed by a Rutgers University-backed entity.
• Both western states (CA, OR, WA) and eastern states (NY, NJ, CT, PA, RI, DE) have formed separate coalitions to coordinate eventual easing of economic restrictions.
• The FDA on Monday granted emergency use authorization for a process of decontaminating N95 masks that can potentially clean up to four million masks per day.
• Wyoming reported its first coronavirus death on Monday. All 50 U.S. states have now seen at least one death.
• The Supreme Court announced plans to hear oral arguments by teleconference in May due to coronavirus. The arguments cover several major cases, including President Trump’s financial disclosures and an electoral college issue.

Sanders Endorses Biden

Bernie Sanders officially endorsed presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Monday, five days after Sanders suspended his campaign. The endorsement comes as Biden was declared the winner of Wisconsin’s April 7 primary, where in-person voting was held following a controversial State Supreme Court decision.

Food Shortages After Locust Invasion

Swarms of locusts have damaged 500,000 acres of crops in Ethiopia, leaving roughly one million people in need of emergency food aid. One of the region’s wettest rainy seasons in decades has led to swarms of locusts - sometimes covering areas as large as 1,000 sq. miles - that have traveled across much of Eastern Africa.

More: According to the UN, an even more massive second wave of locusts have begun to invade Africa from their breeding grounds in Somalia, with estimates of up to 20 times more damage.

The Coronavirus Effect

• Shares of Netflix reached a 52-week high Monday, as fellow media company Roku’s shares rose more than 9% in after-hours trading after promising revenue projections.
• A new report predicts a 40% year-over-year decrease in U.S. box office numbers, with the projected $6.6 billion representing the lowest number since the late 1990s.
• PayPal, Intuit, and Square recently became the first fintech companies to receive approval to participate in the U.S. government’s $350 billion small business loan program.
• About two million homeowners are reportedly skipping their monthly mortgage payments. The recent stimulus package allows homeowners to request forbearance without penalty for up to 12 months.
• Amazon will allow third-party sellers on its platform to resume shipping non-essential items - in a limited capacity - starting later this week.

Hindsight Is 20/20

SoftBank on Monday said it expected to record a loss of 1.8 trillion yen (~$17 billion) in its Vision Fund over the fiscal year just ended. These new reported losses mean the $100 billion fund is likely down overall since its inception three years ago, though the company said the latest results may change as the numbers are finalized.

More: Of the Vision Fund’s seven largest investments, three are ride-sharing companies (including Uber and Chinese counterpart Didi Chixung) who have seen business all but shut down recently due to coronavirus.

Quibi’s Quota

Quibi CEO Meg Whitman on Monday said the mobile app had seen 1.7 million downloads in its first week of availability. Whitman also said the company would prioritize making Quibi videos available to cast from phones to TVs in light of more people staying at home due to coronavirus.

Beer Here!

While some people are finding it hard to stay occupied during the extended quarantine, 93-year-old Olive Veronesi seems to be holding up just fine - as long as she’s fully stocked with beer.

An image of Olive behind glass doors holding a sign that said “I Need More Beer!!” recently went viral, and was used by local Pittsburgh news affiliates as an example of proper social distancing.

The Masked Swinger

The extended period of quarantine has been hard on everyone, but it can be especially hard for young kids who have been cooped up without direct access to their friends.

Two men from London, England have taken it upon themselves to cheer up their young neighbors by dressing up in a full Spiderman costume before going outside for their hour of daily exercise, providing entertainment to kids around the block

Where In The World Is Brandon Smith?

Twelve-year-old Brandon Smith usually celebrates his birthday with a father-son adventure, but this year his dad, Jody, was forced to improvise due to the coronavirus pandemic. Brandon is a geography enthusiast, so Jody had his son draw a map of the world.

Then, Jody took to Twitter asking for replies from as many different locations as possible, with Brandon marking off each place as they came in. Jody’s post garnered thousands of responses aimed at making Brandon’s birthday an adventure he won’t soon forget!

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