Coronavirus Update

Global cases rose to nearly 2 million yesterday with more than 126,500 deaths.

• Several EU countries - Italy, Austria, Denmark, and Spain - are planning to partially release some lockdown measures later this week.
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday released a guide detailing how the state’s government will attempt to gradually reopen its economy.
• South Koreans across the country will vote today in the world’s first national election since the coronavirus pandemic began.
• The U.S. will suspend funding to the World Health Organization while it reviews the agency’s response to the coronavirus.
• The Iraqi government has revoked Reuters’ licence for three months, after the news agency published a story saying the country had a much higher number of cases than reported.

Obama Endorses Biden

Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday formally endorsed his former vice president, Joe Biden, who is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Obama’s endorsement comes one day after Bernie Sanders also endorsed Biden.

More: This is the earliest the Democratic nominee has been decided since the 2004 election.

Chernobyl Wildfires Contained

A large wildfire in Ukraine that had threatened to engulf the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been contained, according to local emergency services. Greenpeace Russia on Monday reported the blaze was just one kilometer away from reaching the plant.

More: Authorities last week arrested a 27-year-old man who is accused of starting the fires.

The Coronavirus Effect

• Boeing on Tuesday reported the cancellation of 150 orders of their 737 MAX planes in the month of March, which the company said represented their worst month in decades.
• Several major airlines have come to deals with the Treasury Department on portions of a combined $25 billion in payroll grants as part of the Phase 3 stimulus package.
• Two European pharmaceutical rivals - GlaxoSmithKline & Sanofi - are joining forces to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
• General Motors on Tuesday said it started producing the first batch of ventilators related to its federal contract.
• A court in France ruled Tuesday that Amazon must eliminate all nonessential deliveries, the same day the company’s stock closed at an all-time high.
• The International Monetary Fund’s latest world economic outlook expects the world’s economy to shrink by 3% in 2020, a more than six-point swing from its initial January projections.

Show Your Colors

Starting today, NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service is available at no extra charge to Comcast Xfinity TV and broadband customers. NBCUniversal is also reportedly considering moving up Peacock’s global launch date (currently July 15) due to the current quarantine.

Chip Off The Old Block

According to Axios, Google has made significant progress towards developing chips for its Pixel and Chromebook products in cooperation with Samsung. Google is expecting to transition from using Qualcomm chips in their Pixel phones to their own in-house product - codenamed Whitechapel - as soon as next year.

Scout’s Honor

Although the Girl Scouts of America are normally known for setting up stands to sell their world-famous cookies, the organization has swiftly adapted to the current climate of social distancing.

Customers now have the option to purchase cookies online or donate them to a local hospital or food bank. So far, the organization has given away more than 60,000 boxes to communities in need.

Just Checking In

Some Americans will decide to save their stimulus check for a rainy day, but not Ruben Caceres. A special needs teacher from Texas, Ruben began spending the money as soon as it was made available in his bank account.

Ruben teaches severely disabled and medically fragile children, and he wanted to make sure they would stay safe - so Ruben spent his stimulus check on materials to help him sew hundreds of masks for his students.

You’ve Got Mail

U.S. hospitals have been experiencing shortages of the essential personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to keep workers safe as they tend to the many COVID-19 patients across the country.

A coalition of private companies and nonprofits (including Microsoft and UPS) have teamed up to provide an app that matches needy hospitals with people looking to donate their excess medical equipment, and even covers any potential shipping costs.

Prowess Project

Are you too busy with the daily “fire drills” to tackle your to-do list? Prowess Project helps companies get stuff done by harnessing the skills of women. We have tapped into a pool of 3+ million “MBA moms” who have taken time off to raise a family and want to get back into the workforce. Prowess Project certifies this educated, experienced talent in project management, the latest technology and emotional intelligence. The untapped (wo)manpower then is matched with companies to provide skilled, vetted talent at a lower cost.

So, how can we help? We specialize in:

• Business operations
• Sales workflow build outs
• Social media & content marketing
• Project management

… and much, much more. Want info? Contact us.

OR, have a mom in mind who would like to join our talent pool? Send her here.