COVID-19 Update: August 10, 2020: Cognitive Dissonance Now what? Congressional negotiations over the stimulus bill come a crashing halt. The president issues executive orders that are a) incomplete, b) probably impossible to implement, and c) almost certainly unconstitutional. Meanwhile, the US passes a grim milestone, reaching five million cases of COVID-19. Rumor has it that the political parties are going to meet today: Can they craft a bill that cuts through the cognitive dissonance and provides needed assistance? The latest: Congressional talks on a stimulus bill collapse: wapo.st/3it3E28. Actors' Equity issue a statement about Congressional inaction: tinyurl.com/y66bae5s. The president signs executive orders extending some pandemic relief. There are only two problems: The benefits are reduced and the plan is unlikely to see the light of day: cnb.cx/30ICAWx. Also missing is another round of $1,200 stimulus checks: bit.ly/3gGHkS0. And, the orders have done little more than sow confusion: nyti.ms/3fJzZ30. They also generate little enthusiasm in the president's own party: bit.ly/33LMPLu. The US now has more than five million cases of COVID-19: hrld.us/3a9mB6Y. "Don't they care about their health?" Europe reacts to America's rising numbers: bit.ly/33O27iW. Meanwhile: The pandemic looks to surge next in the Midwest: bit.ly/2XEgBOD. The Pew Research Center warns that with no national policy and government standoffs, the US economy is facing a "lost year:" wapo.st/2DxSOsO. Five former CDC directors diagnose the cause of the pandemic -- lack of leadership: abcn.ws/3fJM6Ne. So much for immunity: Nearly 100,000 children have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks of July: cbsn.ws/3fS10RX. The beleaguered US Postal Service, hit hard by the pandemic, lost more than $2 billion in the second quarter: bit.ly/3gLZpOQ. Here's a guide to the major airlines' mask policies: bit.ly/2DweO7e. And here's a roundup of the leading vaccine candidates: bit.ly/33O2Xw6. Food for thought: A lost summer; how the current administration failed to effectively control the coronavirus: wapo.st/2XGmxX9. A leading health expert and the head of the Federal Bank of Minnesota on how to arrest the pandemic in six weeks: nyti.ms/31E7pe5. What happens when someone sneezes in the subway? nyti.ms/3kxxdRO. Can the FDA resist political pressure to produce a vaccine? nyti.ms/2F3XS8A. Around the country: In California: The coronavirus ravages agricultural workers in the state's Central Valley: bit.ly/30FFdIC. A Central Valley town defies state safety orders and loses relief funding; it is also on the federal list of most worrisome hot spots: bit.ly/3ksSkEM. Across Los Angeles County, however, the death toll is down, due in part to better treatment options: bit.ly/3ac3ucv. A judge in Ventura issues a restraining order against a church, ordering it not to hold indoor services: bit.ly/3fGbzY2. Retail workers struggle to manage customers who ignore mask mandates and other social distancing rules: bit.ly/2DRtNsw. Hermosa Beach hires a private consulting firm to enforce its mask mandate: bit.ly/3aayTMf. A new testing site is set to open on the US -- Mexican border: bit.ly/3ihc38K. The state's public health director resigns following a scandal over inaccurate coronavirus numbers: bit.ly/2PEtO5J. In Florida: The number of new cases is dropping noticeably: bit.ly/2PC8pKe. The governor prevents local health directors from advising against reopening schools: bit.ly/30Chb1g. Despite a slight decline in cases in Central Florida, doctors warn that victory is not yet at hand: bit.ly/3a6hjJz. How a chain of nursing homes raked in federal funding while leaving residents tragically exposed to COVID-19 infections: hrld.us/2CcRMln. The governor imposed a moratorium in evictions, but there's a loophole: bit.ly/3fOUWtq. Walt Disney World slashes theme park hours for the fall: bit.ly/2XKWiiy. Disney World also works to revise its employee safety guidelines for the pandemic: bit.ly/2DA41ck. University of Central Florida pauses its football camp after players raise concerns about the risk of infection: bit.ly/3ab7A4s. In Georgia: A Paulding County teenager was suspended for circulating a photo of her school's hallways; now there are nine confirmed COVID-19 cases in the student body: bit.ly/3acpvHX. In Illinois: As the coronavirus comes creeping back, the governor imposes as $2,500 penalty on businesses that ignore his mask order: bit.ly/2PD579M. Chicago's McCormick Place has lost 145 trade show bookings: bit.ly/2PJPiOh. The mayor shuts down a large-scale beach party: bit.ly/3ab7vha. In Massachusetts: As the coronavirus returns, the governor pauses reopening and reimposes restrictions: bit.ly/3ik9OBy. A review of that socially distanced, Equity-approved Godspell that you've been hearing about: tinyurl.com/y4v9fbzo. In Missouri: A series of games between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates is off after 17 members of the Cardinals test positive: cnn.it/2F7uT3L. In Nevada: A study published by the Harvard Global Health Institute says that the state should consider shutting down again: bit.ly/3fKLdUX. In New York: The Tribeca Film Festival, scrubbed for 2020, will be back in 2021: bit.ly/3fK4zsZ. In Ohio: The state reaches 100,000 COVID-19 cases in less than half the time it took to reach 50,000: bit.ly/2PzjBHo. In South Dakota: Thousands pour into the state for a massive motorcycle rally that the locals fear will become a super-spreader event: bit.ly/30JAIwR. In Tennessee: Vanderbilt University helms a DIY study to determine how many children and teens are infected with COVID-19 and how easily they can spread it: bit.ly/3ktlsfd. In Texas: Houston's Alley Theatre plans to reopen in November: bit.ly/2PyHOh1. Around the world: In Brazil: The country passes the 100,000 mark in COVID-19 deaths: bit.ly/3ioynNB. In France: Authorities try to clamp down on St. Tropez's social scene: wapo.st/30KVlZr. In Israel: August is the deadliest month yet for COVID-19: bit.ly/3gIUWw4. In Italy: With daily infection rates less than one-tenth of Florida's, the country cautiously comes back to life: bit.ly/2DC9PBZ. In the UK: The number of daily cases rises to 1,000 for the first time since June: bit.ly/31GetHl. The chancellor says that the government's furlough scheme will not be extended, stranding market sectors like theatre and travel that have no immediate hope of revival: bit.ly/3fCcn09. But the #WeMakeEvents movements plans to take action: bit.ly/3fMwxEt. More on the #WeMakeEvents Red Alert day of action: bit.ly/3gINVeR. London's Bridge Theatre plans to reopen in September -- October with Talking Heads, a collection of solo pieces by Alan Bennett: tinyurl.com/y6jtutxv. Training: Sennheiser's SoundAcademy hosts a roundtable with the team of rock band Steel Panther on August 11, at 12:30pm ET and 9:30am PT: bit.ly/2XCFREQ. Entertainment: Now streaming are Trevor Nunn's productions of Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape and The Old Tune, with a cast that includes Niall Buggy and David Threlfall: tinyurl.com/y2ulwlbr. For your pleasure: The cast of the 2015 Off Broadway musical Brooklynite perform "Rescue Waltz" in tribute to their friend and co-star, the late Nick Cordero: bit.ly/2CgoxOA. To receive your LSA copies at home (no charge), please email LSA@plasa.org or go to www.ezsubscription.com/lsa/mysubscription. Previous LSA COVID-19 Updates: plasa.me/lsacovid19resources. 
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