COVID-19 Update, September 15, 2020: The Compromise Bill

Just when appears that Congress is incapable of passing a stimulus bill, a compromise plan emerges. Does it have a chance? Stay tuned. Meanwhile, the strange case of Michael Caputo, whose job description appears to be based on interfering in the work of the CDC, takes an even more bizarre turn when he declares himself a victim of degraded mental health. New evidence emerges of the president's double-dealing ways regarding COVID-19, even as he resumes indoor rallies where nobody wears a mask. And, in news that will reverberate throughout this industry, the trade show calendar gets another shakeup was ISE postpones to June.

The latest:

Fifty centrist Senators will propose a compromise stimulus bill. Is it DOA? Will Congress really let this issue die? tinyurl.com/yy3mnj6u.

In a bizarre twist even for these times, Michael Caputo, the government official behind the effort to rewrite CDC reports to please the White House, unleashes a rant on Facebook in which he decries his degraded mental health, raises baseless accusations of career scientists engaging in "sedition," and musing about "shadows on the ceiling in my apartment, there alone, shadows are so long:" tinyurl.com/y6lxobjn. Scientists note why Caputo's efforts are terrible for the fight against COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y2yhuwf7.

The president defends his mask-free indoor rallies, saying "I'm on a stage and it's very far away." He says nothing about the audiences jammed into the room with him: tinyurl.com/yyhrsmmj. In a newly released tape of an interview with Bob Woodward, the president says that the coronavirus "is a killer" that "rips you apart," adding, "If you're the wrong person, you don't stand a chance." This was three days after he told supporters at a rally that the coronavirus "will soon be in full retreat:" tinyurl.com/y2pwldrg.

More states are reopening bars and restaurants, despite the fact that "states that have reopened bars experienced a doubling in the rate of coronavirus cases three weeks after the opening of doors, on average:" tinyurl.com/y4rjvupx.

More from the Midwest, where cases are spiking worrisomely; keep an eye on the Dakotas, Iowa, and Missouri: tinyurl.com/yygv3lp7.

The pandemic causes the nation's Medicaid rolls to swell: tinyurl.com/yy7822d7.

The World Health Organization sees a rise in COVID-19 deaths in Europe come October and November: tinyurl.com/y6anp8hf.

AstraZeneca, blessed with record profits and flooded with government grant money, raises its prices -- three times this year: tinyurl.com/yyhyzlxe.

Six European countries are working on a cross-border COVID-19 tracking app: tinyurl.com/y4g73qtj.

Food for thought:

If you have COVID-19, should you take the vaccine? Maybe: tinyurl.com/y6jjvtn9.

Steps to take to save America's arts and culture economy: tinyurl.com/y6jqonkz.

Trade show update:

ISE, scheduled for February 2 - 5 in Barcelona, moves to June: www.iseurope.org/.

Around the country:

In California:

COVID-19 tests will be mandated in Los Angeles public schools: tinyurl.com/yxrlasd5.

In Florida:

The pandemic devastates Miami's arts sector: tinyurl.com/y5fnmdsu.

Since reopening, the Orange County School District has seen COVID-19 on 30% of its campuses: tinyurl.com/y49d8ez6.

The AdventHealth system endorses rapid-response antigen testing as a way of identifying if asymptomatic workers have been exposed to COVID-19: tinyurl.com/y6x2w59z.

Floridians unemployed in August may be eligible for an additional week of $300 enhanced unemployment: tinyurl.com/yymvh2n8.

The bars are open again in the Florida Keys: tinyurl.com/y66g7ubs.

In Illinois:

Downtown Chicago, emptied out by the coronavirus, faces an uncertain future: tinyurl.com/y4go66yf. The City of Chicago Winter Dining Challenge aims to find ways to keep restaurants open yet socially distanced: tinyurl.com/y526c5hp.

Chicago aims to rev up its sagging contact tracing program: tinyurl.com/yxe5x3xz.

Senator Dick Durbin says that two Illinois universities didn't get the COVID-19 testing materials they ordered, because the federal government reallocated them elsewhere: tinyurl.com/y2px9mew.

In New York:

Macy's plans a drastically different edition of its Thanksgiving Day Parade: tinyurl.com/y4quo8jp.

In a statement that goes over like a lead balloon, Mayor Bill de Blasio tries to minimize the health risks of going back to school, saying, "We have to remember that for the very small percentage of people who test positive for the coronavirus, it is a very temporary reality:" tinyurl.com/yyza9ftm.

In North Carolina:

The North Carolina Symphony plans a new kind of season, pitching to subscribers a flex package of online concerts in the fall and in-person performances in the spring: tinyurl.com/y6jtlkx9.

New COVID-19 cases are declining in the state, while the overall positivity rate remains at 5%: tinyurl.com/y49worqe.

In Vermont:

Northern Stage is the first LORT theatre to get union approval for live programming: tinyurl.com/y4eblxmx.

In Wisconsin:

In an effort to curb the coronavirus, University of Wisconsin -- Madison eliminates spring break: tinyurl.com/y24apsjg.

Around the world:

In Canada:

Toronto faces calls for a shutdown of strip club shutdown following two COVID-19 outbreaks: tinyurl.com/y3exrrv2.

The country reports no new death COVID-19 deaths since March: tinyurl.com/y4p8xmtg.

In the UK:

The Oxford-based Recovery trial, which put steroids on the table as an effective COVID-19 treatment, tries out a new combination antibody approach: tinyurl.com/y3roz2bj.

How the coronavirus is accelerating calls for Scottish independence: tinyurl.com/y2f3g8sx.

Education:

From JBL: "An Overview of Digital Audio Signal Transport," September 20, at 11:00am CT; register at tinyurl.com/y3vqt2dw.

From Martin by Harman: "Using Lighting Design to Tell a Story with Jenny Bass," October 1 at 1:00pm CT; register at tinyurl.com/y5ay25rm.

For your entertainment:

SC7NARIO, a new short film featuring a brace of top Broadway dancers, will screen for free on the website Broadway HD: tinyurl.com/y3srlzgn.

For your pleasure:

Carrie Hope Fletcher previews "Far Too Late," from Andrew Lloyd Webber's upcoming musical Cinderella, accompanied by the composer: tinyurl.com/yy5d45mm.

That's all for today. Stay safe. -- DB

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Previous LSA COVID-19 Updates: plasa.me/lsacovid19resources.