• US jobless claims report: Record 3.2 million seek unemployment benefits

    US jobless claims report: Record 3.2 million seek unemployment benefits

    A record 3.2 million people applied for unemployment benefits last week as the coronavirus crisis forced layoffs around the US, the feds said Thursday. The seasonally adjusted total reported by the US Labor Department shattered expectations as well as the previous record of 695,000 initial jobless claims in a single week, which was set in …
  • Meghan reportedly forbids Harry from visiting Charles after coronavirus diagnosis

    Meghan reportedly forbids Harry from visiting Charles after coronavirus diagnosis

    Meghan Markle has put Prince Harry on lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, forbidding him from visiting the UK to see his father, Prince Charles, who has come down with the bug, according to a new report. “Under no circumstances is she OK with him traveling anywhere right now,” according to an insider who spoke to …
  • Grocery stores add sneeze guards to protect cashiers from coronavirus

    Grocery stores add sneeze guards to protect cashiers from coronavirus

    Some of the nation’s largest grocery store chains are installing sneeze guards to help protect their cashiers from the coronavirus. Walmart, Albertsons, Whole Foods and other grocers say they are putting up Plexiglas shields in checkout lines to block virus-containing droplets from the nose and mouth from flying between clerks and customers. Walmart plans to …
  • Senate Passes Historic $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Package

    Senate Passes Historic $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Package

    The Senate unanimously passed a historic $2 trillion stimulus bill late Wednesday to provide the economy with a shot in the arm as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the country and wreak financial havoc. Senators voted 96-to-0 for the bill, the largest emergency aid package in the nation’s history. The House is expected to …
  • The Cheesecake Factory won’t make April rent because of coronavirus restrictions

    The Cheesecake Factory won’t make April rent because of coronavirus restrictions

    One of America’s most popular restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory, reportedly cannot afford April’s rent at any of its nearly 300 locations due to the financial strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Cheesecake Factory’s founder and CEO, David Overton, notified the company’s landlords of their inability to pay in a March 18 letter obtained by …
  • Red Sox cheating investigation ends with coronavirus twist

    Red Sox cheating investigation ends with coronavirus twist

    On the eve of what was supposed to be Opening Day, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he will reveal his findings into the Red Sox cheating probe once baseball returns. If an optimistic Manfred has his way, America’s pastime will be back some time in May. “We’ll have to make a determination depending on what …
  • The pain of no Opening Day

    The pain of no Opening Day

    Some things remain unchanged; all along 126th Street, the chop-shop guys still have their eagle eyes tuned to any dent on the bumpers of passing cars. You have a scratch on the door? Like always, they are eager to help, offering up business cards while properly outfitted in uniforms of the day: surgical gloves, masks, …
  • Apollo Theater inaugurates remote Amateur Night auditions

    Apollo Theater inaugurates remote Amateur Night auditions

    The Apollo Theater will conduct auditions for its iconic Amateur Night remotely for the first time in its 86-year history. The Harlem theater closed its doors because of the coronavirus outbreak, but has asked hopefuls to send audition tapes for spots in the show’s 2020-21 season. Tapes can be up to five minutes long, and …
  • Pod Squad: 5 podcasts to listen to while coronavirus outbreak has you home

    Pod Squad: 5 podcasts to listen to while coronavirus outbreak has you home

    During times of crisis, Americans used to gather and tune in to the radio. Today, it’s more likely we’ll scatter and listen to separate podcasts; there are just so many amazing ones out there. According to PodcastHosting.org‘s stats, as of March there are over 900,000, with over 28 million episodes — so how to choose? …
  • US has fewer 401(k) millionaires after coronavirus stock market meltdown

    US has fewer 401(k) millionaires after coronavirus stock market meltdown

    There were over 11 million households in America worth between $1 million and $5 million in February, according to Spectrem Group’s Market Insights Report 2020. That figure — the number of 401(k) millionaires, as they were called — was heralded in many newspapers just a few weeks ago. Now, according to Spectrem, there are half …