“The jobless numbers surged again this week, bringing “the total of jobless claims in just five weeks to more than 26 million people. That’s more than all the jobs added in the past 10 years since the Great Recession.” Given the shutdown, these numbers, and the food lines that follow, feel almost inevitable. But are they? NPR: Europe’s Economy Was Hit Hard Too, But Jobs Didn’t Disappear Like In The US. “What it means is that people remain on the books … They keep receiving their salaries. And when social distancing ends, they will just return to work, as if they had been on a long, government-paid leave.”

+ Well, the safety net still appears to be working for some people. In the same month that 22 million Americans lost their jobs, the American billionaire class’s total wealth increased about 10%.”