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This thread has ended. The discussion continues:The Latest – Tuesday, November 17
What Biden/Harris will do to address the vaccines distributed, and beating this pandemic, as well as keeping the economy going. So many fronts are being addressed without Trump’s concession or transition help.
Met with a lot of business and labor leaders and makes some remarks.
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is delivering a speech on Monday on the slowing American economic recovery, amid the crosswinds of rising coronavirus deaths and soaring optimism over a vaccine.
Ahead of the remarks, Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris spoke with business and union leaders to discuss the recovery, including Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors; Sonia Syngal, the chief executive of Gap; and Satya Nadella, the head of Microsoft. The union leaders will include Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO and Rory Gamble, president of the United Auto Workers.
“To state the obvious, we seem to be turning a pretty dark corner now,” Mr. Biden said at the briefing, according to a pool report distributed by the campaign.
Noting that there are differing views about how to revive the economy, he added: “We all agree on the common goals, just have a slightly different perspective.”
Mr. Biden’s speech is expected to focus on the need to contain the virus in order to get the economy back on track, as well as ensuring that workers and businesses can operate safely. His remarks will touch on broad themes about the nation’s economic health and his plans for improving growth and equality in the short and long term.
His speech comes at a perilous moment for the recovery from the pandemic recession.
Credit card data and other indicators suggest consumers began to pull back spending this month as infection, hospitalization and death rates from the virus surge nationwide. States have begun to impose new restrictions on economic activity in an effort to tamp down the spread.
But stock markets were soaring again on Monday, encouraged by news that Moderna’s vaccine for the virus appears to be highly effective. Still, widespread distribution of a vaccine that would allow Americans to resume anything close to normal levels of travel, dining out and other types of spending on services that have been crushed by the pandemic is likely months away. Economists continue to call for a new and immediate round of aid from Congress to help people and businesses weather the difficult time before the rebound is complete.