• From the Washington Post:
"The number of new claims filed for unemployed remained at historically high levels, according to data released Thursday by the Department of Labor.
"The number of initial claims inched down — from 849,000 to 840,000 last week. The number of new claims for gig and self-employed workers dropped from about 650,000 to 460,000.
"All told, about 25.5 million people are collecting some kind of unemployment insurance. The number of jobless claims have fallen from their peak in the spring, but the rate has slowed in recent months."
• From the New York Times:
"Best Buy is the latest retailer to announce that it will offer the holiday deals typically found after Thanksgiving on Oct. 13 and 14, following similar announcements from Amazon, Target and Walmart, as the pandemic pulls seasonal shopping earlier than ever.
"Best Buy said on Thursday that it would offer the Black Friday deals next week, both online and in stores, after Target said that it would hold an event called 'Deal Days' on the same dates."
• From the Washington Post:
"The World Food Program was awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a recognition of the critical work by the United Nations agency to battle hunger around the world, especially as the coronavirus pandemic has brought a global spike in poverty.
"Announcing the prize in Oslo, Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the world was in danger of a food crisis of 'inconceivable proportions'."
