Formed bidenharris ticket, and the role of women in 2020. Professor jennifer lawless joins us to discuss the evolution of women in electoral politics. Washington journal is next. Host good morning. 14, 2020. Ay, august yesterday, the Labor Department announced thousands of americans filed new jobless claims. It is the first time weekly jobless claims have fallen below one million since march. This morning, we are spending our first hour talking directly to those whose jobs have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn. Give us a call. 202 are unemployed, 7488000. If you have had your work hours reduced, 202 7488001. If you have recently returned to work, 202 7488002. Text,n also send us a 202 7488003. Please include your name and where you are from. A very good friday morning to you. Go ahead and start calling in now as we give you more context to the weekly jobless numbers that were announced yesterday, this courtesy of u. S. Todays front page of their money section. The latest stream of applications, still dwarfing the alltime weekly high of 695,000 of an economic downturn in 1982. The latest tally means 56. 2 million americans sought unemployment aid in a 21 weeks. That 56. 2 million americans is the universe of potential caller s we want to hear from today. Asking you to call in today to let us know if you are unemployed, your hours have been impacted or you have returned to work want to hear how the pandemic has impacted your job. All eyes on congress to see if they can come up with a new Coronavirus Relief legislation. Nancy pelosi yesterday on capitol hill talked about the state of negotiations. [video clip] it is really important. We have sent to them, we are ready to compromise. We know a first offer is not something they would necessarily take because we do not share values. As a practical matter, where can we find Common Ground . Chuck schumer and i said we will come down 1 trillion if you come up 1 trillion, we will meet you halfway and we can negotiate how the resources are spent. We do not subscribe to saying to the American People the virus is intensifying, and for you, we have a benefit cut. Lets see how we can Work Together to get this done. They called yesterday, the secretary, and said, would you like to sit down . We said what we said all along you come down 1 trillion and we will come up 1 trillion, but we will not validate what you proposed because it does not meet the needs of the American People and we will not contribute to your using a partial benefit to the public at the expense of Everything Else we want to do and to the benefit of the high end, which you are there to serve. Host nancy pelosi on capitol hill yesterday. Side, others, the Senate Mitch Mcconnell talked about the state of negotiations. [video clip] the senate was supposed to spend this week finalizing another bipartisan rescue package for the American People. Millions of laidoff workers need more federal assistance to weather the storm. Small businesses needed more support to make payroll. Schools and families need more certaintyools, and with reopening dates fast approaching. Doctors, nurses and Health Care Workers need more backup as they hold the line against this disease. We all need more gas for the race toward more testing, better treatments and a vaccine that will finish the fight. I canceled the first week of august of our august estate work period in the hope that the speaker of the house and the democratic leader would put aside their ideological demands with no relation to the pandemic and finally let congress legislate. Unfortunately, mr. President , the democrats have consented to let working families down. They are still rejecting anymore relief for anyone unless they get a flood of demands with no relationship to covid19. Host Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell capitol hill yesterday. Hours after those remarks on the floor, Mitch Mcconnell adjourning the senate until september, noting centers could be called back if a deal is reached. The house already in its august recess. We are asking viewers to call into let you know how the pandemic has assisted you. Affected you. For those unemployed, 202 7488000. If you have had your hours reduced, 202 7488001 is the number. If you have recently returned to work, 202 7488002. We are setting aside the first hour of the washington journal to hear how you are dealing with the past couple of weeks and months. Maryland, on the line for those unemployed. Good morning. Caller good morning. Host good morning. What kind of work were you doing and how long have you been out of a job . Ofler since the 28th february, 2020. Host do me a favor and turned on your television so we can have a conversation a little bit cleaner. What kind of work did you do before you lost your job . Working inas baltimore. Since then, it shut down. Not gotten Unemployment Benefits. This sent me a letter telling me of an about they would be giving me weekly. Since then, they told me they would send me a card for the amount. I have not seen the card. I am not getting any benefits. You been able to get by . Is it a matter of relying on savings . Around i have been going with some people, some are giving me some things to do. At my age, 77, two weeks from now. Host have you heard from your old employer . Have they said anything about possibly returning to work . Doing they are not anything for the moment. Call andnk you for the telling us about your situation. Line foris next on the those who have had their hours reduced. What kind of work you do . Job because i my am an engineer, but i also have a contracting business as a second job, if you like. Drop in my earnings. A daughter in college, whom i support. My comments are this number trump was about two months behind on preparations. Is of the suffering today related to trump not being prepared the first two months. Number two, all this money the government is giving away, trillions of dollars is adding to our deficit. You can imagine how much deficit we are having right now because of the trillions to help them out. It could have been avoided if the number one man of the country, the president , acted in a timely manner. Bezosird comment is, jeff and others made a ton of money during the covid period. I think congress, the house, the senate and the white house should get together and impose a 40 fory tax 30 , one time, or maybe a quarter to help out the country. That should not be a problem. That is where leadership comes in. Host thank you for the call. Front page of the washington recover,y, as rich recession drags on for the poor. A stunning comeback for stocks since march that underscores the new phase of the economy we have entered. The wealthy have mostly recovered, the bottom half are far from it. The recession almost always hits there is a gap between rich and poor, white and minority households, big and Small Businesses. Businesses are fighting for survival. Line for those who have seen their hours reduced out of tallahassee, florida. What kind of work you do . Caller i am a volunteer minister, i am hoping it will be open again. I was a volunteer minister with the hospital in the local community, but things have changed also because of the health factor. I am bringing up something, i dont know if this affects anybody or not, but it seems that retirees are also affected by this. Servicethe civil retirement system in the Postal Service. I do not have what you call Social Security benefits because i did not pay in a lot to Social Security, except for maybe one year after high school, and then i joined the air force. If i wanted to get Social Security benefits, i would have to go back to work. This puts me in a different situation than most people. I am very thankful for what i have. I am able to live and it is far better than most people, with what they are going through. The biggest problem that i see, it is the way things are going on, there is no clear end to everything. As far as the money being there, we have given away more money in foreign aid than helping our own people. I think we need to have a complete readjustment to everything we are doing, blaming the republicans and blaming the democrats, this is not the answer. The blame game is the cheapest game you can play on the face of the earth. I do not know what the future will be in regard to what is taking place, but i do know if this country does notpull together as americans, this ship is going to sink. Host knowing the risks of coronavirus at hospitals and prisons, if you are allowed to go back to your ministry work, would you doing today . Caller i would, there would be no doubt about it. What i am doing is what god called me to do. Diabetes, i am 72. Reality is there is no guarantee i will live to be 75. Do you see what im saying . Been flu viruses, virus, it isaids just the way things are in the world. I think we need to start looking at that. We are no better off. Host thank you for the call from tallahassee. Joe is in illinois, returned to work. What kind of work . Caller hello. This is joe, i am a School Bus Driver in the state of illinois. The School Districts some School Districts have their own School Bus Drivers and they are Government Employees just like the teachers are. Other School Districts contract at with private sector companies. If you are a government worker School Bus Driver and you get laid off during christmas break, summer vacation, you are not allowed to collect unemployment. If you work for the private sector, you can. Buthe summertime, unemployment is only 367 per week. With this extra 600 per week, School Bus Drivers have done well. I have made extra 600 on top of my 379. With are you ok theon in the pandemic federal unemployment aid, that 600 number coming down to 300 or 400, depending on if states ship in the extra amount . Caller it is a temporary thing. Congress could not agree on a plan, so trump did a temporary fix to give people some extra money. Some is better than none and hopefully congress will develop a better plan, but trumps plan is only a temporary fix. I voted for trump and i think he is doing a good job and i will vote for him again in november. Host what are the rules on the school bus . We had a reporter on this program about one month ago talking about School Reopenings in some districts said the most number of children you can have on a school bus is 12 in order to socially distance them properly. Do you have any of those rules on your bus . Caller i believe it is 40 kids, some programs at the end of august, runs through september and then the School District will decide if they want to open up fully in october. Our hours will be reduced. I think it is maximum 40 kids per bus, 45, or Something Like that. They are thinking about half the kids go one day, the other half go the other day. Host is there any expectation for you as the bus driver to make sure kids are socially distancing while you are driving . Caller yes, they gave us some roles we have to make sure they are Wearing Masks and eight cant have more than one proceed. Kids. Typically hold 77 we have to spread them out, make sure they are Wearing Masks. Every time you do a route, you have to use disinfectant, wipe down the seats and keep the bus clean. Host how comfortable are you doing that and driving the bus safely . Caller i am not afraid to die. I have lived a long life. I want to go back to work. I have been tired of sitting around for five months. I will wear gloves, i will wear a mask. The kids are missing out on a quality education. Host thank you for what you do. The is kevin out of ohio, line for those unemployed. Good morning. Caller good morning. Republican, voted for trump, it has been three months and i came back from vacation at the end of april and i got sick. Tuesday,nday, wednesday, thursday, i was sick, i called my boss on the third day and said i was going to get a covid test and i will be back in a week or how long it takes to get done. He said, fine, come back with the paperwork that have been tested. Me next day, my doctor calls back and said i have no insurance. I call my boss what is going on with my insurance . He tells me i am terminated. I said for what . It was for not calling in. Host what kind of work is it . Caller i am a machinist. Helicopter bushings. Big bushings for everything. There,ears i have been to be treated this way, now on 3. 5 months waiting on unemployment, fighting it, i had to appeal it, now i am waiting for a hearing over the phone. I have been going to churches for food. It has been rough. Luckily, i had some savings with my vacation check, the stimulus check helped me make it through a month and a half. I am still waiting for the hearing date. It has been pretty rough. Depressing to be treated that way. Another stimulus check is something that could be included in the next release package. How closely are you watching what is happening on capitol hill and the negotiations that it this point seem stalled . Caller this is really getting me on edge because i could really use it now to save my home. I am by myself, i raised my daughter on my own, she is in her 20s, but she is going through a rough time, she is a beautician. I am not the only one. I dont want to lose my house. Know, i have not found a machinist job out there. I have been looking. Everything is slower, they are not hiring. Some places, maybe, but it would only be for a week or two. I deserve my insurance. If they deny me on this unemployment, it is going to be real rough. I was done wrong. It is pretty sad. Host good luck to you in ohio. Also on the line for those unemployed, scott out of maine. Good morning. Caller good morning, how are you . Host i am doing well. Caller good morning, america. I am not really going to get on here and spread my laundry all over the place. I would more so just like to remind america that this thing got way, way out of hand just about the time wall street was getting ready to crash and the fed was running out of tricks. Very, very seriously, it is screwing a lot of people in america, it is screwing america. This is my country, i love it. I am not a democrat or republican, i could care less for both of them, they are all bozos. Womanizers, criminals, i dont care. What i do care about is what is happening to this country. We are losing people are losing lifetime businesses, their homes. Congress is still getting a paycheck. The senate is still getting a paycheck, they have not laid any government workers off. People need to stop and think this through. This is a mess, it is all by design period. By design. Just get off your stool and look around. This is not a good thing. That is it. That is all have to say. Thank you. Reductions have been in the federal workforce print here is some news on the latest u. S. Citizenship and immigration services, they plant a furlough 13,400 of its 20,000 employees because of Budget Constraints amid the pandemic, just the latest news on that front, usa today and their wrapup about stimulus negotiations, which they note are at a standstill. At one point calling it hopelessly out of reach. The only thing people seem to agree on is the discussions are at an impasse. Please keep calling in this morning on phone lines. If you are unemployed, 202 7488000. If your hours have been reduced, 202 7488001. If you recently returned to work, 202 7488002. We will come back to your phone calls in just a moment. I did want to note very big news on the Foreign Policy front. Yesterday out of the white house. This is the frontpage story in the new york times, israel and uae reaching a landmark record that could lead to broader realignment in the region as the two agreed to fall normalization and exchange for israel suspending annexation of occupied west bank territory. A surprise announcement after a three way phone call with israel and leaders. Mr. Trump said it would lead to greater cooperation on technology, energy and other areas were the two countries moved to allow regular direct passengers on flights print they will open embassies and trade ambassadors for the first time. Make it only the third country to have relations with israel along with egypt and jordan. Here is President Trump yesterday at the white house talking what the deal. [video clip] trump i hosted a special call with two friends, Benjamin Netanyahu and the crown prince of uae, where they agree to finalize a historical peace agreement. Everyone said this would be impossible. As you know, he is one of the great leaders of the middle east. After 49 years, israel and uae will fully normalize diplomatic relations print they will exchange embassies and ambassadors and begin cooperation across the board and on a broad range of areas including education, health care, trade and security. This is a truly historic moment. Not since the israeljordan peace treaty was signed more than 25 years ago has so much progress been made toward peace in the middle east. Close and capable partners in the region. Stepdeal is a significant toward building a more peaceful, secure and prosperous middle east. Host President Trump at the white house yesterday to try to put the deal into context. This is a column in todays Washington Post, calling it a triumph, saying the pact could be an icebreaker that the white house hopes would be followed by similar moves from other arab countries. It might be a surprise in the president ial campaign, as well, but it is welcome news for israel, the arabs and the United States. Back to your phone calls as we talk about how the pandemic has impacted your job. Special lines for those unemployed, seeing reduced hours