The U.S. is celebrating because the nation emerges from the pandemic

Residents line up with chairs on the side of the road as they watch an Independence Day parade on July 4, 2021 in Brighton, Michigan.

Emily Elconin | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Americans will celebrate July 4th after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of most events last year, raising hopes that life is on the way to some semblance of normality as cases and deaths from Covid- 19 are near record lows.

The White House has encouraged people to come together and watch fireworks to mark the country’s “independence” from the virus. Shops and restaurants are reopening across the country as restrictions are eased and air traffic briefly topped 2019 levels at the start of the holiday weekend.

President Joe Biden will even host an Independence Day Party with 1,000 key workers and military families on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, marking the President’s first major event.

He will be leaving comments at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Although the country has made significant strides in fighting the pandemic due to the introduction of vaccination, the weekend of July 4th also comes as U.S. health officials monitor the spread of the Covid Delta variant believed to be earlier in the pandemic is more transmissible than other strains.

Coronavirus cases are much lower than the January peak when the country recorded more than 300,000 new cases in a single day, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.

Still, cases have been looking up in recent days and some health officials are warning that the US should not yet declare victory over the pandemic due to the Delta variant, which now accounts for around a quarter of infections in mostly unvaccinated people.

According to CNBC’s analysis of the JHU data, the seven-day average of new daily Covid cases in the US is 13,196, an 11% increase from last week.

The death toll in the US has been slowing for months. The seven-day average of new Covid deaths is 225, 23% less than a week earlier, according to CNBC analysis.

More than 600,000 people have died in the United States in the wake of the pandemic.

White House Covid Tsar Jeff Zients on Sunday defended the Biden government’s upcoming July 4th party, saying the US had “a lot to celebrate,” citing two out of three American adults get at least a dose of the Vaccine.

“We are much further in this fight against the pandemic than I think anyone expected,” Zients said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week”.

In fact, the government narrowly missed its goal of fully vaccinating 160 million Americans and having 70% of adults with at least one vaccination by July 4th. But nearly 156 million Americans are now fully vaccinated and more than 182 million have received at least one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Friday that most people should be comfortable congregating on Independence Day weekend, citing high vaccination rates and low virus infection rates in much of the country.

“There is a very low prevalence across the country. You have to be based on where you are, ”said Gottlieb in“ Squawk Box ”. “In some parts of the country where prevalence is increasing, I think people should be more cautious.”

Around 1,000 counties in the United States, mostly located in the Southeast and Midwest, have vaccination coverage of less than 30%, according to the CDC. And in some countries the delta variant rates are up to 50%.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s foremost infectious disease expert, said Sunday that people in areas with low vaccination rates like Mississippi should “go the extra mile” and wear a mask even if vaccinated.

“If you find yourself in an environment where you have high virus dynamics and a very low vaccine, you may want to take the extra step … even though the vaccines themselves are highly potent,” Fauci said during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press .

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration in December, followed by the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in February.

Metropolis Ladies Virtually Missed Their 2021 BET Awards Efficiency As a result of Of A Wardrobe Malfunction

Whew! Roommates, if you enjoyed the City Girls’ performance at the 2021 BET Awards, this might make you savor it a little more! During a sit down with DJ Carisma from Power 106 FM, the City Girls revealed that five minutes before they took the stage Yung Miami experienced a severe wardrobe malfunction!

This conversation came up after DJ Carisma asked the City Girls about performing. One comment led to another and JT began encouraging Yung Miami to share their BET performance nightmare story. However JT, eager to recount the details, began explaining what happened.

“We almost not made it on stage, Caresha had a whole outfit…no it’s not funny,” JT began sharing before interrupting herself to say “it’s not funny” to DJ Carisma who laughed.

“It was bad,” JT continued. “I was crying. We almost missed the harness cause they had to sew her from the front.”

Yung Miami then jumps in saying “The back of my outfit bust open like where the microphones was suppose to be and we had five minutes.”

Yung Miami shared that the woman ushering people to the stage kept putting the press on them because the show was about to begin.

“She tried to take me,” JT hopped in to say. “She like okay well you don’t have nothing going on can you just come. I said no I can’t leave her.”

The incident left both ladies feeling SKRESSED, to the point of screams and JT shedding some tears!

“Just imagine being so frustrated right before it’s time to go on, so it’s like in that moment I’m like here I go again, here go it’s some bulls***,” Yung Miami shared. “I had that in the back of my mind. And I’m just like it’s just always something, you know like the devil gon always try to find a way.”

Lucky for viewers, the City Girls pulled it together just in time to take the stage and perform their hit song ‘Twerkulator.’

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Mattress Tub and Past will get a uncommon buy ranking, however 2 merchants would not chew

Bed Bath and Beyond can be out of reach.

Although the retailer received a rare buy rating this week from B. Riley, who initiated the name with a price target of $ 44 and an upbeat argument for its new management and cost-cutting strategies, the stock doesn’t look particularly attractive at its current levels, two shared Traders on Thursday with CNBC’s “Trading Nation”.

The $ 3.5 billion company’s earnings and revenue growth forecasts may look better than those of its industry peers, but it still falls short compared to the broader market, Gina Sanchez, founder and CEO of Chantico Global, said in an interview on Thursday.

“It’s really hard to get upset,” she said. “We think they’re the right price and that’s not necessarily a screaming buy.”

Bed Bath and Beyond has already risen 78% since the beginning of the year and is trading at a multiple of almost 20.5 times the forward price / earnings ratio.

The history of the stock as a Reddit favorite is also doing investors a disservice, Sanchez said.

“Once that momentum takes hold in the market, you’re pretty late because these momentum trades on some of these meme stocks have nothing to do with fundamentals,” she said. “If you buy it just for the momentum, that’s the worst reason to buy because you will inevitably be the bigger fool in this story.”

One possibility that could develop has to do with Bed Bath and Beyond’s brief interest, said Matt Maley, chief marketing strategist at Miller Tabak, in the same “Trading Nation” interview.

Both times this year the stock got swept up in Reddit trading – first when GameStop rallied in January and again when AMC skyrocketed in June – it had remarkably high short interest, Maley said.

Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards

“Now it’s down again. If anything, it’s got incredibly low short interest, not a high one. So people have to be very, very careful,” warned Maley. “If we … get another short squeeze, Bed Bath and Beyond won’t be one of the stocks being squeezed like that.”

While the company’s recovery history may sound promising, it will likely take time for the stock to reflect, the strategist said.

“They’ve made some good changes and their revenue has been pretty good, but I just don’t think people should be looking for another rocket ship like we’ve seen twice this year,” he said hey.

Disclaimer of Liability

How Small Companies Can Get Cash Again From The IRS To Make Up For Hiring Prices

A business advertises employees after coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions are lifted in Santa Monica, California on June 22, 2021.

Lucy Nicholson | Reuters

Small businesses across the country are struggling to retain and recruit new employees in a tight labor market that has given workers the upper hand. Friday’s latest report on non-farm payrolls showed the hiring remains hot, with better-than-expected 850,000 jobs added by employers in June and wages ticking higher again.

Companies are forced to offer their employees higher wages and benefits and benefit from a booming economy after Covid. And they compete locally with a number of large corporations in the US who are raising wages and offering tempting bonuses. Amazon is offering a $ 1,000 sign-up bonus for some warehouse jobs; McDonald’s raised its minimum wage in May and is now offering $ 400 and $ 500 bonuses for certain positions; Chipotle offers an average hourly wage of $ 15 and a referral bonus of $ 200 for existing employees.

This talent war has been tough for small businesses still trying to recover from losses during the coronavirus pandemic. However, many have the right to get money back from the government by adding it to the income tax they paid. Small and medium-sized businesses can get cash direct from the federal government through the Employee Retention Credit (ERC), which reimburses businesses based on a percentage of the wages paid to their employees.

Many entrepreneurs are already taking advantage of the benefits. “This helps them offset wages, wage increases and some of the wages for new hires they hire,” Paychex CEO Marty Mucci told Jim Cramer on CNBC’s Mad Money last Tuesday. “We have over $ 3 billion in processed tax credits, which is cash in your pocket to help you out immediately.”

Still, many small businesses are unaware of it.

“One of the key programs that was largely unknown is the employee withholding tax credit,” said Sarah Crozier, spokeswoman for the Main Street Alliance, a small business advocacy group. “A lot of people think that a tax credit will be refunded later, but it is paid up front.”

This is how the tax credit works

The ERC started with the federal government’s first economic Covid bailout package and was recently expanded to allow companies to reclaim more money from the wages they paid their employees in 2020 and 2021. Businesses can receive cash for wages paid through the end of 2021 and retroactive payments for wages in 2020.

Eligible companies can claim back up to 70% of wages paid to employees up to $ 10,000 or a maximum of $ 7,000 per employee for each quarter of the calendar year. It adds up to a potential total of $ 28,000 in cashback per employee per year.

The Employee Loyalty Loan is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses as you currently need to have 500 employees or fewer to be eligible. Beyond the employee threshold, companies currently have to see a 20% reduction in gross income in a quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter of 2019 in the quarters for which they claim the ERC are closed by the government. The CARES Act 2020 legislation required gross income in a calendar quarter of less than 50% of gross income compared to the same calendar quarter in 2019 in order to qualify.

How do I make an IRS claim?

For an employer who has already paid taxes in 2020, the ERC can reduce its total liability and the retrospectively claimed money. To get ERC money back in the form of a tax refund, companies must complete a prepayment form or Form 7200 with the US Treasury Department’s Internal Revenue System or process it through a payroll company such as Paychex.

“A lot of these companies have short cash flow runways and it’s really important to get as much cash now as you get refunded later in the year,” said Crozier.

The credit can be a cash refund up to a maximum of $ 7,000 per employee per quarter in 2021 (up to 50% credit in 2020 of a maximum of $ 10,000 per employee per year). Start-ups that were founded after February 15, 2020 and were forced to close can be granted a higher loan.

For an ongoing payroll period, it can reduce liability per employee and the amount of wage tax that would otherwise have been paid, including federal income tax, social security, and Medicare taxes.

The specific quarter that a company applies for credit – companies typically pay wage tax quarterly – makes a big difference and makes 2020 the year more labor costs are likely to be eligible, said Tony Nitti, a partner in the Tax Services group at RubinBrown . That’s because the business is much better in 2021 than it is in 2020, so the constraint on the decline in gross earnings from 2019 may no longer be met. Nitti said companies need to keep an eye on the requirements and focus on only claiming the ERC money for the quarters that they meet those requirements.

How to count wages paid

Wages count towards this cashback incentive only if they are incurred on FICA tax, or U.S. payroll tax, and wages paid to a business owner’s relatives are ineligible. Although money used to set bonuses to compete with companies like Amazon and McDonald’s can count as eligible wages for the ERC.

This enables small businesses to compete with national firms in setting bonuses and wages.

The first economic aid package allowed companies receiving loans from the Paycheck Protection Program not to take advantage of the ERC, but now they can exclude the PPP loan money that is used to pay wages, and most importantly, no application for waiver of PPP loans. In fact, employers have a choice between applying for PPL loan waiver or ERC. If they ask for forgiveness and are rejected, they can still apply for the ERC afterwards. In addition, any wages not paid from PPP loan funds will still be eligible for the ERC.

More from CNBC’s Small Business Playbook

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck go to Common Studios with their kids

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck‘s last outing was almost entirely a family affair.

The couple, who revived their romance two months ago – 17 years after they split – were spotted at Universal Studios Hollywood on Friday, July 2nd. Jennifer, 51, and Ben, 48, were accompanied by their 13-year-old twins. Max and We are not, and his son Samuel, 9, as well as bodyguards.

This was the first time the couple was seen together with one of the actor’s children. Ben shares Samuel and daughters violet, 15, and Seraphina, 12, with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

Ben and the former couple’s son wore masks at the amusement park. They, along with J.Lo and their children, were photographed walking together in the Simpsons-themed Springfield Venue of Universal Studios. The group, which was on a private VIP tour – popular with celebrities, also visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Jurassic World – The Ride, an eyewitness told E! News.

After their visit, Ben dropped Samuel off with his mother. On Saturday, July 3, the couple drove to an airport with J.Los twins on the July 4th weekend, another eyewitness said.

GM secures crucial lithium from the US for electrical automobiles

A couple walks towards the coast of the Salton Sea in Southern California. The shallow salt lake was accidentally formed in 1905 after a canal ruptured that diverted water from the Colorado River into the agricultural area of ​​California’s Imperial Valley.

Robert Alexander | Stock photos | Getty Images

General Motors is in the process of securing US lithium, a metal vital to electric vehicle batteries, through a strategic investment and partnership with a company called Controlled Thermal Resources.

GM announced the deal on Friday to expedite the adoption of lithium extraction methods that are less polluting and increase domestic supplies of the metal. Both are major concerns for the Biden government as well as investors as automakers launch a number of new electric vehicles this decade.

Most of the lithium used in EV batteries is currently mined and processed outside of the United States. The country is expected to be penalized in the domestically manufacturing of battery cells, which GM is currently investing billions of dollars in to manufacture in the U.S. over the coming years.

GM said it is investing “several million” dollars in CTR, which plans to extract lithium from the Salton Sea Geothermal Field in Imperial, California. GM declined to disclose its exact investment.

As the first investor, GM said it will have the first rights to lithium produced in the first phase of the project, including an option for a multi-year contract if CTR’s lithium extraction process bears fruit.

“It has a lot of potential and GM is the first investor to work with them to really try to accelerate it,” Tim Grewe, GM’s general manager for electrification strategy and cell technology, told CNBC.

The first phase of the project, which CTR calls “Hell’s Kitchen”, is to begin with lithium production in 2024. It is set to help GM achieve its plan to eliminate tailpipe emissions from light trucks by 2035, officials said.

“By securing and locating the US lithium supply chain, we are helping ensure our ability to produce high-performing, affordable, high-mileage electric vehicles while helping to reduce our environmental footprint and bring more affordable lithium to the market bring. “Said Doug Parks, GM’s executive vice president of global product development, purchasing and supply chain, in a statement.

CTR’s lithium extraction process involves a closed, direct extraction process that GM says results in a lower physical footprint, no production residue and lower carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional processes like mine mining or evaporation ponds.

White Home to deploy response groups throughout U.S. to fight Covid variant

The White House is deploying Covid-19 response teams across the United States focused on combatting the highly contagious delta variant, the Biden administration announced Thursday.

The teams, comprised of officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies, will work with communities at higher risk of experiencing outbreaks and will focus on increasing the rate of Covid-19 vaccinations, White House Covid czar Jeff Zients said during a White House news briefing on the pandemic.

The teams will also increase testing to expand detection of the virus, facilitate contact tracing and provide therapeutics to help treat those who become infected, he said, adding the government is ready to provide additional personnel.

There are 1,000 counties in the U.S. that have vaccination coverage of less than 30%, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at the briefing. These counties, primarily in the South and Midwest, are the most vulnerable to the variant, she said.

“To be clear, the federal government stands ready to meet the moment and work with our state partners to respond to the delta variant,” Zients said.

“As we continue to work with communities across the country to get more shots in arms, we will also be working with governors and state and local health authorities to identify and address the needs on the ground in places with emergency outbreaks,” he added.

The Biden administration’s comments come just ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, when many Americans are expected to gather for fireworks, barbeques and other large, in-person activities.

Delta, first identified in India but now in at least 96 countries, is expected to become the dominant variant of the disease in the U.S. The prevalence of the delta, estimated to be about 60% more transmissible than the alpha variant first found in the U.K., is doubling in the U.S. about every two weeks, according to the CDC.

Health officials say there were reports that the delta variant also causes more severe symptoms, but that more research is needed to confirm those conclusions. Still, there are signs the delta strain could provoke different symptoms than other variants.

This is a “highly contagious virus,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and vaccine advocate who has served on advisory panels for both the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration.

“We need to vaccinate now. I mean get everyone vaccinated now because these mutations are going to continue to occur,” he said. It’s only July but “as we head into the fall and early winter you’re going to see a surge and there are too many people in this country who are still unvaccinated.”

Delta accounts for around 26% of Covid cases in the U.S., the CDC has estimated. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical advisor, has called the variant the “greatest threat” to the nation’s attempt to eliminate Covid-19.

The WHO has said the variant is the fastest and fittest coronavirus strain yet, and it will “pick off” the most vulnerable people, especially in places with low Covid vaccination rates. It recently urged everyone, including vaccinated people, to continue to wear masks as the variant spreads.

In some regions of the country, nearly one in two sequences is the delta variant, Walensky said Thursday. As the variant spreads, officials expect to see an increase in transmission unless states can vaccinate more people, she added.

As of Thursday, more than 181 million Americans, or 54.6% of the U.S. population, have had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, according to data compiled by the CDC. More than 155 million Americans are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

“The delta variant is predicted to be the second most prevalent variant in the United States, and I expect that in the coming weeks it will eclipse the alpha variant,” she said, urging those with symptoms to get tested for Covid.

The trans girl improves prisons in New Jersey

An unnamed prisoner, Sonia Doe, recently won a settlement with the ACLU and the state of New Jersey. Her goal: safety and protection for other trans prisoners while imprisoned in America.

Get to know our customer Sonia Doe.

Sonia sued after being placed in male prisons despite @NJ_DOC knowing she was a woman.

“I was scared I wouldn’t find out alive,” she said.

This week, the settlement of her lawsuit resulted in important policy reforms at @NJ_DOC. pic.twitter.com/jEp0RpqDGp

– ACLU of New Jersey (@ACLUNJ) June 30, 2021

“Sonia Doe” is a trans woman incarcerated in a New Jersey prison. This week she received $ 125,000 in damages and attorney’s fees.

“When I was forced to live in male prisons, I was afraid I wouldn’t survive,” Doe said in a statement. “Those memories still haunt me.”

Doe reported sexual violence, including harassment and assault. At one point, Doe stated that she was in solitary confinement as a punishment for her advocacy. This is a common occurrence in our current system, especially in private maximal and supermax prisons.

Today solitary confinement leads to hunger strikes, increased chances of getting back to prison, and more.

What Conservatives Are Saying.

This decision consolidates LGBT housing based on gender identity. Unfortunately, there is already strong opposition to this change. Brandon Showalter of the Christian Post wrote about “biological men” entering women’s facilities.

“That shows again and again that women are not considered in the judiciary… What is the final anyway? When will this end? When women are raped in prison and get pregnant? Is that it? How much more do women have to say no? “@WhrcUhttps: //t.co/Q20j4KTdqI

– Brandon M Showalter (@BrandonMShow) July 1, 2021

(He also writes “misgendered” in quotation marks, quoting the actual statement and quoting the idea of ​​misgendering in the air. Today I’m not going to get into that scare tactic. Though it’s worth saying that straight, cis-het people Experience misgendering.)

The bottom line.

That is not to say that there are no challenges to respecting gender and sexuality in the United States. And it is certainly not an attempt to encourage incarceration for rehabilitation.

However, New Jersey says they will house people based on gender identity, as protecting people like Sonia Doe is vital. This was announced by a spokesman for NBC News.

“Anyone detained under the care of the NJDOC can provide the NJDOC with information about their gender identity at any time,” the spokesman wrote. “Overall, the steps taken support the important cultural changes that are being made throughout the department.”

I enjoyed being an excited Gen-Z Themfluencer, working in politics, writing as a student journalist and discussing what’s most important. I am currently producing and moderating podcasts, contributing to hyper-local news agencies and continuing my education as a Ph.D. away. Student at the University of Maryland.

Ford’s June gross sales declined 26.9% as the corporate missed second quarter expectations

Bronco SUVs in production at the Ford Michigan plant, June 14, 2021.

Michael Wayland | CNBC

DETROIT – Ford Motor sales in June and the second quarter were below analysts’ expectations as a global semiconductor die shortage led to significant production cuts and inventory restrictions.

Ford sold 475,327 vehicles in the second quarter, up 9.6% year over year, as the coronavirus pandemic caused Americans to seek shelter and temporarily close car dealerships. Edmunds was expecting Ford sales to grow 10.5% while Cox Automotive was forecasting a 20.5% increase.

For June, the automaker announced on Friday that its sales were down 26.9%, including a drop of about 30% on its F-series pickups.

Ford previously said it expects to lose half of its production in the second quarter due to the chip shortage. Earlier this week, it also announced further production cuts in July due to the problem.

Separately, the automaker said reservations for its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, slated for release next year, have topped 100,000 since its debut in May.

Ford’s sales follow those of GM and other automakers, who report significant increases in sales in the second quarter, but at a slower pace during the quarter due to low vehicle inventories caused by the chip shortage.

“The quarter started off really well, April broke many sales records of over 18 million, and then we saw inventories continue to shrink,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds executive director of insights. “Consumer demand is still very strong, but inventory is a bit short.”

According to analysts, the sales rate in June was around 15.5 million vehicles. The forecast for the sales rate was between 15.7 million and 16.4 million after 17.1 million vehicles in May and 18.6 million vehicles in April.

Sales pace for a given month measures how many cars the industry would sell for the year if it sold the same amount every month. It’s a key barometer of health and consumer demand for the industry.

The chip shortage is causing turmoil in America’s auto industry. In the second quarter, Toyota Motor was the top-selling automaker in the US, ousting General Motors.

The Japanese automaker reported sales of 688,813 vehicles in the US from April through June on Thursday. That compares to GM at 688,236 vehicles during the second quarter.

Zendaya And Tom Holland Go Viral After Getting Caught Kissing In A Automobile (Photographs)

Tom Holland And Zendaya Kissing

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the nature of Zendaya and her ‘Spider Man’ co-star Tom Holland’s relationship. Though the pair shared an on screen romance, it seems art is actually imitating life after a photo of Zendaya and Tom kissing in his car went viral. See that tea below:

According to Page Six, Zendaya and Tom were visiting Zendaya’s mom before they left together. Interestingly enough, Zendaya and Tom have both denied dating rumors for years. I think it’s safe to say with these photos out, the cat may be out of the bag Ms. Mamas. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, the good folks on the internet wasted ZERO time to share their thoughts on Zendaya and Tom, or how I like to refer to them… ‘Tomzaya.’ See below to see what they had to say about the pair:

Let us know, if you’re here for this new romance Roommates?!

If you’re looking for tea directly sent to  your text inbox? Look no further and make sure to hit us up at 917-722-8057 or click here to join! You’ll be happy that you did Roommates!