Monday Briefing | May 3 - Journal of Political Inquiry

Photo: Small businesses continue to struggle as New York City lifts social distancing restrictions. Credit: https://www.crainsnewyork.com/small-business/public-private-partnership-launches-resource-network-small-businesses

Stories to follow:

With many workers still remote and tourism low, many Manhattan shops continue to struggle even as the city recovers from COVID-19. Small businesses made up 98% of all pre-pandemic businesses in New York and employ nearly 1 million people. While many received relief from their sky-high rent during the pandemic, shop owners who rely primarily on foot traffic are concerned what a long-term shift to remote work could mean for their businesses and the future of the city. Here’s a reminder that as we emerge from the pandemic, it’s important to shop local!

Controversy continues in Europe over Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, developed on an astonishingly quick timeline last summer. As countries such as Slovakia attempt to distance themselves from Russia and move closer to NATO and the European Union, their leaders are torn between European leaders such as France’s President Macron who denounced the vaccine as merely a propaganda effort and the possibility of obtaining millions of desperately needed vaccines while those developed in America and the United Kingdom remain out of reach.

Protests continue in Elizabeth City, N.C. following the horrific police killing of Andrew Brown Jr., an unarmed Black man, on April 21. A judge denied requests to release bodycam footage from the officers present at the scene, further exacerbating tensions in the town only a week after the conviction of Officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

Happening this week:

The last few weeks of the semester are always stressful, so make sure to take care of yourself! NYU continues to offer Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness classes through Zoom five days a week at a variety of times, so set aside an hour for the sake of your mental wellbeing – I promise it will make for a more productive study session later!

In your free time:

Not a lot of people watched the Oscars this year, but you can still watch many of the amazing films that were nominated! Best picture nominees Mank and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix), Sound of Metal (Amazon Prime) and winner Nomadland (Hulu) can be streamed on those services for no additional charge, while the remaining nominees Judas and the Black Messiah, The Father, Minari and Promising Young Woman are all available on demand through a variety of streaming services.