| There was a lot to celebrate in the July jobs report released Friday: The economy added 943,000 jobs, more than analysts had expected; hiring numbers from the previous two months were revised upward; the unemployment rate declined. But all this good news "comes with an enormous, delta-shaped asterisk," writes Post columnist Catherine Rampell. The employment data were collected as the current surge in covid-19 infections was gathering steam. And with the delta variant "spreading like wildfire," she writes, it's unclear how much damage this covid wave will inflict in human or economic terms. "That is, in addition to the many unknowns about how many people will fall ill, be hospitalized and even die, we also don't know how the spread of the variant might affect consumer and worker behavior." One concern is that Americans who had begun resuming typical pre-pandemic activities such as dining out may retrench. It's also possible that "no matter how much higher cases and hospitalizations climb, no matter how many people tell pollsters that they know everyone should remain cautious," Americans tired of staying home will continue to go out. "As has been the case since the beginning, the virus — and the vaccines and other measures that guard against it — are still very much in control of the economy," she writes.  (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images) We don't yet know how much damage the ongoing surge in covid cases will inflict — medically or economically. By Catherine Rampell ● Read more » | | | | Hubris always hovers over the powerful, and few can survive a boast that they have nothing to hide. By Kathleen Parker ● Read more » | | | | The D.C. Council's rebuke on police funding is one more indication of the mayor's diminished clout. By Colbert King ● Read more » | | | | Benefits of your Trump Card! By Alexandra Petri ● Read more » | | | | These were not tourists. These were not patriots. They were terrorists. That cannot be forgotten. By Dana Milbank ● Read more » | | | A man rooted in an old industry and in organized labor's oldest traditions worked to secure its future by acknowledging the shortcomings of its past. By E.J. Dionne ● Read more » | | | | Posturing over governing, executive overreach, overreliance on judges: It's all here. By David Von Drehle ● Read more » | | | | Unease with society measuring merit when allocating opportunity and rewards is discordant with the nation's premises. By George F. Will ● Read more » | | | |
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