Hi, I'm Dan Premack, and welcome to Axios Recap, presented by Facebook.

We wanted to end the year by replaying not just some of our favorite interviews from 2020,

but ones that still have residents here in late December.

So today we're sharing with you our August 6th conversation with Jim Tankersley,

a New York Times economics reporter who had just

published a new book titled The Riches of This Land.

It's a great read, focused on the myths and realities of America's middle class and what's

happened to it.

In many ways, it's the story of why so many were already on the edge before the pandemic

even began.

Today's Thursday, August 6th.

Several times this week, we've noted on the show that Washington, D.C. remains deadlocked

on a new stimulus package, with neither Democrats nor Republicans seeming to feel the urgency

of unemployed Americans who aren't

sure how to afford their rent, their food, or other basic necessities. In case you'd somehow

forgotten, unemployment remains a huge problem in this country. 1.2 million new unemployment

claims last week, which was the pandemic era's lowest weekly total, but still,

1.2 million.

Even if we get a big beat tomorrow on July's jobs number, it's a lagging indicator that won't

reflect recent reopening reversals or businesses that have been paying people with

PPP loans that recently ran out.

So back to Congress.

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