CNN | With Canada and Mexico borders closed, Americans are trapped in their own health care system

A vehicle drives towards Mexico near the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego, California, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020.

(CNN) – “Want to hear the joke about insulin?” goes the bleak gag about America’s drug prices. “You have to go to Canada to get it.”

But even that’s not an option anymore.

Pandemic travel restrictions have made Americans prisoners of their country. Even within North America, Mexico and Canada have closed thousands of miles of border to all but essential travel, roiling plans for vacation, work, and school. For cash-strapped Americans, it has also cut off access to medicines and health care services that they can’t afford at home — at a time when money is tighter than ever.  —more—

CNN | See boy’s sweet reaction to getting bike after his was stolen

A boy’s bicycle was stolen just nine days before his birthday. Then this local detective stepped in to help.  —more—

CNN BUSINESS | 1 in 4 hotels can’t pay their mortgages

New York (CNN Business) – In a desperate plea for help, the hotel industry said it faces a default disaster, in which 25% of hotels are at risk of foreclosure.

The report, sent to Congress this week and compiled by Trepp, shows that the percentage of hotel loans 30 or more days delinquent is 23.4% as of last month — the highest percentage on record. By comparison, the percentage of hotel loans that were 30 or more days delinquent at the end of 2019 was just 1.3%.

“With record low travel demand, thousands of hotels can’t afford to pay their commercial mortgages and are facing foreclosure with the harsh reality of having to close their doors permanently,” said Chip Rogers, CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, in a statement Tuesday. He added that “tens of thousands” of hotel employees and other jobs in the industry are at risk if federal aid isn’t administered.  —more—

CNN health | Black newborns 3 times more likely to die when looked after by White doctors

(CNN) – Black newborn babies in the United States are more likely to survive childbirth if they are cared for by Black doctors, but three times more likely to die when looked after by White doctors, a study has found.

The mortality rate of Black newborns shrunk by between 39% and 58% when Black physicians took charge of the birth, according to the research, which laid bare how shocking racial disparities in human health can affect even the first hours of a person’s life.

By contrast, the mortality rate for White babies was largely unaffected by the doctor’s race.  —more—

CNN politics | Democrats fight back in US Postal Service showdown with Trump

CNN) – Democrats are launching an emergency effort to thwart what they warn is President Donald Trump’s attempt to squeeze the US Postal Service — one of the country’s most beloved institutions — to suppress the vote in November’s election.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling on the House to return to Washington, likely next weekend, for an unheard of session during presidential convention season.

Democrats have also demanded that new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testify on August 24 to answer charges that his controversial new policy changes are intended to deliberately slow voting by mail.  —more—

Related article:  CNN BUSINESS | Why you shouldn’t use FedEx or UPS to send in your ballot

CNN Business | American shopping is back to pre-pandemic levels. That’s a big deal

New York (CNN Business) – Millions of Americans remain unemployed during the coronavirus pandemic and many are struggling to pay their bills. But despite devastation in other parts of the US economy, American consumerism has staged a rapid comeback.

US retail sales rose 1.2% in July from the previous month, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Initially, Wall Street wasn’t impressed with the data. Stocks fell in morning trading after the number fell short of economists’ forecasts.

But lurking in the report was a bright spot.  —more—

CNN Business | Jamie Dimon: The stock market doesn’t reflect Americans’ pain

New York (CNN Business) – The stock market’s huge run-up in recent months doesn’t capture everyday Americans’ pain. That’s why the government and Big Business should act to help ease the burden on the least fortunate, said JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon, in an interview with CNN Business.

“When you have 13 million people out of work, and you’ve got people suffering and small business suffering, that’s far more important than the vicissitudes of Wall Street,” Dimon told CNN’s Christine Romans. “That’s what we should worry about.”

Dimon said businesses must do more to help low-income and minority Americans. That’s why he joined a new initiative to work with educational institutions and nonprofits in the New York area to provide more job opportunities for Black, Latinx and Asian workers. He said that government alone cannot solve society’s biggest problems.  —more—

CNN Business | Manhattan apartment sales plunge while the suburbs boom

Pending sales for apartments in Manhattan plunged by more than half last month, while deals for homes in the New York suburbs surged.

In July, signed contracts for condos in Manhattan were down 56% from last year and co-op apartments were down 57%, according to a new report from brokerage firm Douglas Elliman and appraiser Miller Samuel.  —more—

CNN | Michelle Obama says she’s suffering from ‘low-grade depression’

(CNN) – Former First Lady Michelle Obama says she’s suffering from a “low-grade depression.” The reasons? The pandemic, race relations in the US and the political strife surrounding it all, she says.

“I’m waking up in the middle of the night because I’m worrying about something or there’s a heaviness,” Obama said in her “The Michelle Obama Podcast” on Wednesday. “I try to make sure I get a workout in, although there have been periods throughout this quarantine, where I just have felt too low.”

It’s a familiar feeling for many Americans.  —more—

CNN Sports | Lewis Hamilton clarifies anti-vaccine Instagram post after backlash

“I’m not against a vaccine and no doubt it will be important in the fight against coronavirus, and I’m hopeful for its development to help save lives,” he wrote.

“However after watching the video, I felt it showed that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the side effects most importantly and how it is going to be funded.”

He signed off the statement by saying “I may not always get my posting right” but “I’m learning.”

CNN has reached out to Hamilton’s representatives for further comment.  —more—