America’s Evolving Retail Landscape

 Black Friday Was a Bust for Many Stores, Better for Online
https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-friday-was-a-bust-for-many-stores-better-for-online-11606676355

The collapse of America’s middle class crushed department stores. Amazon and the pandemic are the final blows.
https://www.vox.com/recode/21717536/department-store-middle-class-amazon-online-shopping-covid-19 

Biden’s Highly-Qualified Economics Policy Team

Michael Strain notes:
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-11-30/cecilia-rouse-should-focus-on-chronic-u-s-economic-ills
“The nomination of Rouse, Bernstein and Boushey places the CEA in good hands. With Janet Yellen as the nominee for Secretary of the Treasury and Neera Tanden as his pick to direct the Office of Management and Budget, Biden’s economic team will be a solid mix of academic and policy expertise, experience and political acumen”. 

Related:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/30/finance-202-biden-taps-diverse-economic-team-with-focus-workers/

State, Local Governments Slashed Spending After Covid. Next Year Could Be Worse.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/state-local-governments-slashed-spending-after-covid-next-year-could-be-worse-11606669200 

Policies, Incentives and the Nursing Home Sector

How government incentives shaped the nursing home business — and left it vulnerable to a pandemic
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/11/27/nursing-home-incentives/ 

Economics of the Movie Industry

Cinemas Join the Internet Makeover of American Cities
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-12-05/cinemas-join-the-internet-makeover-of-american-cities
Did Warner Bros. just kill movie theaters? Not by a long shot.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/warner-bros-movie-releases-on-hbo-max/2020/12/03/bdac5d68-359e-11eb-a997-1f4c53d2a747_story.html

In major break from tradition, Warner Bros. moves to debut all its 2021 movies simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/03/warner-media-movies-hbo/

'Dune' at Home Turns Theaters into Wasteland
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-12-03/warner-bros-and-hbo-max-deal-crushing-blow-to-movie-theaters

Hollywood’s Obituary, the Sequel. Now Streaming.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/28/business/media/hollywood-coronavirus-streaming.html
Giving Closed Movie Theaters a Second Act
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-23/what-do-you-do-with-a-lot-of-dead-movie-theaters 

Federal Aid for Higher Education

Is there an economic case for saving regional public universities and mid-tier private colleges?
https://thehill.com/opinion/education/527722-is-there-an-economic-case-for-saving-regional-public-universities-and-mid
 
Who Gains Most from Canceling Student Loans?
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-11-27/who-gains-most-from-canceling-student-loans
Related:
Forgiving Student Debt Isn’t a Great Stimulus Plan - Bloomberg

What About Tackling the Causes of Student Debt?
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/upshot/student-debt-forgiveness-biden.html

China's Ever Expanding Territorial Claims

Beijing Takes Its South China Sea Strategy to the Himalayas
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/world/asia/china-bhutan-india-border.html
 
Sea change: China has its sights on the Bay of Bengal
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/sea-change-china-has-its-sights-on-the-bay-of-bengal
 
June 15 could mark the date on which China “lost India” strategically. India’s external policy choices will henceforth have a sharper anti-China edge.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2020/07/05/commentary/world-commentary/nuclear-armed-china-india-fight-fists-stones-clubs/
“China follows a familiar salami-slicing playbook in territorial disputes: change ground positions stealthily, move forward assertively, express outrage when discovered, denounce provocations and intrusions by the other party, threaten exemplary retaliation, step back in “good faith,” propose fresh border management procedures, ensure its territorial creep becomes a de facto reality, and repeat as required”. 

Trump and American Politics

Why Did So Many Americans Vote for Trump?
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/opinion/trump-democrats-coronavirus.html