Enough with the despair. Even as grim news of the coronavirus dominated the airwaves, this week in transportation-land was all about solving problems. A federal bill signed by the president Friday gives gig workers access to unemployment benefits, though workers are getting creative as they search for money to fill the gaps. The French used a high-speed train to move Covid-19 patients to a better equipped hospital. Engineers are built their own face shields, to help medical workers stay safe as they tend to the sick, and now Ford is involved. People are working to fix things all over the world. Even so: It’s been a week. Let’s get you caught up.
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Headlines
Stories you might have missed from WIRED this week
Delightful News of the Week
If you are extremely depressed about the pause on all racing events, take (virtual) heart: Fox and FS1 are slated to broadcast a season of simulated races using the racing platform iRacing. While normal races are confined to this mortal plane, the virtual races will pitch current and past NASCAR stars against each other. The “races” will air in NASCAR’s usual Sunday afternoon slot.
Stat of the Week: 14%
The percent drop in global auto sales for 2020 compared to last year, according to a new prediction from Moody’s. The financial services company expects to see sales drop just about everywhere, with the Western Europe seeing the steepest decline, of 21 percent.
Required Reading
News from elsewhere on the internet
In the Rearview
Essential stories from WIRED’s canon
From 2010: As RadioShack tinkers with its image, tinkerers search for a new spiritual home.
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