White House calls Arizona a coronavirus success story as state resets after huge spike in cases

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President Trump called Arizona a success story in managing the novel coronavirus Wednesday, as a new report suggested the summer’s surge of infections and deaths in that state and elsewhere has knocked the U.S. economy off its tentative path to recovery.

Hiring slowed dramatically in July, according to an estimate by ADP Research Institute, as businesses added fewer than 170,000 new jobs — far short of some economists’ predictions of more than 1 million — and reported a sharp falloff from hiring gains recorded just a month prior. Virtually no sector of the economy was untouched by the new slowdown.

Trump showed no sign of acknowledging the magnitude of the crisis as he welcomed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) at the White House and praised what he called a “fantastic job” in turning around what had been among the nation’s worst spikes in virus cases and deaths. Continue reading.