Ripped from the Headlines: April 2020: This Week In Words: April 12–18, 2020

There seems to be a correlation between countries with female leaders and very low death numbers from COVID-19. Some of the countries are small, or islands, but Germany is huge and in the center of Europe. The responses of these leaders share certain characteristics: truthfulness, speed, empathy, and the effective use of testing and social media to track cases and inform the public.

The Post Office is struggling as people send many fewer letters and packages during the pandemic. The recent stimulus bill contained a $10 billion loan, but that will not be enough to ensure continued service into the fall. The Postmaster General has asked for $50 billion more, in part because Congress forced the Post Office to fund its pension plan 75 years into the future.

The fact that millions of people are spending more at home these days, combined with temporary food shortages, have caused seed companies to be overwhelmed with demand from long-time gardeners and newbies alike who are desperate to grow their own food. Many companies are restocking after huge demand has depleted much of their inventory. You might say that gardening is a growth industry.

After President Trump announced he would not fund the World Health Organization, blaming it for the pandemic, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation said that it would contribute an additional $150 million to the organization. Melinda Gates bashed the President for cutting funding to crucial health programs during a global pandemic. Philanthropy comes from two Greek words: philo-, meaning "love," and anthropos, meaning "human."

In the last four weeks, a total of 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment. This is the worst increase in joblessness since the Great Depression, and experts warn that it will likely continue until there is widespread testing and a vaccine against the coronavirus. When something recedes it "retreats" or "goes back."

Besides interfering in the 2016 election, and continued efforts to influence the upcoming November vote, Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently engaged in a campaign to undermine Americans' trust in their government, scientists, and medical experts. Using social media — especially armies of Twitter bots and trolls — Russian intelligence agencies are spreading misinformation about the coronavirus and anti-vaccine propaganda.

After a delay because of the pandemic, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case about the President's tax returns. Both Congress and the State of New York have sued for access to the records out of concern over the President's financial history. Sub poena means "under penalty" in Latin; those two words would begin any legal document requiring someone to appear in court.

After a judge ordered a six-day waiting period, during which time mail-in ballots could be counted, the results of the Wisconsin election were announced. Joe Biden handily won the Democratic presidential primary, which was moot because Bernie Sanders had already dropped out of the race. The most closely watched race was for a State Supreme Court seat, which Republicans were eager to hang onto. Despite many obstacles, the Democratic challenger won by ten points.

A Brazilian study of chloroquine, the drug President Trump has repeatedly cited as a cure for COVID-19, was stopped after only six days when a quarter of the patients developed dangerous irregular heartbeats. The study was not comprehensive, but it cast further doubt on the drug and its serious side effects. Tout comes from Middle English, and originally meant "to protrude" or "to stick out."

Joe Biden has pledged to name a woman as his running mate, and speculation has been growing about who might be on his short list. Obvious candidates include Elizabeth Warren, who endorsed him this week, Stacy Abrams, who narrowly lost the Georgia governorship in a controversial election, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Vet comes from veterinarian; when a doctor would pronounce a horse healthy before a race, the horse had been vetted.