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After Math: How COVID-19 is already clobbering 2020

Nothing quite like a global pandemic to put the brakes on, well, everything.

Welp, we had a good run, America. While every other developed nation on the planet scrambles to defend itself against the deadly spread of COVID-19, the US had to be dragged into fielding a response. This year everything is cancelled. Schools have been shuttered, universities have migrated to online classes, and group gatherings larger than a couple hundred people are being postponed. Major league sports might be back sometime next year, workers are being asked to work from home and engage in social distancing to help slow the coronavirus' spread. Oh, you think it's a hoax? Then how do you explain all of this week's headlines about the coronavirus?

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US wireless carriers pledge to suspend cancellations amid outbreak

In a stunning display of just how easily their most draconian business practices can be done away with on a whim, the nation's major telecom carriers (including the Big Four) announced last week that for the next 60 days, would not cancel service or enforce late fees for customers who cannot pay their bills due to the outbreak. It's going to be pandemonium when they try to reinforce these rules.

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Google is building a website to coordinate coronavirus testing in the US

If you happened to watch the president's second swing at addressing the coronavirus outbreak on Friday afternoon, I'm sorry but that's time you simply won't ever get back. But on the plus side, we did get a glimpse of the Google-built testing site locator that some 1700 engineers are reportedly working on. There is however, no timetable as to when the site will be fully operational, which seems like the more important detail.

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Grab an Xbox One X bundle for $250 at B&H

Yes, granted, the XBox One X will soon be obsolete but for roughly a third the cost of an upcoming PS5 you can land a current gen system and enough games to get you through the next few weeks of quarantine.

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Grubhub waives fees for independent restaurants impacted by COVID-19

Even as people shut themselves away from the world, they've still gotta eat. And with cities like NYC forcibly reducing dine-in service by up to 50 percent, much of that demand will be handled by take-out and delivery services. GrubHub normally takes up to 30 percent of an order's total from the restaurant as a commission. However the company announced last week that it is temporarily suspending those charges until we get a handle on this outbreak.

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'The Oprah Show' was secretly a great podcast all along

Look, there's a very good chance you, and most other Americans are about to be stuck in our collective apartments for the next 2 to 6 weeks. Don't let the cabin fever get to you. Instead, tune in to this growing archive of Oprah's favorite episodes from her long-running, award-winning daytime talk show.