THE MAIN STREET BRIDGE in Jacksonville, Florida (Wikipedia/Excel 23).

The 2020 Republican National Convention will be held in Jacksonville, Florida, moving it from Charlotte, North Carolina.

A key factor in relocating the convention, where President Donald Trump will formally be nominated for a second term in the White House, was the objections by state and local officials about social distancing issues facing a large gathering.

The convention will be held Nov. 24-27, according to USA Today.

“Not only does Florida hold a special place in President Trump’s heart as his home state,” said Republican national chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, “but it is crucial in the path to victory in 2020.” Jacksonville is the largest city in the Sunshine State, with an estimated population of 911,000.

Florida is one of a half-dozen “swing states” which have gone both Democratic and Republican in the last several elections. Florida chose Mr. Trump by about 100,000 votes over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Barack Obama won the state in 2012 by about 73,000 votes over Mitt Romney.

Real Clear Politics’ averaging of recent presidential preference polls have Democratic nominee Joe Biden leading Trump by 3.4 percent.

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1.5 million more jobless claims filed

In a case of bad news, good news, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday that 1.5 million more applications for unemployment benefits were filed this week.

However, that number is 355,000 lower than the previous week’s tally. Combined with continuing claims, an estimated 20 million Americans have filed for or are receiving jobless aid, a decline from 21.5 million last week.

In the “gig economy” of free-lancers and the self-employed, new claims last week declined by about half, from 1.3 million last week to 623,000.

According to United Press International, the Federal Reserve is projecting an unemployment rate of 9.3 percent by the end

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Coronavirus cases in U.S. top 2 million

Confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States have surged past the 2 million mark, according to the John Hopkins University count. Worldwide, there are 7,502, 278 cases, with the U.S. the leader with 2,023,385. Behind the U.S is Brazil

THE CORONAVIRUS (Shutterstock).

with 802,828.

Cases are on the rise in almost half the states, according to the Associated Press. The increase in numbers could be a result of increased testing for the COVID-19 infection, or the lifting of “stay-at-home” orders for businesses and schools or both.

Global deaths are now at 421,032, with the U.S the leader with 118,818, followed by the United Kingdom (Great Britain) with 41,364.

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Stock market takes a deep dive

Bad news mean bad results in Wall Street. Concern about a possible rebound of the coronavirus pandemic and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank sent stocks tumbling on all major exchanges on Thursday.

The Dow Jones fell 1,861.82 points, a drop of 6.9 percent. The S&P 500 fell 188.04 (5.89 percent). The Nasdaq declined 527.62 (5.27 percent).

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Be careful! Fog tonight and Friday morning

The National Weather Service is forecasting patchy fog tonight in the West Orange County area and throughout the day on Friday. Cloudy conditions should persist into mid-morning on Saturday. Highs will be in the mid-70s through Saturday, with rising temperatures starting on Sunday. Highs along the coast should be several degrees lower.

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