Bloomberg

Two years. That’s how long the pandemic might last. While the Trump administration has a plan to drastically cut the time needed to develop a vaccine, such an effort could hurt more than it helps. Making sense of all the research can truly be a struggle. Jared Kushner’s “Project Airbridge” is missing some details, including how medical supplies were priced and distributed. Meanwhile, China is trying to prevent a second wave of infection. And alongside shortages, there are now gluts of pigs, milk and brand-new cars.

What you’ll want to read this weekend

Here’s what you need to know about how small U.S. businesses are coping with the economic fallout. Rich Americans are seizing the chance to pass on wealth tax-free, adding to ways in which the pandemic may further worsen American inequality.

Amazon said it may incur a loss this quarter, while Apple didn’t even provide a forecast. Bloomberg Businessweek explores how Exxon Mobil went from an oil juggernaut to just a mediocre company.

Elon Musk let loose on Twitter again, saying Tesla’s stock is too high and that he’s selling most of his possessions. Close to getting the first chunk of a monster pay package, Musk drew some fire (and applause) earlier this week for a shutdown rant.

Bad times are hurting Big Meat, but companies like Tyson mostly have themselves to blame. Chicken is shaping up to be the meat-lover’s savior, but fake meat startups are raking in the venture capital.

America’s restaurants have started reopening, but many aren’t sure how to make it work. Wall Street is trying to figure out how to get back to the office. As for the post-shutdown hotel…sorry, no drinking at the bar.

What you’ll need to know next week

What you’ll want to read in Businessweek

Meet North Korea’s Guy in Spain

Want to do business in Pyongyang? Alejandro Cao de Benós is your man. “I’m the only reachable person,” he said. Cao de Benós began as a teenage fanboy of North Korea’s socialist state and, over time, developed ties to the regime. In 2002, after he’d spent more than a decade as a volunteer cheerleader and propagandist, the nation’s late supreme leader, Kim Jong Il, made him a “special delegate” to the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries.

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