US Relief Checks Begin Arriving as Economic Damage Piles Up

WASHINGTON (AP) — As government relief checks popped up in Americans’ bank accounts, the damage to the economy piled up Wednesday.

And the reopening of businesses in Europe and China made it clear that things won’t necessarily bounce right back when the crisis eases.

American industry shriveled in March to 1946 levels, registering its biggest decline since demobilization at the end of World War II, and retail sales fell by an unprecedented 8.7%.