. >> kate rogers is looking at e main street. kate >> about $325 billion is set aside for small businesses in this plan, $284 billion of that goes to the paycheck protection programs, loans. small businesses now go back for second draw loans but they have to have seen a 25% decline this revenue, something that advocates said should have been included in the first round of aid to ensure that struggling small businesses actually got the money. the lifeline is crucial as the situation continues to be dire on main street nfib data show 25% of small businesses say they'll have to close their doors in the next six months if economic conditions doesn't improve 91% from used their entire ppp low, 44% say they'd go back from another one. 50% of small businesses say they see operations continuing for just a year or less in the current environment. generally speaking among small businesses, there's a lot of support for individuals and operators and polling found about 83% of small businesses said they did support this next wave of stimulus w

dining as a snowstorm approaches and it's the latest blow to an industry hit very hard in 2020 kate rogersith a look at the numbers and the state of play kate >> reporter: data from the national restaurant association showing just how bad things are, particularly for independent mom and pop restaurants. more than 110,000 are closed in some capacity due to the economy or restrictions. 10,000 of those in the past three months alone black box intelligence reports that same-store sales are down 10.3% industrywide, the worst month since august but fast food companies have fared better given their drive-through capabilities and on-the-go offerings. a look at top performers in the sector for the year. much more about what happened in 2020 and what's ahead is restaurant brand international ceo jose sill, the parent company of pittsburgh king, tortions and popeye's. thanks so much for joining us today. >> hi, kate. how are you doing? thanks for having me. >> great great to see you got to ask you what's been your take on the year and changing consumer preferences and how are you taking the learnings

our kate rogers. >> take a look at the shares of moderna.w we'll speak exclusively with the company's chairman and his first interview since the rollout of his covid-19 vaccine. coming up, tillman fertitta joins us and reacts to the latestouf imus rnd ostul don't go anywhere. you need to h. i need indeed. indeed you do. the moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a short list of quality candidates from our resume database. claim your seventy five dollar credit, when you post your first job at indeed.com/home. >>> hi, everybody. welcome to "power lunch. i'm kelly evans joined by brian sullivan today a record rally fizzl

thanks >> before we get to the traders let's bring in kate rogers for a look at how the work from homehey, melissa. if you're anything like me it's been a year of business on the top and mostly leggings on the bottom as so many of us work remotely during the pandemic and as a result certain stocks got a real boost thanks to that stay-at-home play. first off you can't talk 2020 without mentioning zoom of course it defined the year with everything from meetings to schools to happy hours all taking place on line that stock has soared this year up nearly 400% year to date. cloud company docusign saw big gains up almost 200% for the year with gyms closing around the country multiple times through the year peloton shares went through the roof as americans invested in home workout systems. that stock is up over 430% year to date. to think this time last year all we could talk about was that peloton commercial on to netflix seeing big gains despite fierce competition in the streaming wars particularly from disney plus as it racked up subscribers. netflix up 65% year to date. chewy getting a bi

kate rogers knows. >> well, the california economy has taken a hit due to bo we're here at mish enman as worth, when, if but it's much slower right now due to the restrictions that you just mentioned, newly put in place, about 85% of the state is under some type of restricted living right now. there are grim stats here also from the state's tourism dprup it will with you represents a -- what's nor 601,000 or more toughism grand are loss. s have the >> california is a more tourist becaused dmi which is 'tis and california has largely pursued more aggressive public it willcies when it comes to attempting to control the virus. they've been obviously keeping restaurants closed, more so than other pies evening and disney land here is still completely closed >> thanks are also die and the california association says one in only restaurants will close their doors or downsize in some formia so the vaccine is and the state and the country has a long way to go before we get back to normal >> so they're a to youes

right bk.ac >>> small businesses getting a much needed boost in the latest stimulus package our kate rogers. kate >> reporter: deirdre, that's right, small businesses are getting the much needed lifeline in the latest round of stimulus put into action by the government $325 billion has been allocated for mainstream aid that includes $284 billion for the paycheck protection program's loans. small businesses can now go back for second draw loans but they'll have to have seen a 25% decline in revenue that's something that advocates say should have been included in the first round so businesses really got the money recent date dal show 25% of small generally speaking among small businesses, there's a lot of support for additional aid for both individuals and operators our cnbc survey monkey polling for q4 saw confidence hit a new low with 80% of small business owners saying they support a new round of federal stimulus but 50% said they included direct payments to individuals while just 41% said this should include more ppp so small businesses seemed to acknowledge they do need more aid but they

industry seeing big declines in sales and traffic around the holidays this year with the covid surge kate rogersas more new details. kate >> sara, that's right. december is typically a very busy month for bars and restaurants. not the case this year for the week ending december 20th. sales and traffic saw their worst weekly results since mid june sales dropping by 16.9%. traffic down 20.9% year on year. with covid cases spiking around the country, varying restrictions in place and weather getting cooler, things like lick won't turn around any time soon. full service concepts continuing to struggle more than limited and fast food concepts and older diners above 65 are staying home in larger numbers and avoiding dining on site the restaurant association says 110,000 locations are now closed either temporarily or permanently. 10,000 of those closures have happened in the past three months alone while independent restaurants continue to struggle, fast food really doing well this year. some of the best performers of the year, wing stop, domino's, and shake shack. back over to you. >> kate rogers, tha

. >>> news coming in from starbucks, moving the stock, kate rogers with that. >> the stock up by more than 3%, starbucks having its biannual, virtually, of course long-term starbucks says rising between 10 and 12%, update from previous guidance of at least 10%. in the beginning in 2023, it expects ongoing revenue growth, one percentage point higher than its last investor day at 2018, also said its global store portfolio, expected to grow by approximately 6%, starting in 2022, fuel bid new unit returns. the company says this is a bit lower than the previously guided range, also talking about new product valuations, oat milk across the country also new store formats, portfolio mix moving forward in the future 45% of stores will be either pickup or drive-thru, mostly drive-thru by 2023 right now that number is around 35%. ceo kevin johnson sounding positive on what the company has to offer in terms of catering to new consumer preferences and all the changes that may stay with us moving ahead out of this pandemic he will be on "squawk box" tomorrow and talk about m

. >>> i'm kate rogers. here's your cnbc covid update.ident pence got his first dose of covid vaccine today and president-elect biden will get his monday. speaker of the house nancy pelosi received her shot around midday video cameras and reporters were not invited. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell also got a dose today. the photo shows him posing, not getting the actual vaccine "the washington post" post reports the monuments the washington monument was closed today. staff had been giving priority tours and there aren't enough of them left to keep that monument open >> thank you very much let's talk about the markets there up see a 216-point dip it took a little bit more of a ski slope down earlier this hour, about 3/4 of a percent the russell 2000 going the other way, as it has been, 1985. that was a great year 1985 wo we're watching shares of tesla as it gets ready to join the s&p 500 in about 90 minutes time kelly? >> that was my birth year. let's check on shares of apple they are jumping 70% this year as you probably already kn

. >>> major brands such as starbucks and dunkin' are shifting business models kate rogers explains >>orter: hey, david. consumer routines like grabbing that cup of coffee on your way to work in the morning have been up-ended by the pandemic major coffee companies are taking note and tweaking some store formats in response. on the recent earnings call starbucks will be closing 800 locations across the americas in 2021 but also opening up 850 new locations in varying formats across the country, including pickup stores, those with curbside options and those with drive-throughs in fact, at its investor day, new store formats including pickup and drive-throughs would expand to 45% of its portfolio by 2023, up almost 10% from its mix today. business is bouncing back, faster than expected in new trends like stores in the suburbs with drive-throughs in particular are seeing a big boost. dunkin' announced up to 800 unprofitable store closures in 2020, more than half of them in speedway gas stations but dunkin', too, has been working on a next gen store concept, pre-pandemic that caters to onth

here's cnbc's kate rogers. >> reporter: until 2020 your commute may have looked and sounded like this, but with millions of americans working from home due to the coronavirus outbreak, how you get to work and the cup of coffee you grab on the way look different. major coffee players are taking note leaning into new store formats to cater to changing behaviors. starbucks is closing 800 stores in 2021 but opening 850 stores from curbside pickup to drive through. business is bouncing back faster than expected and stores in the suburbs and those with drive throughs in particular are seeing a boost dunkin' announced up to 800 unprofitable store closures in 2020, but it's also working on a next gen store pre-pandemic. the closures would free up franchisees to invest in stores with drive-throughs. despite changes across the industry, kevin johnson says he's confident consumers will continue to come back, whether it's in the starbucks cafe the company is known for or the new store formats to come. >> right now people are craving that sense of community. they are seeking that feeling of being

. >> and frustration is bubbling over we're covering the pandemic pushback kate rogers, what is the reaction in san francisco? >> reporter: well, things are tense for small business owners, frustrations over how the new restrictions have been implem t implemented have reached a boiling point. >> everything i own is being taken away from me and they set up a movie company right next to my outdoor patio >> reporter: social media posts went viral this weekend, even garnering her about $145,000 in donations via gofundme. and in northern california, this weekend marked the end of indoor and outdoor dining and for this owner, it means laying off two-thirds of his staff again. patience is wearing thin >> they also have to understand that the stress and the challenges for a business operator like a restaurant, they go beyond imagination. sometimes you want to just abandon everything and do something else which is not something i want to do >> reporter: and he is not alone here the national restaurant association saying that today nationwide there are 110,000 locations closed, 10,000 in the last thre

kate rogers has more on those dire statistics, kate. >> deidre, that's right.week leading up to christmas especially is typically a busy time for bars and restaurants, but for the week ending december 20th, the industry saw the largest drops in sales and traffic since mid-june, according to black box intelligence, sales dropped by 16.9%, traffic down by 20.9% the data are mostly reliant on chain restaurants. with covid cases spiking around the country, varying restrictions in place and weather getting cooler, things likely won't turn around any time soon. full-service concepts continue to struggle more than limited service and fast food concepts and older diners above age 65 are staying home in larger numbers. the national restaurant association says that 110,000 locations are now closed, either temporarily or permanently 10,000 of those closures happened in the last three months alone the most recent pandemic aid package is welcome news as 37% of restaurants surveyed earlier in the month said they didn't think it was likely they would be in business by june wi

states like new jersey keeping some indoor dining open, what are the latest numbers kate rogers now joiningwith a look at that kate >> reporter: hey, brian, well, you said it. december is typically a very busy month for bars and restaurants but not the case this year for the week ended december 20th both weekly traffic and sales numbers saw their worst results since mid june according to black box intelligence sales dropping by 16.9%. traffic down 20.9% year on year. those are mostly chain restaurants counted in that data and with covid cases spiking around the country, varying restrictions in place, and weather getting cooler, things likely won't turn around anytime soon full service concepts continue to struggle more than limited and fast food concepts, and older diners above age 65, they're staying home in larger numbers and avoiding dining in the national restaurant association says 110,000 locations are now closed either temporarily or permanently 10,000 of those closures have happened within the last three months alone the most recent pandemic aid package of course welcome news 37% of

distribution frank is live at a hospital in newark as it readies its rollout to front line workers and kate rogers is in quafl that state's plans for who will get it first. meg, let's start with you. >> hi. this timing from the fda could come at any time the "new york times" reports as soon as later this evening the fda for its part did put out an unusual statement this morning saying after the positive advisory committee vote last night, it is working rapidly, will pfizer, toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorization. it says it has notified the cdc and operation warp speed so they can execute their plans for timely execution they broke it down to 17 in favor, 4 against, and 1 abstaining many were surprise that had one abstained. we've heard from all of them exempt for one and each has said it was a matter of the age that was included in the question can. perhaps authorizing this for people age 16 and older. most thought there wasn't enough data to support the clearance of 16 and 17-year-olds. we just got a response from another one of those folks who voted no dr. michael ca

here is cnbc's kate rogers >> for taylor oaks, a pediatric cancer nurse, travel nursing was a dream.you move to a new city for three months, live and get paid really good money to live and work there, san diego, seattle, arizona in the winter. >> reporter: travel nurses like oakes are typically experienced and take short assignments often with little notice as hospitals struggle to keep up with the influx of patients amid anursing shortage, they're in high demand. >> we're swimming amongst a sea of demand. every single available clinician is receiving four, five, six qualified job offers, and they really have their choice of before they'd like to go on their next assignment. >> reporter: hospitals are competing fiercely for talent and salaries for these positions have skyrocketed some for crisis care jobs as much as 10,000 a week for a short-term contract. >> i would offer it's not just the prices attracting nurses to these facilities, it's safety, leadership, the ability to keep them safe at home and at work. >> reporter: these assignments come at a cost, while oakes is making more

kate rogers. >> we first met ann harper in february as covid in china began to be felt here. >> my overseas partner, we're hopeful they'll find a solution. >> reporter: omg accessories imports lifestyle products from china, selling unicorn backpacks in places like dillards. she decided to sell directly to consumers via website, new products for boys, home products and face masks. >> we actually sold, since then, 1.5 million face masks, which in turn helped us make up for all the losses that were incurred during the four months of the store closures since the pandemic, we have gained over 20,000 customers, which is really exciting, because we just never had a loyal, direct to consumer business prior to covid. >> business has taken off with holiday sales up 150% from last year harper is even handling customer service inquiries herself. meanwhile in san francisco, olia rosenblatt also took things into her own hands, launching online delivery of her luxury dog treats instead customers and their beloved dogs ate up the service with rosenblatt opening a new location in a higher foot traffic area

here's cnbc's kate rogers. >> there's no one around and i'm trying to think of what i can do to get help >> reporter: all alone surrounded by water under a full moon, stewart bee says he clung to the bough of his boat for up to 12 hours as the rest of it submerged underwater after capsizing. >> i was sleeping. the water came gushing in. >> reporter: in the discontinues, the life line, a cargo ship >> and 15 minutes it seemed to be getting closer and i realized it was coming its way towards me i took my shirt off and continued to wave it until the boat was close enough. >> he climbed aboard >> the entire crew had this sense of joy that they found me. for me it went from a major concern to suddenly a feeling of relief, calmness just relief, this is over. >> reporter: the u.s. coast guard telling nbc news the rescue was extraordinary >> the furst tiirst time i seen anything like that in my 27 years of doing this. i can't put into word how shocking it was they saw him on that water 86 miles from shore >> reporter: while he's pack on solid ground, a merchant marine saying there will be just o

cnbc's kate rogers is in san francisco this afternoon outside a hospital that will get the vaccine. what's the plan there, kate? >> reporter: hey, shep, good evening. well, here at ucsf, just under 100,000 doses of that pfizer vaccine are expected in the initial arrival here, and prioritization will roll out in line with the state's guidance so in phase 1 of this rollout plan, the state recommends vaccinations for high-risk care workers, those who are in direct or long-term care settings, as well as nursing home residents or assisted living facilities for workers and residents. there are over 200,000 workers in that state alone. hospitals will have to prioritize their own front line workers as well. some vaccinations can be done during shifts, others on off days the most vulnerable are those working directly with covid patients and those with compromised immune systems will go first until the vaccine is widely available >> it has been a long and dark tunnel for those working in hospitals. our nurses, doctors, therapists who have been at this for almost a year, they are exhausted this

almost 10% from 2019 the company also expecting a 4% rise in households that own pets like cnbc's kate rogersfrom her own dog ollie, hi there, kate. >> reporter: hey there, shepard. i do have a dog here ollie who i love very much and spoil a ton i'm not alone. the pandemic really pushing americans to spend even more on their beloved animals which could bode well for the holidays look at these faces. how can you not spoil them americans are projected to spend a record $99 billion in 2020 on everything from food to veterinary care. according to the american pet products association at the height of the pandemic, e-commerce pet sales jumping 70% from february to march those pet parts will also spend big this holiday season. no surprises, so many have adopted and brought pets home during the pandemic. particularly dogs. deloitte data show half of shoppers surveyed show they'll buy supplies and treats for their pets this year spending about $90 on average bigger retailers like petsmart and chewy.com are poised to benefit along with amazon, walmart and target as owners stock up on food and presents

some of them national chains so what about the mom and pops cnbc's kate rogers following the money. >> the administration has said that the program benefitted smaller businesses because the vast majority of actual loans made were for under $150,000 as of this summer but larger companies got a greater portion of the pie more than 600 companies received the maximum allowable amount of $10 million. this includes big chains like boston market and legal seafoods canceled loans do not appear in the data the top geographies that received aid, california, texas and new york were the top states with loans totaling around $150 billion the top industries by loan amount included full service restaurants, which we know continue to struggle, physicians and lawyers offices, new car dealers and limited service restaurants. another question remains though. how many jobs did the actual program save the trump administration has touted that the ppp supported 51 million jobs our analysis shows half a million loans went to companies reporting no jobs. more than a million loans to companies reporting one jo

cnbc's kate rogers reports the recovery could take years. >> reporter: california is known for its sunny beaches, sprawling national parks, and scenic wine region but the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the golden state's tourism business, an important part of the local economy. the state's tourism group, visit california, projects more than a $74 billion in tourist spending from 2019 to 2020. the group says it will take five years to get back to 2019 levels. >> california is a more tourist-based economy. you think about a place like anaheim, california, wrapped around disneyland which has been closed for multiple months not a lot of places have that kind of tourist attraction. >> reporter: at fisherman's wharf, things are slow it's usually a bustling tourist hub but nearly half of its businesses are closed temporarily. its outdoor options for sight seeing are keeping things afloat for the time being. >> as you can imagine, it's hard they're backs are against the wall they're doing everything they can, fighting, scratching for every dollar we're reaching out, doing local advertising, sa

the ones who make them, cnbc's kate rogers looks at one company ramping up production in a big way. [ applause ] >> fantastic job in getting out the swabs, on behalf of the entire nation i want to thank you. >> reporter: president trump back in june congratulating puritan medical products on its speedy production of much needed nasal swabs for testing, a major weapon in the fight against covid-19 that production has skyrocketed with the company adding not one but two new facilities that will be at full capacity by june of 2021 puritan went from producing some 20 million swabs monthly back in the spring to now more than 110 million a month set to reach 160 million monthly by next summer 400 additional workers will be needed to continue ramping up production wages and benefits are competitive, and while recruiting may be a challenge, it hopes it entices others to join ranks >> all of us are better working tirelessly to increase capacity where, you know, we're going to keep going until the job is done until we can meet that requirement. we understand we're in the middle of a pandemic tha

let's bring in kate rogers on restaurant sales what's going on?reporter: traffic and sales saw their biggest decline mid june sales dropping by 16.9%. traffic down 20.9% year on year and with covid cases spiking and various restrictions in place. things won't be turning around any time soon. fast food concepts and diners above age 65, they're staying home in large number and avoiding dine-in restaurants 110,000 locations closed and 10,000 of those closures happened in the last three months alone the most pandemic gave welcome news of 37% of restaurants surveyed earlier in the month they did not think they would be in business by june without additional aid the relief bill a down payment on what the industry needs to survive while restaurants and bars can borrow more than businesses under the new a bill. they don't get direct relief like other industries do while other independent restaurants continue to struggle, fast food names dominated and out performed this year, some of the best performers chipotle and wing stop and shake shack >> those are a

. >> kate rogers, i know you heard the complaint from bk that he can't get that latte right at home withu think of starbucks >> it is interesting, kate laid out the story very well. this company used this crisis to reoriented their business in a lot of way i think they nailed that they a are over stored. they are looking at new ways to int interact with their customers. the stock 20% year to date gain have come in the last two months since that analysts meeting, the chart looks great. if you are buying here heading antonio the new year, some of the costs associated doing of what they're going to do when sales are spotty back to work is not coming any team so time soon. >> bk? >> well, just a record, it is the skinny latte and a twist at the end. it is really hard to get starbucks does it best i have to agree with my friend, danny, they do all kinds of things you don't do that anymore. the thing that starbucks has for them is the star size and making more money on that because you don't have to spend much money on your rent the environment here in the u.s. unfortunately, starbucks has an

is raising more questions than providing answers about how many jobs were saved from the program kate rogers >> hey there, sara last night we got another release of data, encompassing all loan recipients under ppp, not just those above $150,000. in total, $523 billion in loans went to just over 5 million recipients canceled loans do not appear in the data set how many jobs has the program actually saved is unclear. the trump administration has touted ppp supporting 51 million jobs more than half a million loans went to companies reporting no jobs, more than a million loans went to companies reporting just one job. this could be a reporting issue, not a jobs retained issue. it's also possible that they weren't able to keep those jobs. that cover period was extended we're now going on over 8 months of varying restrictions with a long winter ahead, guys. back over to you. >> so, kate, obviously the stimulus negotiations have started again and front and center is another round of ppp you talked to small businesses, is that something they want, even with these questions of how effective it is? >>

>> it has been a nightmare on main street with the pandemic shuttering so much small businesses kate rogersumbers for us >> we know it has been an historically challenging year. there are about 32 million businesses the rest are solopreneurs. projecting that as of december 9, the number of open businesses fell by 29% meeting 8 million close to end of year and have employees. the staggering figure improved from the march high. revenues are also down 32% new business starts via the numbers up 40% year on year. >> there is still that american entrepreneurism and looking to start something after we are dealing with this pandemic there is something down the road saying we are going to get back to being an entrepreneur or something we'll look to try since i changed my work environment. >> happy to hear the silver lining for folks out there find gs opportunities we have another hour of street ahead. stay with us >>> good thursday morning, everybody. cal has the morning off. a half hour to trading you can see not too much dow has not been the case too often as of late only to the tune of .17% let's

going to be testing for covid for a long time, even after the vaccine, it is an important story, kate rogerson "squawk on the street," we'll speak with the ceos of two ambulance companies who warn the emergency response system is nearing its breaking point. stay tuned [ whispering ] what's this? oh, are we kicking karly out? we live with at&t. it was a lapse in judgment. at&t, we called this house meeting because you advertise gig-speed internet, but we can't sign up for that here. yeah, but i'm just like warming up to those speeds. you've lived here two years. the personal attacks aren't helping, karly. don't you have like a hot pilates class to get to or something? [ muffled scream ] stop living with at&t. xfinity can deliver gig to the most homes. >>> the spike in covid-19 case is is greatly impacting the glance industry in this country. in a letter obtained exclusively by nbc news, the american ambulance association told the department of health and human services that the 911 emergency medical system throughout the united states is at a breaking point. joining us now is richard zushlov

. >>> i'm kate rogers here's what is happening at this hour n.k, reporters found the police department used excessive force in responding to race brutality thisser summer. >>> in japan, a first look at the samples brought back billions of miles from an destroyed earlier this month the first container holds just a fifth of an ounce what have looks like black sand. two more containers from the probe have not yet been opened. >>> in alabama, the manager of a sewage plant has been suspended after police found an illegal winery on the plant's property an anonymous tip led them to investigate and find more than 100 gallons of illegal wine. that's your cnbc news update for this hour. indicate larks back over to you. >> note to any amateur bootleggers, they will find your illegal winery if you try to start it. >> they will. >> thank you, kate. >>> shares of win baying og driving higher after reporting first quarter results this morning. although still down from its all-time highs back in june. the rv maker beating on both the top and bottom lines and saw

kate rogers has more hi, kate. >> becky, good morning this year has been an incredibly challenging oneross the country. the u.s. census data projects that there are about 32 million small businesses in america but only about 6 million of them are employer firms the rest are solo entrepreneurs meaning they may have a side gig or small business in addition to their full-time job. using that figure, track the recovery.org projects that as of december 9th, 29% of those businesses are currently closed. more than 8 million to end the year, and over 1 million of them are businesses that actually have employees that staggering figure is actually up from its march 30 low of 50% it remains to be seen how many are open and how many are permanent. revenues are down 30% from the beginning of the year. there's a bright spot here, and new business starts via employment identification numbers. those are up 40% year on year. >> there's still that american entrepreneurism that is still alive and well, and in perhaps looking, you know, to start something after the, you know, we're dealing with this pande

19 pandemic is changing the way we consume many products that includes the morning cup of coffee kate rogers joins us now with some coffee talk hi, kate >> hey, mike, good morning, consumer routines like grabbing that cup of coffee on your way to work in the morning have been upended by the pandemic. coffee companies are taking note and leaning into new store formats in response. starbucks announced on its most latest earnings call in october that it would be closing 800 locations across america in 2021, and is opening up 850 new locations in varying formats next year including starbucks pickup stores, those with curbside options and those with drive throughs in fact, at investor day, it said the new store formats, including pickup and drive throughs would expand to 45% of the u.s. portfolio by 2023, up 10% from the mix today businesses bouncing back faster than expected and new trends like stores in the suburbs with drive throughs in particular are seeing a boost dunkin announced up to 800 unprofitable store closures in 2020, more than half in speedway gas stations, but dunkin, too, has bee

this year it's anything but busy kate rogers has the numbers.u tell us >> reporter: hey, becky. that's right the week leading up to christmas is typically one of the busiest ones of the season, but the week of december 20th saw the worst weekly results since mid june according to black box intelligence sales dropping 16.9% traffic down 20.9% year on year. with covid prices spiking and weather getting cooler, things likely won't turn around any time soon. full service concepts of course continue to struggle more than limited and fast food concepts older diners above the age of 65 are staying home in larger numbers and avoiding dining in 110,000 locations are closed either temporarily or permanently. 10,000 closures have happened within the last three months alone. the most recent pandemic aid package is welcome news. restaurants surveyed earlier in the month said they didn't think they would be in business by june without further aid it remains to be seen how many struggling bars, restaurants take this life line and survive until the end. back ov

kate. one of the things when you step back and look, especially at the two russia investigation figures here, paul manafort and roger, the president is essentially rewarding these two men for refusing to cooperate with prosecutors. in the case of paul manafort, according to the mueller report, he spoke to another witness, rick gates, and said he had conversations with the president's lawyers and had been told that they were going to be taken care of. in the end, that's one of the reasons why prosecutors said that, even though he signed a plea agreement, he ended up not providing full cooperation during that. as for roger stone, he went to -- he was sentenced to prison for lying on behalf of the president, to protect the president. that's what the court said. so both men essentially went to the ends of the earth to protect president trump, and he is rewarding that. as far as the charles kushner pardon, that's an interesting one because chris christie who obviously is very close to the president, was the man who sent him to prison. so that's been one of the interesting parts of this, waiting for that pardon to come wh