30 million Americans have lost their jobs in 6 weeks

More than 3.8 million people filed initial unemployment insurance claims during the week ending April 25, according to data released by the Department of Labor on Thursday morning. That brings the total number of people applying for benefits over the previous six weeks to more than 30 million.

It’s a staggering number of people who have filed for unemployment since the coronavirus pandemic triggered nationwide shutdowns and a severe economic downturn weeks ago. In late March, the Labor Department registered 3.3 million jobless claims in a single week, shattering previous...