17 million U.S. workers file unemployment claims in three weeks

Washington, April 10 (RHC)-- The U.S. Labor Department revealed that over 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits over the past week, as the pace and scale of U.S. job losses is set to rival the Great Depression. 

Officially, 17 million Americans -- or 10% of the U.S. workforce -- have filed for unemployment benefits in just three weeks, though that statistic doesn’t include immigrant workers or millions more who’ve tried and failed to file claims while state labor departments buckle under a tsunami of paperwork.

Around the U.S., food pantries are reporting record demand even as donations have fallen precipitously.  One pop-up pantry in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles drew a mile-long line of cars.