The Friday Five 2.1.19

Before heading into your weekend, here are a few things you may have missed:

1. U.S. and China cite progress in trade war talks during 2-day meeting in Washington. On Thursday, U.S Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told reporters that discussions mainly focused on U.S. demands for Chinese structural reforms. Speaking on behalf of the business community, Myron Brilliant, the executive vice president and head of international affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, noted that while this week produced progress, a lot of hard work remains. “We’re at halftime of the Super Bowl of trade relations,” Brilliant stated.
2. US economy adds 304,000 jobs according to the January jobs report. The results from the Labor Department’s report released this morning indicates that private-sector employees dismissed the partial government shutdown as the American economy showed no sign of it in it’s record-setting job market. As the manufacturing sector weakened in December, economists expect a further slowdown given that only 28 days remain until the March 1 deadline for an agreement between the U.S. and China.
3. Bill to extend Sunday liquor sales stirs division in SC Statehouse. The bill, proposed by Pickens County Rep. Gary Clary, would extend liquor sales on Sunday in ten tourist-heavy counties as long as local governments approved it. After an intense, hour long debate between evangelicals and a democratic lawmaker, the House Judiciary subcommittee passed the proposal. (You can’t read this story without watching legendary state Sen. John Land talk about liquor.)
4. Former Congressman Trey Gowdy is heading to Fox News. The network announced their newest addition earlier this week, stating that Gowdy will provide “political and legal analysis across both FNC and Fox Business Network’s (FBN) daytime and primetime programming.”
5. It’s official: Democratic Senator Cory Booker announces 2020 bid. Senator Booker, the former may of Newark, announced his candidacy for president by releasing a video to the public on the first day of Black History Month, highlighting numerous shots of South Carolina.

Bonus: Super Bowl LIII  by the numbers. 2019 marks the third time that Atlanta has hosted the Super Bowl, the first being in 1994 and the second being in 2000. Hosting Super Bowl LIII comes with a hefty price tag of $46 million dollars with $20 million coming from Atlanta businesses donations. $400 million is the estimated positive economic impact for the Atlanta area. (Or, perhaps the Super Bowl should stop LIVing a LIII — according to the WSJ.)