More than a million Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, indicating that companies are cutting more jobs as the resurgent coronavirus scythes through the Sunbelt and some of the nation’s most populous states. Layoffs in Florida, Georgia and California rose by tens of thousands, the Labor Department said Thursday in its weekly report. The number of laid-off workers seeking assistance remained stuck at 1.3 million — a stunning number that, while lower than the previous week, illustrated the devastation wrought by widespread shutdowns. It was the 17th consecutive week that jobless claims surpassed 1 million. Infections are rising in 40 states, and 22 states have either paused or reversed efforts to reopen their economies, according to Bank of America. The rising number of virus cases threatens to push what appeared to be a recovering nation into critical condition. Applications for aid paralleled rising infections geographically. Claims […]