More than 50 million Americans have filed for unemployment since the start of the pandemic, overwhelming some states. WSJ visits an unemployment processing event in Ardmore, Okla., to hear from some of the people waiting to get help with their claims. Photo: Benjamin Lindsey Unemployment claims likely held steady at historically high levels last week, an indication companies continued to lay off workers nearly five months into the coronavirus pandemic . Economists estimate initial unemployment claims fell slightly to 1.1 million last week, which would mark 21 straight weeks claims logged in above 1 million. New applications for unemployment benefits declined in the prior week and are down significantly from a peak of near 7 million in March , but still nearly twice the pre-pandemic record of 695,000. The number of people collecting unemployment benefits through regular state programs, which cover the majority of workers, decreased at the end […]