US GDP contracted by a record 32.9% pace last quarter

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Stadtratte/iStockBy CATHERINE THORBECKE, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) — Real gross domestic product (GDP) plunged by a record annual rate of 32.9% last quarter, according to government data released Thursday.

The figure reflects how the coronavirus pandemic has clobbered the U.S. economy with unprecedented speed and furor as it shut down much of the economy over the past few months. For comparison, real GDP decreased by 5% in the first quarter of 2020.

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Verizon outage affecting thousands of customers

Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Some Verizon customers were experiencing a service outage on Wednesday afternoon, according to the company. Verizon said it was not immediately clear how long the service would be