The Daily Money: How a Utah startup received $219M for questionable COVID tests

Republican leaders in five states paid Nomi Health $219 million for COVID-19 tests despite no public health experience, a USA TODAY probe found. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

The Daily Money ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW   Tuesday, July 19 Welcome to Tuesday. It's Brett Molina filling in for The Daily Money to deliver your top stories in Money, Tech and Travel. Remember Toys R Us? You know, the "I don't wanna grow up" jingle, Geoffrey the giraffe, the tickets you had to grab and bring to a counter if you wanted to buy a console video game?  It wasn't long ago all Toys R Us stores closed after the toy giant filed for bankruptcy and shut down all its locations.  But it's slowly making a comeback. The latest? Macy's plans to open Toys R Us shops in all of its stores. The rollout begins this month, and will wrap by October, just in time for the holiday shopping season. 📰 A must-read USA TODAY investigation 📰 Republican leaders in five states – Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and Utah – paid Nomi Health $219 million in contracts for COVID-19 tests despite the startup having no public health experience, a USA TODAY investigation discovered. In the below excerpt, Dr. Michelle Fiscus, who had served as Tennessee's top vaccine official, recalls the first shipment received from Nomi after the startup signed a contract with the state to provide vital equipment and tests: Fiscus had hoped to receive thousands of gown sleeves, masks and disinfectant for front-line medical workers. Instead, Nomi had sent thousands of pink bovine insemination gloves, wipes labeled "for veterinary use" that didn't kill the COVID-19 virus and low-quality face masks, she said.  "My first reaction was: 'Oh, my God. You have to be kidding me,'" Fiscus told USA TODAY in a mid-June interview. "Then it was, 'What are we supposed to do with this?'" Don't forget to read more about how USA TODAY conducted its investigation of Nomi Health. More stories you shouldn't miss Twitter is suing Elon Musk. Here's a look at how similar cases have ended. Check your freezer. There's a recall on organic freeze-dried blueberries. Good news: Robocalls are down. The bad news? Text scams are way up. "What happens on the ship ... Stays on the ship." Why swingers love cruises. 🎧 Mood music 🎧 The return of Toys R Us to more Macy's locations reminded me of all the toys I wanted from my local store growing up. At the very top of my Christmas list were The Transformers. So, the theme song from the 1980s Transformers cartoon only makes sense here. Just don't make me revisit the movie. I'm still mourning. About The Daily Money Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer news from USA TODAY. We break down financial news and provide the TL;DR version: how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you. It even comes with its own Spotify playlist . It features nearly every song quoted here. Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23. Utah startup paid $219M by GOP governors for questionable COVID tests Nomi Health, an unknown Utah startup, was paid $219 million by GOP governors for COVID-19 tests that one state said were flawed. How USA TODAY reported its investigation of Nomi Health Toys R Us comeback: Brand to appear in every Macy's store for holidays Freeze-dried blueberries recalled over lead concerns US homebuilders say the housing market isn't looking good for them Is it OK for a job recruiter to ask about my current salary? Ask HR McDonald's, Wendy's, DQ start 'sign war' in small Missouri city Robocalls are down, but robotexts are rising, report finds Why cruises make popular vacations for swingers Morgan Stanley's Mike Wilson sees the S&P hitting trough level soon   Problem viewing email? View in browser Unsubscribe • Manage Newsletters • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights • Privacy Notice • Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy • Feedback © 2022 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22102