Aug 20 Uber and Lyft threaten shutdown in California if state employee law goes into effect By Cathy Bussewitz, Michael Liedtke, Associated Press At issue is a decision that could re-shape the so-called gig economy as drivers, delivery workers and others who work for popular apps on an as-needed basis seek improved working conditions and benefits that many in the workforce enjoy. Continue reading
Aug 20 COVID plans put to test as firefighters crowd camps for peak wildfire season By Matt Volz, Kaiser Health News Thousands of firefighters from across the U.S. have converged on the West as the wildfire season enters its peak. Continue reading
Aug 20 New York allows voters to get absentee ballots amid virus concerns By Marina Villeneuve, Associated Press New York will allow voters to request absentee ballots for the general election because of coronavirus under a new state law signed Thursday. Lawmakers passed the bill last month, and voting rights groups have been calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo… Continue reading
Aug 20 Working families enlist grandparents to help with the kids By Leanne Italie, Associated Press As the school year gets under way for many kids with working parents, more grandparents have jumped into daily caregiver roles. Many are happily working without pay, for the love of family. Others have accepted offers of money from their… Continue reading
Aug 20 Thousands of chicks arrive dead to farmers amid USPS turmoil By Associated Press U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree says at least 4,800 chicks shipped to Maine farmers through the U.S. Postal Service have arrived dead in the recent weeks since rapid cuts hit the federal mail carrier’s operations. Continue reading
Aug 20 California's wildfire-prone landscape stoked by human actions By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press Scientists say California has a really flammable ecosystem and global warming is making it worse. Continue reading
Aug 20 Clashes erupt outside U.S. immigration building in Portland By Associated Press Protesters in Portland have clashed with federal agents for the first time since July in a demonstration that targeted a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. Continue reading
Aug 20 Former White House aide Bannon pleads not guilty in border wall money scheme By Larry Neumeister, Colleen Long, Jill Colvin, Associated Press Federal prosecutors alleged that Bannon and three others "orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors" in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $25 million to build a wall along the southern border of… Continue reading
Aug 19 FDA blocks much-anticipated BioMarin hemophilia gene therapy By Linda A. Johnson, Associated PRess Investors fled drug developer BioMarin in droves on Wednesday, driving shares down by a third after U.S. regulators rejected the company's potentially game-changing hemophilia A gene therapy. Continue reading
Aug 19 Watch 3:49 News Wrap: California wildfires push crews to their limit In our news wrap Wednesday, wildfires are raging across California, forcing a statewide emergency, stretching crews to their capacity and leaving thousands under evacuation orders. Fires in the Bay Area and Napa’s wine country exploded overnight. Also, in Mali, soldiers… Continue watching