May 14 Puerto Rico to spend $2B to fight COVID-19 as concerns grow over allocation By Dánica Coto, Associated Press Wanda Vázquez said Thursday that $300 million will be used in part to increase testing, expand contact tracing and help the unemployed affected by a lockdown imposed in mid-March. Many Puerto Ricans also worry that the newest funds available will… Continue reading
May 14 Some U.S. schools are pulling the plug on distance learning By Jeff Amy, Associated Press Kids in struggling households may suffer most from being cut off from the normalcy of a school routine, said Andrew McEachin, an education policy researcher at RAND Corp. Continue reading
May 14 Pandemic wrecks many state budgets, could trigger deep cuts By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press Many states expect their revenue to plunge by 15% to 20% because government-ordered lockdowns have wiped out much of the economy and caused tax collections to evaporate. Continue reading
May 14 WATCH: Whistleblower Rick Bright says country missed ‘critical steps’ to prepare for pandemic By Associated Press America faces the "darkest winter in modern history" unless leaders act decisively to prevent a rebound of the coronavirus, says a government whistleblower who alleges he was ousted from his job after warning the Trump administration to prepare for the… Continue reading
May 14 WATCH: Whistleblower Rick Bright tells lawmakers U.S. lacks vaccine plan By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press America faces the "darkest winter in modern history" unless leaders act decisively to prevent a rebound of the coronavirus, says a government whistleblower who alleges he was ousted from his job after warning the Trump administration to prepare for the… Continue reading
May 14 Emails show Trump nominee involved in shelving CDC virus guide By Jason Dearen, Michael Biesecker, Associated Press A former chemical industry executive nominated to be the nation's top consumer safety watchdog was involved in sidelining detailed guidelines to help communities reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, internal government emails show. Continue reading
May 14 36 million have sought U.S. unemployment aid since virus hit By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Nearly 3 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as the viral outbreak led more companies to slash jobs even though most states have begun to let some businesses reopen under certain restrictions. Continue reading
May 14 Despite ongoing pandemic, Republicans aren’t ready for another round of aid By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Republicans surveying the economic wreckage of the pandemic aren't ready for another round of coronavirus aid, instead urging a "pause."… Continue reading
May 13 State Department told to revisit sexual listing on passports By Colleen Slevin, Associated Press Under a ruling from a federal appeals court, the U.S. State Department is once again being ordered to consider whether to grant an intersex person a passport that does not specify a gender. Continue reading
May 13 Native American tribe says their sovereignty allows checkpoints in South Dakota By Stephen Groves The Republican governor says the checkpoints are illegal and that she asked the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Oglala Sioux Tribe to restrict them to tribal roads only. But Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe chairman Harold Frazier made clear to The… Continue reading