Jan 17 Shutdown ongoing, State Department sends diplomats back to work with pay By Matthew Lee, Catherine Lucey, Jill Colvin, Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press The State Department on Thursday instructed all U.S. diplomats in Washington and elsewhere to return to work next week with pay, saying it had found money for their salaries at least temporarily despite the ongoing government shutdown. Continue reading
Jan 17 Michael Cohen acknowledges rigging polls for Trump in 2014 and 2015 By Associated Press Technology company owner John Gauger said that Cohen promised him $50,000 for work including using computers to enter fake votes for Trump in a 2014 CNBC poll. Continue reading
Jan 17 Federal workers seeking unemployment aid doubles in number By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The number of furloughed federal employees seeking unemployment benefits jumped in the first two weeks of the shutdown, topping 10,000 during the week of Jan. 5. Continue reading
Jan 17 Drug maker pushed OxyContin despite danger signs, prosecutor says By Alanna Durkin Richer, Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press Details were made public in a case brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey that accuses Purdue Pharma, its executives and members of the Sackler family of deceiving patients and doctors about the risks of opioids and pushing prescribers to… Continue reading
Jan 16 Watch 5:24 With much of the EPA closed, industrial safety and pollution inspections come to a halt Andrew Wheeler, the EPA's acting head, appeared before a Senate committee for confirmation hearings in his bid to keep the position on a permanent basis. But the government shutdown has brought many of the EPA's daily operations to a halt,… Continue watching
Jan 16 Watch 3:30 Supreme Court declines to hear case about toxic burn pits on military bases overseas By Hari Sreenivasan The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from veterans who had sued defense contractors over claims that toxic smoke from open burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan caused them serious health problems. One of the contractors, KBR, countered that… Continue watching
Jan 16 Watch 3:19 For low-level offenders, this Boston court provides a second chance By Tina Martin In more than two decades as a district court judge, the Honorable Kathleen Coffey has sent plenty of people to jail. During her monthly sessions at homeless court, though, her goal is to avoid that. This Boston initiative aims to… Continue watching
Jan 16 Trump signs bill giving federal workers back pay once shutdown ends By Associated Press The White House says President Donald Trump has signed a bill that will require some 800,000 federal employees to be compensated for wages lost or work performed during the partial government shutdown. Continue reading
Jan 16 Barr defended Mueller’s investigation. But a fight over the final report could get ugly By Daniel Bush The last time Barr was nominated as attorney general, in 1991, he was confirmed by a voice vote. That won’t happen this time, but Barr’s confirmation is widely seen as a sure thing in the Republican-controlled Senate. Continue reading
Jan 16 Why more millennials are becoming caregivers By Zoe Rohrich More young Americans are becoming caregivers to elderly or disabled family members, according to a recent study. Continue reading