Jul 01 Federal Reserve meeting minutes show concern about steep economic downturn By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press Fed officials noted that the crisis was not falling equally on all Americans. The minutes say officials discussed how the sharp rise in joblessness had been especially severe for lower-wage workers, women, African Americans, and Hispanics. Continue reading
Jul 01 Trump, top officials defend response to Russia bounty threat By Mary Clare Jalonick, Matthew Lee, James Laporta, Associated Press President Donald Trump and his top national security officials are stepping up their defense of his response to intelligence assessments that suggested Russia had offered bounties for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Continue reading
Jul 01 Masks will be optional when Trump speaks at Mt. Rushmore for Independence Day weekend By Stephen Groves When President Donald Trump speaks at Mt. Rushmore before the first fireworks show there in years, he'll stand before a crowd of thousands who won't be required to socially distance or wear masks. Continue reading
Jul 01 Richmond mayor orders removal of Confederate statues on city land By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press Work crews began removing a statue of Gen. Stonewall Jackson early Wednesday afternoon. Flatbed trucks and other equipment were also spotted at several other Confederate monuments along Richmond's famed Monument Avenue. Continue reading
Jul 01 WATCH: White House holds news briefing amid a surge in U.S. virus cases By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press The Trump administration was slow to comprehend the scale of COVID-19's impact on nursing homes and a disjointed federal response has only compounded the devastating toll, according to a report from Senate Democrats. Continue reading
Jul 01 WATCH: Congressional Black Caucus criticizes Trump for keeping Confederate names on military bases By Associated Press The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus says she doesn't understand why Trump would want to keep the names of "traitors" on military bases. Continue reading
Jul 01 WATCH: Gov. Cuomo delays indoor dining in New York City to avoid virus spike By Karen Matthews, Marina Villeneuve, Associated Press Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the ban on indoor dining would be confined to New York City, where he complained that compliance with social-distancing guidelines is dropping. Continue reading
Jul 01 Trump fast-tracks environmental rollbacks to deliver on campaign promises By Courtney Norris, Alex D'Elia As the nation grapples with a pandemic and continued protests against systemic racism, calling for police reform, President Donald Trump is rolling back environmental regulations in an effort to deliver on some of his major campaign promises as November nears. Continue reading
Jul 01 Some health experts criticize U.S. mass purchase of licensed virus drug By Maria Cheng, Associated Press, Marilynn Marchione, AP Chief Medical Writer The U.S. government announced this week that it had an agreement with Gilead Sciences to make the bulk of their production of remdesivir available to Americans for the next three months. Continue reading
Jul 01 6 takeaways from Tuesday's primaries By Matt Loffman There were no presidential primaries on Tuesday, but there were several surprising House and Senate races that could offer some insight into voter priorities and enthusiasm with just four months left until Election Day. Oklahoma voted… Continue reading