Federal Judge in Deutche Bank case’s Husband Shot, Son Killed By Gunman Reportedly Dressed As FedEx Driver
Two family members of a federal judge were shot at their home in New Jersey on Sunday by an unknown assailant, officials said. NBC New York reported a gunman arrived at the home of Judge Esther Salas in North Brunswick, New Jersey, around 5 p.m. The person shot Salas’ 20-year-old son, Daniel Anderl, when he […]
Oregon Senators Demand Probe Into ‘Paramilitary Assaults’ By ‘Occupying Army’
Oregon’s U.S. senators and two representatives demanded an investigation Friday into “paramilitary assaults” in Portland by Department of Homeland Security forces that the lawmakers say have invaded the city and are snatching protesters off the streets in unmarked vans. The stunned, angry reactions followed reports earlier this week that troops in military fatigues with “police” patches […]
Georgia Governor Sues Atlanta Mayor To Block Citywide Mask Mandate
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suing Atlanta’s mayor and city council to block the city from enforcing its mandate to wear a mask in public and other rules related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kemp and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, in a suit filed in state court late Thursday in Atlanta, argue that Atlanta Mayor […]
Biden opens up 11-point national lead over Trump in NBC News/WSJ poll
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a double-digit lead nationally over President Donald Trump, with 7 in 10 voters saying the country is on the wrong track and majorities disapproving of the president’s handling of the coronavirus and race relations. Those are the major findings of a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll […]
Oklahoma governor tests positive for coronavirus after hosting Trump rally
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has tested positive for coronavirus, he said Wednesday, as cases in his state hit record numbers just a month after his state hosted President Donald Trump’s first campaign rally amid the pandemic. In a news conference he attended virtually, Stitt, a Republican, revealed that he had been getting tested for the […]
Dr. Fauci Pushes Back On ‘Bizarre’ White House Attempts To Discredit Him
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious disease, has responded to the White House’s recent efforts to discredit him as the coronavirus crisis worsens across wide swaths of the United States ― calling it “bizarre.” “Ultimately, it hurts the president to do that,” Fauci told The Atlantic Wednesday. He explained: “I think if you talk […]
Trump Campaign Manager Brad Parscale Demoted, Deputy Bill Stepien to Replace Him
Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale has been demoted, less than four weeks after an embarrassing, poorly attended Trump rally in Tulsa that Parscale had boasted beforehand could have up to one million in attendance. On Trump’s Facebook account, the president announced on Wednesday that he is promoting deputy campaign manager Bill Stepien to run […]
Trump’s niece calls on him to resign
President Donald Trump’s niece has one word of advice for her uncle: “Resign.” Mary Trump issued the direct call to her uncle during an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that aired Tuesday, her first time speaking out about her new tell-all book. “If you’re in the Oval Office today, what would you say to him?” […]
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized with infection
Supreme Court Justice Ruther Ginsburg was admitted to The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday for treatment of a possible infection. Ginsburg was initially evaluated at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., on Monday night after experiencing fever and chills. She underwent an endoscopic procedure at Johns Hopkins on Tuesday afternoon to clean out […]
Trump Administration Rescinds Rule On Foreign Students
Facing eight federal lawsuits and opposition from hundreds of universities, the Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the pandemic. The decision was announced at the start of a hearing in a federal lawsuit […]
Federal stockpile is thin amid coronavirus surge, internal documents show
The federal government may not have the capacity to supply medical professionals with personal protective equipment amid the latest surge in coronavirus cases, according to internal administration documents obtained by NBC News. For example, the Strategic National Stockpile and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have fewer than 900,000 gloves in reserve after shipping 82.7 million […]
Trump defends Fauci relationship despite White House efforts to discredit him
President Donald Trump insisted on Monday that he “personally” likes Dr. Anthony Fauci, as press secretary Kayleigh McEnany denied the White House was working to discredit the country’s leading infectious disease expert. “I don’t always agree with him,” Trump said at a White House event. “We get along very well, I like him personally.” The […]
DeVos defends push to reopen schools as Trump administration is accused of ‘messing with’ children’s health
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos defended the Trump administration’s aggressive push to reopen schools in the fall amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, saying Sunday that a hybrid of virtual and in-person learning is “not a valid choice for families.” Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” DeVos also refused to saywhether the Centers for Disease Control […]
In op-ed, Robert Mueller says Roger Stone remains a convicted felon and ‘rightfully so’
Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump commuted the prison sentence of former campaign aide Roger Stone, former Department of Justice special counsel Robert S. Mueller III defended the investigation into Russian meddling and said Stone “remains a convicted felon, and rightfully so.” Mueller, who led the federal investigation into Russian interference in the […]
Florida Reports Over 15,000 COVID-19 Cases In Single-Day Record
Florida reported a record increase of more than 15,000 new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours on Sunday, as the Trump administration renewed its push for schools to reopen and anti-mask protests were planned in Michigan and Missouri. If Florida were a country, it would rank fourth in the world for the most new cases […]
Tucker Carlson’s Top Writer Quits After Secretly Posting Racist, Sexist Messages: Report
The top writer for Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program has resigned after it was revealed he’d secretly posted racist and sexist messages for five years on an online forum, CNN Business reported Friday. Blake Neff, who worked for the right-wing Daily Caller before moving over to Fox News four years ago, had been posting the messages […]
US COVID-19 deaths begin to climb again
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 552,000 people worldwide. Over 12.2 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to datacompiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to […]
Broad disapproval for Trump’s handling of coronavirus, race relations: POLL
President Donald Trump is facing broad disapproval for his management of the two major crises gripping the nation, with two-thirds of Americans giving him low marks for both his response to the coronavirus pandemic and his handling of race relations, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos pollreleased Friday. Evaluation of Trump’s oversight of the COVID-19 […]
Supreme Court upholds Trump’s rollback of birth control coverage mandate
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the Trump administration’s broad rollback of Obamacare rules requiring employers to provide free birth control to women, in a major victory for religious groups allied with President Donald Trump. The Supreme Court, in its 7-2 ruling, sought to resolve a long-running legal battle that previously vexed the justices — […]
Mary Trump’s scathing book claims Trump paid someone to take his SATs
Donald Trump’s niece Mary Trump levels scathing criticism at the President in her forthcoming book, accusing him of being a “sociopath” and charging that Trump’s “hubris and willful ignorance” dating back to his early days threatens the country. Mary Trump’s book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” […]
Trump Leans on Schools to Reopen as Virus Continues Its Spread
President Trump demanded on Tuesday that schools reopen physically in the fall, pressing his drive to get the country moving again even as the coronavirus pandemic surged through much of the United States and threatened to overwhelm some health care facilities. In a daylong series of conference calls and public events at the White House, […]
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms tests positive for Covid-19
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta, who is reportedly on Joe Biden’s vice presidential short list, said on Monday that she had tested positive for coronavirus. “COVID-19 has literally hit home,” she wrote on Twitter. “I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.” In an MSNBC interview on Monday, Bottoms said that she got […]
Here are some of the billionaires who got PPP loans while small businesses went bankrupt
Billionaire property developer Joe Farrell, a prominent Republican fundraiser, received up to $1 million in taxpayer coronavirus relief funds, according to federal data released Monday. Other players in the world of celebrity and influence who took advantage of loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP,to help struggling small businesses hurt by coronavirus shutdowns included […]
Supreme Court says states may require presidential electors to support popular-vote winner
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that states may require presidential electors to support the winner of the popular vote and punish or replace those who don’t, settling a disputed issue in advance of this fall’s election. Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court, and settled the disputed “faithless elector” issue before it affected the […]
Biden builds lead as Trump goes from trailing to flailing
As recently as one month ago, Donald Trump was merely losing. Now he is flailing, trudging into the Independence Day weekend at the nadir of his presidency, trailing by double digits in recent polls and in danger of dragging the Republican Senate down with him. But there are still four months before the election — […]
Prosecutors seek Friday court appearance for Jeffrey Epstein friend Ghislaine Maxwell
Prosecutors have asked a judge to schedule a Friday court appearance in New York for Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell was arrested on Thursday on U.S. charges of luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them. Read the rest of the story […]
‘Garbage Bag’ Gowns And Flimsy Masks Among Items Given By FEMA, Nursing Homes Say
Plastic gowns without hand holes, masks with breakable straps and child-sized rubber gloves are among the bizarre items that nursing home officials say they are being given by the federal government to help protect them and their residents amid the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s all so terrible, really,” Brendan Williams, president of the New Hampshire Health […]
Secret Service agents preparing for Pence Arizona trip contracted coronavirus
Vice President Pence’s trip to Arizona this week had to be postponed by a day after several Secret Service agents who helped organize the visit either tested positive for coronavirus or were showing symptoms of being infected. Pence was scheduled to go to Phoenix on Tuesday but went on Wednesday instead so that healthy […]
McConnell Planning to Ram Through Trump Pick if Clarence Thomas Retires Before Election: Report
Congressional officials and White House aides are preparing for the possibility Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, 72, will retire before the 2020 election, according to a Wednesday report, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) already has a replacement in mind. Aides to President Donald Trump view Thomas “as the most likely” justice to retire this […]
Fed officials raised concerns in June that U.S. could enter a much worse recession later this year if coronavirus cases continued to surge
Federal Reserve officials raised concerns about additional waves of coronavirusinfections disrupting an economic recovery and triggering a new spike in unemployment and a worse economic downturn, according to minutes released Wednesday by the central bank about its June 9-10 meeting. Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell has repeatedly said that the path out of this recession, […]
Testing czar says coronavirus surge is straining testing capacity
Brett Giroir, the coronavirus testing czar, said Wednesday that the United States’ coronavirus testing capacity is at risk of being overwhelmed in some states by a surge in new infections and increased surveillance efforts in nursing homes and jails. “It is absolutely correct that some labs across the country are reaching or near capacity,” Giroir […]
Dr. Fauci Tells Elizabeth Warren Coronavirus Death Toll Will Be ‘Very Disturbing,’ Predicts Up to 100k Cases Per Day
White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci told Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Tuesday that the final coronavirus death toll will be “very disturbing,” before predicting up to 100,000 new cases a day “if this does not turn around.” “We’ve already seen 126,000 deaths with infection rates rising rapidly. Dr. Fauci, based on […]
Biden slams Trump on coronavirus: ‘Our wartime president has surrendered’
(CNN) — Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden lambasted President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday, saying that Trump is “in retreat” with more than 125,000 Americans dead and the virus worsening in many states. In a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, the former vice president recounted what he cast as Trump’s missteps, from […]
Kayleigh McEnany Says Trump ‘Does Read’ When Confronted on Intel Reports, Calls Him ‘Most Informed Person on Planet Earth’ About Threats to US
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany opened Tuesday’s White House briefing with a defense of President Donald Trump’s refusal to read the Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) — and his claims that he wasn’t aware Russia had put bounties out for Taliban-linked militants to kill American troops. “The president does read, and also he consumes intelligence verbally. […]
McEnany Claims Trump Still Hasn’t Been Briefed on Russia Putting Bounties on Americans: ‘No Consensus’ on Intelligence
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said President Donald Trump has still not been briefed about a New York Times report that Russia put bounties on American troops. McEnany noted there’s still “no consensus” in the intelligence community, but said the Times’ claim that Trump knew about it was “erroneously reported. ”The Times’ report, […]
Chief Justice Roberts Sides with Liberal Justices in Louisiana Abortion Case, Cites Stare Decisis
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a Louisiana law requiring abortion clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital was unconstitutional, as it placed an undue burden on women’s access to the procedure.In a 5-4 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s liberal bloc, providing the swing vote in […]
McConnell Picks a Side in GOP’s Battle Over Face Coverings: ‘We Must Have No Stigma’ Around Wearing Masks
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) endorsed face coverings on Monday, a position contrary to the apparent instincts of many House Republicans and President Donald Trump. “We must have no stigma — none — about wearing masks when we leave our homes and come near other people,” McConnell said in a speech to the […]
Newsom orders bars closed in 7 California counties including L.A. due to coronavirus spread
Citing the rapid pace of coronavirus spread in some parts of California, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered seven counties including Los Angeles on Sunday to immediately close any bars and nightspots that are open and recommended eight other counties take action on their own to close those businesses. The order shuts down any bar, brewery or pub that sells alcoholic […]
Trump Says ‘Nobody Briefed Or Told Me’ About Russian Bounties To Kill U.S. Soldiers
President Donald Trump on Sunday denied that U.S. intelligence officials had briefed him about an alleged plot by Russian operatives to pay Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops. “Nobody briefed me or told me, [Vice President] Pence, or Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan […]
Mississippi Lawmakers Vote To Remove Confederate Symbol From State Flag
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi lawmakers voted Sunday to surrender the Confederate battle emblem from their state flag, triggering raucous applause and cheers more than a century after white supremacist legislators adopted the design a generation after the South lost the Civil War. Mississippi’s House and Senate voted in quick succession Sunday afternoon to retire […]
House passes wide-ranging Democratic police reform bill
The House approved a police reform bill proposed by Democrats on Thursday night, after Senate Democrats blocked a more modest proposal from moving forward in the Senate a day earlier. The bill passed with a vote of 236 to 181, with three Republicans — Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick, Will Hurd and Fred Upton — joining the […]
‘He’s like a child’: Biden slams Trump’s handling of coronavirus pandemic amid ‘heartless crusade’ to end Obamacare
In one of his sharpest rebukes of President Donald Trump to date, former Vice President Joe Biden lambasted the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, comparing Trump to a whining child. “(Trump’s) like a child who can’t believe this has happened to him — all his whining and self pity. This pandemic didn’t happen to […]
Federal prosecutor, alleging political interference in Stone case, names names
A federal prosecutor offered lawmakers on Wednesday a roadmap to investigate alleged political interference in the sentencing of longtime Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone. Aaron Zelinsky, one of four lead prosecutors in the Stone case, told the House Judiciary Committee that senior officials — including the head of the Justice Department’s public corruption unit — […]
Democratic National Convention Will Be Almost Entirely Virtual
Democrats will hold an almost entirely virtual presidential nominating convention Aug. 17-20 in Milwaukee using live broadcasts and online streaming, party officials said Wednesday. Joe Biden plans to accept the presidential nomination in person, but it remains to be seen whether there will be a significant in-person audience there to see it. The Democratic National […]
Dozens Of Secret Service Agents Reportedly Told To Quarantine After Tulsa Rally
Dozens of Secret Service agents have been instructed to self-quarantine after two officers who attended President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday tested positive for the coronavirus, The Washington Post and CNN reported. The Secret Service told agents who worked at the Tulsa campaign event to stay home for 14 days following the weekend […]
Kentucky Senate Democratic primary between McGrath and Booker to decide who challenges McConnell too close to call
The Kentucky Senate Democratic primary race to determine who takes on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in November is too close to call, NBC News projects. Amy McGrath, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel, had a slight edge in a tougher-than-expected challenge from state Rep. Charles Booker. With 10 percent of the vote in by Wednesday […]
Coronavirus hospitalizations surge in Arizona, Texas
Coronavirus hospitalizations in Arizona and Texas have hit record numbers as cases continue to surge in states in the South and the West, overwhelming medical professionals. Arizona reported a record high of 3,591 new cases Tuesday, with nearly 60,000 known cases in the state overall. The swell in cases comes as President Donald Trump is […]
Dr. Fauci Testifies Next Couple Of Weeks Critical In Managing Coronavirus Surge
Four top U.S. public health officials and members of Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force said on Tuesday that he has not asked them to slow down testing for the virus after the president suggested at a rally that it was a “double-edged sword.” Testifying before the House Energy & Commerce Committee, National Institute of Allergy […]
New U.S. COVID-19 Cases Surge 25%
The United States saw a 25% increase in new cases of COVID-19 in the week ended June 21 compared to the previous seven days, with Arizona, Florida and Texas experiencing record surges in new infections, a Reuters analysis found. Twenty-five U.S. states reported more new cases last week than the previous week, including 10 states […]
Noose found in garage stall of Black NASCAR driver
A noose was found in the garage stall of Black driver Bubba Wallace at the NASCAR race in Alabama on Sunday, less than two weeks after he successfully pushed the auto racing series to ban the Confederate flag at its tracks and facilities. NASCAR announced the discovery late Sunday and said it had launched an […]
TikTok Teens and K-Pop Stans Say They Sank Trump Rally
President Trump’s campaign promised huge crowds at his rally in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday, but it failed to deliver. Hundreds of teenage TikTok users and K-pop fans say they’re at least partially responsible. TikTok users and fans of Korean pop music groups claimed to have registered potentially hundreds of thousands of tickets for Trump’s campaign […]
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman agrees to step down after Trump fires him, House Democrats launch probe
Attorney General William Barr said Saturday that at his request, President Donald Trump had fired Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan. Shortly afterwards, Berman, who had defied Barr’s earlier demand for his resignation, announced that he would not resist the order and would step down, leaving the high-profile prosecutor’s office in the hands of […]
6 Trump campaign members in Tulsa test positive for the coronavirus ahead of rally
Six members of President Donald Trump’s campaign staff who are in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to set up for the president’s first campaign rally in months have tested positive for the coronavirus, the campaign announced Saturday. The president’s campaign said they had performed hundreds of tests before the rally, his first since March 2, and Tim Murtaugh, […]
Novel coronavirus hospitalizations increasing in 17 states
An ABC News analysis found that hospitalizations for COVID-19 are increasing in 17 states across the country, with experts warning that the U.S. is by no means out of the first wave. The states that saw the increases were Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South […]
Tulsa Health Official Has A Stark Wake-Up Call For People Attending Trump Rally
People attending President Donald Trump’s indoor campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday should self-isolate for two weeks following the event, the city’s top health official has urged. Bruce Dart, executive director of the Tulsa Health Department, told CNN’s Don Lemon on Friday that attendees should also get tested for the coronavirus at least a […]
1 of 3 Louisville police officers in Breonna Taylor case to be fired, mayor says
One of the three police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, is being fired, Mayor Greg Fischer announced Friday. The chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department, Rob Schroeder, is initiating termination procedures against the officer, Brett Hankison, the mayor said in a statement. It is the first significant […]
Oklahoma Supreme Court to consider whether to delay Tulsa rally
The Oklahoma State Supreme Court will hear a lawsuit appeal to enforce safety measures at President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday. Tulsa attorney Clark Brewster will make a court appearance before the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Thursday by phone at 3 p.m., according to court records. Earlier this week, a judge denied a lawsuit from […]
Fox News poll: Biden extends lead over Trump amid protests
President Donald Trump is trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden by the widest margin this year, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. The poll, conducted from June 13 to 16, found 50 percent of respondents would vote for Biden, compared to 38 for Trump. That’s a sharp change from last month’s poll, which […]
Amy Klobuchar Withdraws From VP Search, Says Biden Should Select Woman of Color
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) removed herself from the running to be the Democratic vice presidential nominee, an acknowledgment that her chances at the slot had dwindled dramatically since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in her home state late last month. Announcing her decision on MSNBC’s “The Last Word” on […]
Trump’s Midnight Twitter Rant Against John Bolton Backfires Spectacularly
President Donald Trump fired off a late-night attack on John Bolton amid new allegations featured in the former national security advisor’s upcoming book. But given the nature of Trump’s attack, it didn’t go well. Trump, who famously vowed to hire only “the best and most serious people,” now says that Bolton was a “wacko,” a “dope,” “incompetent” […]
Ex-Atlanta police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks charged with felony murder
The former Atlanta police officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooksin the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant has been charged with felony murder, the district attorney’s office announced Wednesday. The man, Garrett Rolfe, who was fired by the Atlanta Police Department after the June 12 shooting, faces 11 total counts, Fulton County District Attorney Paul […]
Bolton Says Trump Impeachment Inquiry Missed Other Troubling Actions
John R. Bolton, the former national security adviser, says in his new book that the House in its impeachment inquiry should have investigated President Trump not just for pressuring Ukraine to incriminate his domestic foes but for a variety of instances when he sought to intervene in law enforcement matters for political reasons. Mr. Bolton […]
Trump signs executive order on policing amid mounting pressure over lethal incidents
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on policing Tuesday amid increasing pressure and nationwide protests over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and other Black people in custody or at the hands of law enforcement officers. “Today is about pursuing common sense and fighting, fighting for a cause like we seldom […]
Trump Administration Sues To Block Release Of Bolton Book
The Trump administration sued former national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday to block the publication of a book that the White House says contains classified information. The suit in Washington’s federal court follows warnings from President Donald Trump that Bolton could face a “criminal problem” if he doesn’t halt plans to publish the book. […]
McConnell rejects calls to ‘scrub out’ Confederate statues from Capitol
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday rebuffed Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s calls for nearly a dozen Confederate statues to be removed from the Capitol, saying it was an attempt to “airbrush” history. “What I do think is clearly a bridge too far is this nonsense that we need to airbrush the Capitol and scrub out […]
Pence Misleadingly Blames Coronavirus Spikes on Rise in Testing
Vice President Mike Pence encouraged governors on Monday to adopt the administration’s explanation that a rise in testing was a reason behind new coronavirus outbreaks, even though testing data has shown that such a claim is misleading. “I would just encourage you all, as we talk about these things, to make sure and continue to […]
The Supreme Court’s Rejection of Sanctuary City Case Is a ‘Major Setback’ for the Trump Administration
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s request for the justices to hear arguments in a legal challenge to California’s “sanctuary city” laws, which protect undocumented immigrants from deportation. While the decision is likely to be overshadowed by the Court’s watershed civil rights ruling granting gay, lesbian, and transgender workers protection from […]
Atlanta police officer fired, police chief resigns after Rayshard Brooks death during confrontation at Wendy’s drive-thru
The fatal shooting of an Atlanta man by a city police officer at a fast-food restaurant late Friday night launched a day of protests and the resignation of the department’s highest-ranking official on Saturday. Officials have identified the man as 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks. Read the rest of the story at ABC News.
Trump Struggles To Pronounce General Douglas MacArthur’s Name, Lift Water Glass During West Point Speech
President Donald Trump appeared to struggle several times during a commencement address he delivered Saturday afternoon at West Point, including stumbling over the pronunciation of the name of the legendary World War II General Douglas MacArthur and needing two hands to lift a glass of water. The New York Daily News described Trump’s delivery of the […]
Trump moves Tulsa campaign rally scheduled for Juneteenth after facing backlash
President Trump has moved his campaign rally that was originally scheduled for June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the following day. The rally’s original date sparked criticism because June 19, otherwise known as Juneteenth, marks the day that slavery ended in the U.S. The rally also drew condemnation for taking place in Tulsa, the site […]
Seattle protesters set up ‘autonomous zone’ after police evacuate precinct
“THIS SPACE IS NOW PROPERTY OF THE SEATTLE PEOPLE” reads a giant black banner with red lettering at the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” an area around the abandoned police precinct that demonstrators moved into, setting up tents with plans to stay. The Seattle Police Department vacated the East Precinct on Monday night, and protesters against […]
Biden unveils proposal to reopen the economy, slams Trump’s ‘one-point plan’
Joe Biden on Thursday blasted President Donald Trump for failing to offer a comprehensive plan on how to reopen the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, while also unveiling his own proposals on how how to do so safely. At an in-person round-table discussion with community leaders in Philadelphia, Biden said the federal government had “abdicated […]
Dow sinks 1,800 as virus cases rise, deflating optimism
Stocks fell sharply on Wall Street on Thursday as coronavirus cases in the U.S. increased again, deflating recent optimism that the economy could recover quickly from its worst crisis in decades. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank more than 1,800 points and the S&P 500 dropped 5.9%, its worst day since mid-March, when stocks had […]
Trump to resume campaign rallies with June 19 event in Tulsa without any pandemic protections
President Donald Trump’s signature campaign rallies are back in business, after a gap of more than three months because of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump announced on Wednesday that his reelection campaign would be holding a rally in Tulsa, Okla., on June 19 and would also be holding rallies in Florida, Texas and Arizona — as […]
Trump says he will ‘not even consider’ renaming military bases honoring Confederates
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would “not even consider” renaming Army bases that honor Confederate leaders who fought to protect slavery and uphold white supremacy despite nationwide reckoning over racial discrimination in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. “The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, […]
‘It’s a lot of pain:’ George Floyd’s brother tearfully demands police reforms during emotional Congressional hearing
George Floyd’s brother Philonise pleaded in a highly emotional statement to members of Congress on Wednesday that they pass police reforms and listen to the calls around the world to “stop the pain.” During a particularly devastating moment during his testimony to members of the House Judiciary Committee, Floyd sobbed as he discussed how tragic […]
‘Worst Nightmare’ Coronavirus Pandemic Far From Over, Fauci Warns
Describing COVID-19 as his “worst nightmare” come to life, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Tuesday that a lot is still unknown about the coronavirus and warned the ongoing pandemic is far from over. “Oh my goodness. Where is it going to end? We’re still at the beginning of really understanding,” Fauci, […]
‘Haven’t read the damn thing’: Republican senators dodge questions about Trump’s conspiracy tweet
Republican senators don’t want to talk about President Donald Trump’s tweet. Some say they haven’t read it. Others say they don’t want to know about it. Yet others say they have a policy of not discussing what the president says on Twitter. That’s perennially true — but perhaps never more so than on Tuesday, when […]
Georgia election ‘catastrophe’ in largely minority areas sparks investigation
Hourslong waits, problems with new voting machines and a lack of available ballots plagued voters in majority minority counties in Georgia on Tuesday — conditions the secretary of state called “unacceptable” and vowed to investigate. Democrats and election watchers said voting issues in a state that has been plagued for years by similar problems, along […]
AG Barr Contradicts Trump’s Claim of Bunker ‘Inspection,’ Says President Was Rushed to Bunker By Secret Service Amid Protests
During a Monday interview on Fox News, Attorney General Bill Barr contradicted President Donald Trump’s claim that he had merely visited visited the White House’s secure bunker as part of a dress rehearsal in case he should later need it. Trump was reportedly upset that the press reported of his retreat to the underground bunker during […]
Mitt Romney takes part in protest supporting Black Lives Matter near White House
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, joined demonstrators Sunday marching to the White House in protest of George Floyd’s death in the custody of Minneapolis police. About 1,000 protesters marched through Washington. Read the rest of the story at NBC News
Colin Powell backs Biden, says Trump has ‘drifted’ from Constitution
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized President Trump for threatening to use active-duty U.S. troops against protesters, saying it shows he has “drifted away” from the U.S. Constitution. In a CNN interview, Powell aimed a broad critique at Trump’s approach to the military, a foreign policy that he said was causing “disdain” abroad and […]
A ‘misclassification error’ made the May unemployment rate look better than it is. Here’s what happened.
When the U.S. government’s official jobs report for May came out on Friday, it included a note at the bottom saying there had been a major “error” indicating that the unemployment rate likely should be higher than the widely reported 13.3 percent rate. The special note said that if this “misclassification error” had not occurred, […]
Biden vows police reform after sealing Democratic nomination to challenge Trump
When Joe Biden announced he was running for president, he framed his campaign as “a battle for the soul of this nation,” saying President Trump threatened its core values by condoning the racism of torch-carrying neo-Nazis who marched in 2017 through Charlottesville, Va. The former vice president, who has captured the 1,991 delegates he needed […]
Confirmed coronavirus cases are rising faster than ever
New cases of the novel coronavirus are rising faster than ever worldwide, at a rate of more than 100,000 a day over a seven-day average. In April, new cases never topped 100,000 in one day, but since May 21, there have only been less than 100,000 on five days, according to data from Johns Hopkins […]
Goodell says NFL was wrong not to encourage players to protest peacefully
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday apologized to players for not listening to their concerns regarding racism sooner. In a video posted to Twitter, Goodell offered his condolences to families who have endured “police brutality,” including George Floyd, a black man who died while in Minneapolis police custody last week; Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old woman […]
Biden secures Democratic presidential nomination for November showdown against Trump
Joe Biden won enough delegates on Saturday to become the Democratic presidential nominee in November’s election against President Donald Trump, NBC News projects. To win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination on the first ballot at the party’s convention, a candidate must receive support from a majority of pledged delegates — at least 1,991 of the […]
Over 1,000 coronavirus deaths reported in the past 24 hours. Officials fear protests will bring new outbreaks
In a little over a week, Americans have gone from taking their first hesitant stepsoutside again to marching in tightly-packed crowds in cities all over the country. Any uncertainty about venturing out during a coronavirus pandemic has been seemingly cast aside to protest police brutality after watching the video of George Floyd pinned under an […]
Civil Rights Groups Sue Trump After Violent Dispersal Of Protesters Outside White House
The American Civil Liberties Union and Black Lives Matter sued the Trump administration for what the groups called an “unconstitutional” and “frankly criminal attack” on protesters outside the White House earlier this week. The federal lawsuit, filed on behalf of five demonstrators, comes after law enforcement used gas canisters and flash-bang grenades to disperse largely […]
Obama calls for police reforms, tells protesters to ‘make people in power uncomfortable’
Former President Barack Obama offered advice to demonstrators during a virtual town hall on Wednesday in his first on-camera remarks as growing unrest against police brutality continues across the country. “To bring about real change, we both have to highlight a problem and make people in power uncomfortable,” Obama said. “But we also have to […]
3 more Minneapolis officers charged in George Floyd death, Derek Chauvin charges elevated
Three more former Minneapolis police officers were charged Wednesday in the death of George Floyd, five days after charges were brought against a fourth officer who was seen in a video kneeling on Floyd’s neck. The three former officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, were charged with aiding and abetting murder, according […]
Joe Biden: George Floyd’s final words ‘I can’t breathe’ are a wake-up call ‘for all of us’
Joe Biden on Tuesday praised the nationwide peaceful protests following the death of George Floyd, calling his killing in police custody a “wake-up call for our nation” and accusing President Donald Trump of sowing division. In a speech from Philadelphia City Hall, Biden repeated Floyd’s final words before he died after a white Minneapolis police […]
Trump Says RNC Will Pull Republican Convention From North Carolina
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the Republican National Committee would relocate its upcoming nominating convention from North Carolina after the state’s governor refused to guarantee that tens of thousands of people could gather in an indoor arena during the coronavirus pandemic. “Governor [Roy] Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place Mode, and not allowing us to occupy […]
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) ousted in Iowa GOP primary
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who has a long history of racist and outrageous remarks, lost his long-held House seat in a primary race Tuesday, NBC News projected. With 95 percent of the vote counted at 12:18 a.m. ET, King trailed his challenger, state Sen. Randy Feenstra, by 7,785 votes, or 45.8 percent to 35.8 percent. […]
Peaceful Protesters Were Gassed Outside The White House So Trump Could Get A Photo Op At A Church
Police unloaded rounds of tear gas at peaceful protesters outside the White House on Monday evening, clearing the way for President Donald Trump to deliver an ominous speech against the nationwide protests sparked by the latest killings of unarmed black people. He then walked through the newly opened path to participate in a nearby photo […]
Independent autopsy and Minnesota officials say George Floyd’s death was homicide
Experts hired by George Floyd’s family and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner have concluded his death was a homicide, but they differ on what caused it. The independent autopsy says Floyd died of “asphyxiation from sustained pressure” when his neck and back were compressed by Minneapolis police officers during his arrest last week. The pressure […]
Trump, Barr tell governors to ‘dominate’ streets in response to unrest
In a call with the nation’s governors Monday, an angry President Donald Trump told state leaders they must “dominate” out-of-control protests, calling on law enforcement to get “much tougher” and blaming unrest erupting across many communities squarely on “the radical left.” The president and Attorney General William Barr used the word “dominate” nearly a dozen […]
Newly Released Transcripts Show Michael Flynn Betrayed the United States
Michael Flynn did something far worse than lie to the FBI. He betrayed the United States. That’s the major revelation of the just-released transcripts of the conversations he had during the presidential transition with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Up until now, the Flynn scandal has generally centered on his criminal case, in which Flynn, Donald […]
Biden visits protest site in Delaware
Former Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday left his home for a site in Wilmington, Del., that has seen protests over the death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer. It was his second time in a week he ventured outside after having elected to campaign from his house since […]
Tanker Truck Barrels Toward Crowd Of Thousands Of Protesters In Minneapolis
A tanker truck sped toward thousands of protesters in Minneapolis on Sunday in a shocking moment as demonstrations over the death of George Floyd continue to spread around the nation. Local news outlets were broadcasting live from the protest on Minneapolis’ I-35 highway, the sixth day of demonstrations following the man’s death in police custody. […]
Unrest Overshadows Peaceful U.S. Protests For Another Night
With cities wounded by days of violent unrest, America headed into a new week with neighborhoods in shambles, urban streets on lockdown and shaken confidence about when leaders would find the answers to control the mayhem amid unrelenting raw emotion over police killings of black people. All of it smashed into a nation already bludgeoned […]
Guest At Packed Memorial Day Weekend Pool Party in Lake of the Ozarks Tests Positive For Coronavirus
A person who attended a packed pool party in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, over Memorial Day weekend — video of which went viral and drew widespread condemnation — has tested positive for the coronavirus. Camden County Health Department issued a health warning on Facebook on Friday, revealing an unidentified person from Boone County had […]
Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin charged with murder in George Floyd case
The former Minneapolis police officer shown on video putting his knee on George Floyd’s neck for more than 8 1/2 minutes — as he pleaded for air and his mother — was arrested Friday and charged with murder, authorities said. Derek Chauvin, who was fired on Tuesday along with the three other officers involved in […]
A CNN crew has been arrested live on television while covering Minneapolis protests
A CNN crew was arrested by police Friday morning while giving a live television report in Minneapolis, where the crew was covering ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd. The crew, including correspondent Omar Jimenez, were handcuffed and detained as Jimenez gave a live report on a Minneapolis street shortly after 5 a.m. CT […]
Minneapolis police precinct burns as protests rage on after death of George Floyd
A police precinct was burning in Minneapolis as protests over the death of George Floyd raged on for a third straight day. Protesters late Thursday focused their attention on the police department’s 3rd Precinct, the base of four officers who were firedafter Floyd’s death in their custody Monday. Read the rest of the story at […]
White House Says Trump Plans to Sign Executive Order ‘Pertaining to Social Media’
President Donald Trump went on a tear against Twitter after the social media platform flagged his tweets on mail-in voting as misinformation. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters this afternoon the president plans to sign an executive order “pertaining to social media.” Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.
1 Dead As Minneapolis Protests Erupt After Death Of George Floyd
Protests erupted in Minneapolis for the second day in a row on Wednesday over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck. The demonstrations turned violent in some areas following a daylong protest outside a police station where officers used tear gas and rubber […]
White dog owner fired after calling 911 on black man in viral-video leash-law dispute
A cellphone video has gone viral and is sparking widespread outrage after capturing a white dog owner calling 911 and claiming an African American birdwatcher who told her to keep her pet leashed was “threatening myself and my dog” in New York City’s Central Park. The confrontation occurred on Memorial Day in a wooded area […]
Officers involved in death of black man detained in Minneapolis have been fired
Four Minnesota officers have been fired following the detainment of a man who died Monday night after being pinned to the ground by an officer who put his knee on the man’s neck for about eight minutes. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said it was the “right call” to terminate the officers in a tweet announcing […]
Twitter Applies Fact-Check Labels To Trump Tweets For First Time
Twitter labeled two of President Donald Trump’s tweets with a fact-check warning on Tuesday for the first time, prompting the president to accuse the platform of “stifling free speech.” The social media platform applied the tag on two of Trump’s tweets that made claims, without evidence, that voting with mail-in ballots would be “substantially fraudulent.” […]
Trump threatens to pull Republican convention out of North Carolina if convention arena can’t be completely full of people
President Donald Trump began a solemn Memorial Day railing against North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, ahead of the 2020 Republican National Convention, threatening to pull it out of Charlotte, where the convention is expected to be held August 24 to 27. Trump contended that Cooper is “unable to guarantee” that the arena can […]
Biden wears mask at Memorial Day event in Delaware
Joe Biden ventured out of his home in Wilmington, Delaware, for his first brief public event in two months on Monday, to observe Memorial Day. Accompanied by his wife Dr. Jill Biden, he laid a flower wreath at Wilmington Memorial Park. The Bidens, who both wore black masks, placed the wreath of white roses before […]
Biden Spokesperson Symone Sanders STEAMROLLS Chuck Todd On ‘You Ain’t Black’ Question: ‘I’m Not Going To Do This’
Senior Joe Biden campaign adviser Symone Sanders positively steamrolled MSNBC’s Chuck Todd when Todd tried to ask a question about Biden’s controversial remark to radio host Charlamagne Tha God. At the tailed end of a lengthy interview Friday, Biden cracked “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or for Trump, then […]
White House Press Secretary Goofs Up, Broadcasts Trump’s Banking Details
Oops. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Friday inadvertently revealed President Donald Trump’s banking details to a massive audience as she showed off a check he had written. Trump’s bank account and routing number were visible on the paperwork McEnany displayed to the media at a press briefing, The New York Times noticed. The […]
Congress is moving to another round of coronavirus relief. Here are the battle lines.
Congress is moving toward another round of coronavirus relief as jittery Republican senators demand action and the Trump administration says more legislation is likely to be needed, with unemployment soaring and the U.S. death toll approaching 100,000. Lawmakers are far from a deal, but the battle lines are emerging in what is likely to be […]
Biden holds 11-point lead over Trump in new national poll
Former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 11 points in a new national poll of registered voters focused on November’s presidential election. The survey from Quinnipiac University shows Biden with 50% to Trump’s 39%, up from the 49% to 41% lead Biden held in an April 8 poll by the same university. […]
Trump’s Vaccine Chief Has Vast Ties to Drug Industry, Posing Possible Conflicts
The chief scientist brought on to lead the Trump administration’s vaccine efforts has spent the last several days trying to disentangle pieces of his stock portfolio and his intricate ties to big pharmaceutical interests, as critics point to the potential for significant conflicts of interest. The scientist, Moncef Slaoui, is a venture capitalist and a […]
Trump has ‘legal’ and ‘moral responsibility’ to wear mask on Ford plant tour, Michigan attorney general says
Ahead of President Trump’s planned trip Thursday to a Ford manufacturing plant in Michigan, the state’s attorney general implored him to wear a face mask on his tour, citing a “legal responsibility.” In an open letter addressed to Trump, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) asked the president, who has consistently appeared barefaced in public […]
Trump Shuts Down Reporter for Asking About Unemployed Americans: ‘Just a Rude Person, You Are’
President Donald Trump shut down a reporter who asked why he hadn’t yet revealed a plan to get unemployed Americans back to work following the coronavirus pandemic, calling her a “rude person” on Tuesday. “Mr. President, why haven’t you announced a plan to get 36 million unemployed Americans back to work. You’re overseeing historic economic […]
Pelosi slams Trump for taking hydroxychloroquine, calls him ‘morbidly obese’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., chastised President Donald Trump on Monday for his decision to take hydroxychloroquine, saying that health experts have warned about its effects and that it could be harmful to the president because she said he’s “morbidly obese.” “As far as the President is concerned, he’s our president and I would rather […]
Trump says it’s OK for Pompeo to have a paid government employee wash dishes if his wife or son isn’t there
President Donald Trump said Monday that he would prefer for government employees to wash Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s dishes if his wife or son was not there to do so. While the dish-washing assertion was not among those reportedly investigated by the State Department inspector general fired by Trump last week at Pompeo’s recommendation, […]
Trump threatens to make WHO funding freeze permanent
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to make the freeze on U.S. funding for the World Health Organization permanent. He also laid out allegations of “missteps” in the way the agency responded to the coronavirus in a letter he said he sent to the WHO’s leader. The letter, which was posted to Trump’s Twitter account […]
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine shows encouraging early results in human safety trial
Moderna, the Massachusetts biotechnology company behind a leading effort to create a coronavirus vaccine, announced promising early results from its first human safety tests Monday. The company plans to launch a large clinical trial in July aimed at showing whether the vaccine works. The company reported that in eight patients who had been followed for […]
Fired State Department watchdog was looking into whether Pompeo made staffer walk his dog, pick up laundry
The State Department inspector general who was removed from his job Friday was looking into whether Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a staffer walk his dog, pick up his dry cleaning and make dinner reservations for Pompeo and his wife, among other personal errands, according to two congressional officials assigned to different committees. The […]
White House adviser blames CDC for letting ‘the country down’ with early testing snags
One of President Donald Trump’s top economic advisers criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s early response to the coronavirus spread Sunday, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” the CDC “let the country down” initially with testing problems. When asked whether Trump had faith in the CDC, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, and coordinator […]
Justin Amash Abandons Third-Party Run for President
Independent Michigan Congressman Justin Amash has abandoned his flirtation with a third-party presidential run, announcing his decision in a Twitter thread Saturday afternoon. In a lengthy Twitter thread, Amash cited, among other things, the challenge of campaigning during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.
Trump Orders McConnell to ‘Get Tough and Move Quickly’ to Investigate ‘Russia Hoax’ in Twitter Rant
President Donald Trump demanded that GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ‘get tough and move quickly’ to get back at Democrats for launching the ‘Russia Hoax’ during a Saturday morning Twitter rant. “Mitch, I love you, but this is 100% true,” Trump said quote tweeting a user advocating for going after Democrats for “Russian collusion […]
Trump fires State Department watchdog looking into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
President Donald Trump on Friday removed a watchdog critical of personnel moves in the State Department. Trump informed Congress of the move in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, in which he gave no specific reason for firing State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. Trump wrote he “no longer” had full confidence in […]
5 takeaways from pandemic whistleblower Rick Bright’s House hearing
Rick Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint after being removed from his position as head of the agency in charge of pandemic response, testified for just under four hours Thursday before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s health subcommittee. Bright slammed the Trump administration’s coronavirus response and urged lawmakers to listen to the voices […]
Officials Release Long-Delayed And Edited Down Coronavirus Reopening Guidance
U.S. health officials on Thursday released some of their long-delayed guidance that schools, businesses and other organizations can use as states reopen from coronavirus shutdowns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted six one-page “decision tool” documents that use traffic signs and other graphics to tell organizations what they should consider before reopening. The […]
McConnell admits he was wrong to say Obama didn’t leave Trump a pandemic ‘game plan’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., admitted he was wrong when he that the Obama administration never left a plan for President Donald Trump for how to handle a pandemic. “I was wrong — they did leave behind a plan. So I clearly made a mistake in that regard,” McConnell said in a Thursday evening […]
Unreleased White House report shows coronavirus rates spiking in heartland communities
Coronavirus infection rates are spiking to new highs in several metropolitan areas and smaller communities across the country, according to undisclosed data the White House’s pandemic task force is using to track rates of infection, which was obtained by NBC News. The data in a May 7 coronavirus task force report are at odds with […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down state’s stay-at-home order
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the state’s stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic as “unlawful, invalid, and unenforceable” after finding that the state’s health secretary exceeded her authority. In a 4-3 ruling, the court called Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm’s directive, known as Emergency Order 28, a “vast seizure of power.” Read […]
Biden Increases Lead Over Trump From 2 to 8 Points as President Slumps in New Poll
A new poll out Wednesday reveals a whole lot of good news for former Vice President Joe Biden, and bad news for President Donald Trump. According to the latest Retuers/Ipsos survey, Biden — the presumptive Democratic nominee — has surged to an eight point lead in the race. The same poll showed Biden ahead by […]
Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Releasing Trump’s Financial Records
The very nature of the presidency was under scrutiny at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, as the justices heard more than three hours of arguments on whether House committees and prosecutors may obtain troves of information about President Trump’s business affairs. The court’s ruling, expected by July, could require disclosure of information the president has […]
DOJ to consider possible federal hate crime charges in Ahmaud Arbery shooting
The Department of Justice said Monday it will consider a request by Georgia’s attorney general to review the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery and assess whether federal hate crime charges should be pursued in the high-profile case. The federal government’s further involvement would underscore a larger demand by Arbery’s family and civil rights groups for […]
Unreleased White House report shows coronavirus rates spiking in heartland communities
Coronavirus infection rates are spiking to new highs in several metropolitan areas and smaller communities across the country, according to undisclosed data the White House’s pandemic task force is using to track rates of infection, which was obtained by NBC News. The data in a May 7 coronavirus task force report are at odds with […]
Fauci Reportedly To Warn Senate Of ‘Needless Suffering And Death’ If U.S. Reopens Too Soon
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, plans to warn lawmakers on Tuesday that the country could face “needless suffering and death” should the American economy reopen too soon, according to an email exchange with The New York Times. “The major message that I wish to convey to the Senate [Health, Education, Labor […]
Pence putting ‘a little distance’ after staffer tests positive for COVID-19
Vice President Mike Pence was putting “a little distance” between himself and others this weekend after a staffer tested positive for COVID-19, a senior administration official told NBC News. The official said that Pence would take the advice of the White House medical unit and that he continues to test negative for the virus. The […]
Anthony Fauci Enters ‘Modified Quarantine’ After ‘Low Risk’ COVID-19 Contact
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and member of the White House coronavirus task force, says he’s going into a “modified quarantine” after coming into contact with an administration staff member who contracted COVID-19, CNN reported Saturday. Fauci told CNN that his contact with the staff member is considered “low risk,” meaning […]
Brace yourself, America, for “single worst jobs report in history”
Just two months ago, American workers were enjoying the fruits of the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years. But Friday’s jobs report, reflecting April’s official unemployment rate, is expected to show just how thoroughly the economic collapse caused by the coronavirus has eviscerated the U.S. labor market. Glassdoor economist Daniel Zhao bluntly predicts “the single […]
Father and son arrested and charged with murder in death of Ahmaud Arbery
A white man and his son who are accused of killing an unarmed black man in Georgia in February have been arrested after video of the incident sparked widespread outrage. Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced. Both men face charges […]
Trump’s personal valet tests positive for coronavirus
One of President Donald Trump’s personal valets, who works in the West Wing serving the president his meals, among other duties, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the closest the virus is known to have come to the president, a White House official said. Since the White House medical unit was made aware of the […]
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized for gallbladder condition
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was treated Tuesday for a gallstone that was causing an infection, the court said in a statement. She underwent nonsurgical treatment for a benign gallbladder condition at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The condition was detected Monday after the court’s historic telephone session for oral arguments. Tests confirmed that […]
White House to wind down coronavirus task force
President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force is in the early stages of winding down, according to two people familiar with the matter. The meetings in the Situation Room of the White House have been shorter, and the task force no longer meets every day, according to the two people. Drs. Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci […]
Donald Trump’s failed presidency has left the nation weaker, sicker, and teetering on the verge of a new Great Depression.
Watch the latest video from The Lincoln Project.
Senate set to reopen as virus risk divides Congress
The Senate will gavel in Monday as the coronavirus rages, returning to an uncertain agenda and deepening national debate over how best to confront the deadly pandemic and its economic devastation. With the House staying away due to the health risks, and the 100 senators convening for the first time since March, the conflicted Congress […]
Reade: ‘I didn’t use sexual harassment’ in Biden complaint
Tara Reade, the former Senate staffer who alleges Joe Biden sexually assaulted her 27 years ago, says she filed a limited report with a congressional personnel office that did not explicitly accuse him of sexual assault or harassment. “I remember talking about him wanting me to serve drinks because he liked my legs and thought […]
Birx says protesters not practicing social distancing are ‘devastatingly worrisome’
Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Sunday that anti-lockdown protests are “devastatingly worrisome” because demonstrators who do not practice social distancing measures could contract the illness and pass it on to others back home. “It’s devastatingly worrisome to me personally, because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their […]
Statement by Vice President Joe Biden
April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every year, at this time, we talk about awareness, prevention, and the importance of women feeling they can step forward, say something, and be heard. That belief — that women should be heard — was the underpinning of a law I wrote over 25 years ago. To this day, […]
Fed Chair Powell: Second quarter will be “worse than anything we’ve ever seen”
The Federal Reserve is holding its benchmark short-term interest rate near zero in an effort to offset the crushing economic impact of the coronavirus. The U.S. central bank said Wednesday it would keep rates low until there are “signs the economy has recovered from coronavirus and shutdown.” In a press conference following the policy decision, […]
Fauci touts ‘good news’ from remdesivir drug trial in treating COVID-19
Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday touted the results of trial examining an experimental drug treatment for the novel coronavirus, calling it “good news” as he spoke in the Oval Office alongside President Donald Trump. A randomized, international trial of the drug remdesivir had resulted in “quite good news,” shortening the period patients […]
Trump erupts at campaign manager as reelection stress overflows
As he huddled with advisers on Friday evening, President Donald Trump was still fuming over his sliding poll numbers and the onslaught of criticism he was facing for suggesting a day earlier that ingesting disinfectant might prove effective against coronavirus. Within moments, the President was shouting — not at the aides in the room, but […]
Pence flouts Mayo Clinic policy by touring coronavirus testing facility without a mask
Vice President Mike Pence went on a tour of the Mayo Clinic’s coronavirus testing labs Tuesday — and ignored the prestigious Minnesota hospital’s rules that all occupants wear masks. “Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today,” the clinic tweeted while Pence was still inside meeting with doctors and […]
SBA program reopens with new glitches and new scrutiny after NBA franchise returns loan funds
The government relaunched its small-business aid program Monday, infused with $310 billion in fresh funding, but faced an outcry of complaints over faltering computer systems and delays from bankers and desperate business owners. The program, run by the Small Business Administration, is one of the government’s signature efforts to buoy the nation’s employment during the […]
White House Coronavirus Official: Social Distancing ‘Will Be With Us’ Through Summer
Dr. Deborah Birx, a leading infectious disease expert on the White House’s coronavirus task force, warned Sunday that social distancing will be a necessary practice through the coming summer. During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Birx was asked if Vice President Mike Pence’s prediction Friday that the coronavirus epidemic will be largely “behind […]
Trump Touts Self as ‘Hardest Working President in History’ While Fuming at NYT, Denying He ‘Angrily’ Has ‘Hamburger & Diet Coke’ in Bedroom
Donald Trump got on the presidential Twitter machine on Sunday to go on an enraged rant against The New York Times and their report on his activities in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. See the tweets and read the story at Mediaite.
White House considering scaling back Trump’s daily coronavirus briefings in coming weeks
After nearly 50 coronavirus press briefings in March and April, President Donald Trump’s aides and allies are increasingly worried that his lengthy appearances are backfiring politically and White House officials say they are evaluating whether to reduce his participation in news conferences in the weeks to come. Concerns that the briefings are hurting the president […]
Unemployment around the U.S. will reach 16% this year, CBO says
Unemployment around the U.S., near a 50-year low before the coronavirus struck, will surge to 16% by September as the economy withers under the impact of the outbreak, the Congressional Budget Office said Friday. That would far exceed the hit to the labor market during the Great Recession, when the jobless rate peaked at 10%. Unemployment […]
Trump skips questions at coronavirus briefing after disinfectant debacle
A day after he floated the idea of using disinfectants and light to treat COVID-19, President Donald Trump declined to take any questions at his daily coronavirus briefing at the White House. The briefing — which can sometimes last about two hours — was over in just over 20 minutes, following remarks from Trump, Vice […]
Biden predicts Trump will try to delay November election
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday predicted President Donald Trump will try to delay the 2020 presidential election in a ploy to snag a reelection victory. “Mark my words, I think he is gonna try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can’t be held,” Biden said, according […]
Trump Reportedly Approved Of Georgia’s Reopen Plan Before Bashing It
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly told Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp that they approved of his aggressive plan to allow businesses to reopen, just a day before Trump pulled an about-face and publicly bashed the plan, according to two administration officials. The green light from Pence and Trump came in separate private […]
Las Vegas Mayor Offers City as ‘Control Group’ to See How Many Die Without Social Distancing
Traditionally, Las Vegas has been a place where Americans go to forget about statistics, but in an appearance on Anderson Cooper 360, Mayor Carolyn Goodman stressed the need for a control group to determine if social distancing measures are the tool that have kept American deaths below the early, catastrophic estimates. Generously for the United […]
ACLU study linked to jails projects coronavirus deaths double US government estimates
Calling the 1,200 mid-sized to large jails in the nation “veritable volcanoes for the spread of the virus,” the American Civil Liberties Union released results on Wednesday of its own epidemiological model projecting a coronavirus death toll in the United States that more than doubles estimates from the federal government. The ACLU teamed with academic […]
House lawmakers scramble back to Washington to vote on $484B relief bill
As the coronavirus public health crisis wears on, lawmakers scrambled back to the nation’s capital for a House vote Thursday on the $484 billion relief package that will boost the exhausted small business loan program – even as the city of Washington remains under a strict stay-at-home order until at least mid-May. “We are asking […]
Barr calls stay-at-home orders ‘disturbingly close to house arrest’
Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that the need for strong restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus may be passing and that the Justice Department might consider taking legal action against states that go too far. “There are very, very burdensome impingements on liberty,” he told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, “and […]
First U.S. coronavirus death happened weeks earlier than originally believed
Medical officials in California’s Santa Clara County, in the heart of Silicon Valley, indicated late Tuesday that the first U.S. death connected to the coronavirus happened weeks earlier than previously believed. Two deaths on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17 were not initially thought to have been COVID-19-related, but further testing has revealed that they were, […]
CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus this winter could be worse
Even as states move ahead with plans to reopen their economies, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday that a second wave of the novel coronavirus will be far more dire because it is likely to coincide with the start of flu season. “There’s a possibility that the assault of […]
‘Xenophobe in chief’: Democrats blast Trump’s plan to suspend immigration to the U.S.
Congressional Democrats slammed President Donald Trump after he announced that he plans to suspend immigration to the United States, arguing that such a move does nothing to protect Americans from the coronavirus and deflects attention away from his handling of the outbreak. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., tweeted that Trump is the “xenophobe. […]
The Atlantic: We Are Living in a Failed State
When the virus came here, it found a country with serious underlying conditions, and it exploited them ruthlessly. Chronic ills—a corrupt political class, a sclerotic bureaucracy, a heartless economy, a divided and distracted public—had gone untreated for years. We had learned to live, uncomfortably, with the symptoms. It took the scale and intimacy of a […]
In Georgia and elsewhere in South, governors begin lifting coronavirus restrictions
Some governors in the South have begun loosening restrictions put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday granted businesses across the state permission to reopen later this week, an announcement echoed by a handful of other Republican governors who are beginning to lift stay-at-home orders. Kemp’s decision, which […]
Oil prices go into negative territory — and Washington is paralyzed over what to do
Airlines, restaurants, retailers, farmers and a slew of other industries are getting billions of dollars in bailouts as the U.S. economy contracts because of the coronavirus pandemic — but America’s oil companies are hitting a dry hole. U.S. oil futures prices fell to their lowest-ever level by far on Monday, at -$37.63 per barrel, meaning […]
WHO chief warns the worst of the coronavirus is still ahead
The World Health Organization chief warned Monday that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus didn’t specify why he believes the outbreak that has infected some 2.5 million people and killed […]
Far Right Americans endanger own lives to protest coronavirus stay-at-home orders
Opposition to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders has continued to build from coast to coast, with at least five states the site of protests Sunday. Protesters sporting masks and signs took to their state capitols, while others honked their car horns during gridlock demonstrations calling on their governors to open up their states. In Washington state, a […]
Poll: Majority fear coronavirus restrictions will be lifted too soon
Almost 60 percent of American voters are worried that lifting restrictions on public behavior too soon will lead to a spike in coronavirus cases and deaths. According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday, 58 percent of registered voters expressed concern about a loosening of restrictions, compared with 32 percent who worried that […]
Contamination Likely Caused Critical Delay Of CDC Coronavirus Testing: Report
A contamination of the first round of COVID-19 testing kits made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention slowed the U.S. government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, The Washington Post and CNN confirmed Saturday. The Food and Drug Administration told CNN that the CDC did not manufacture its tests under the agency’s standard protocol. “CDC […]
While Small Businesses Struggle, Major Chains Like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Land Small Business Loans
While mom-and-pops struggle to get a loan through the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), a number of sizable restaurant chains are cashing multimillion-dollar checks from the relief initiative, a cornerstone of federal efforts to help small businesses through the COVID-19 crisis. The parent of the Ruth’s Chris steakhouse chain collected $20 million by applying through each […]
Congressional Democrats press Trump to ramp up testing before reopening economy
On two phone calls with President Donald Trump, congressional Democrats on Thursday pressed him to wait until widespread coronavirus testing is available before issuing federal guidance to reopen the country economically, two lawmakers on the teleconferences told NBC News. But the president insisted that the economy would have to be reopened before broad testing can […]
Pelosi calls Trump’s name appearing on stimulus checks ‘shameful’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday called the decision for President Donald Trump’s name to appear on stimulus checks amid the coronavirus pandemic “shameful.” The President’s name will appear on checks sent to Americans to combat economic fallout from the spread of the disease in a last-minute Treasury Department order, a senior administration official confirmed […]
Trump Threatens To Adjourn Congress For Not Confirming His Judicial Nominees
President Donald Trump spent much of Wednesday’s coronavirus briefing railing against Democrats for blocking his judicial nominees, threatening to shut down both chambers of Congress in the middle of a pandemic so that he can install them himself. The president complained about what he called the “partisan obstruction” of nominees to federal judgeships and key […]
With commerce frozen, retail sales plunge unprecedented 8.7%
U.S. retail sales plummeted 8.7% in March, an unprecedented decline, as the viral outbreak forces an almost complete lock down of commerce nationwide. The deterioration of sales far outpaces the previous record decline of 3.9% that took place during the depths of the Great Recession in November 2008. Auto sales dropped 25.6%, while clothing store […]
President Trump directs halt to payments to World Health Organization while US reviews virus warnings regarding China
President Trump directs halt to payments to World Health Organization while US reviews virus warnings regarding China. Read the rest of the story at The Washington Post.
Airlines ink agreement in principle on billions in payroll assistance
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday that 10 airlines, including the four major U.S. carriers, signaled that they plan to accept grants to cover employee payroll and benefits, almost three weeks after a coronavirus stimulus was enacted. Under the stimulus law, Treasury was supposed to start cutting grant checks on April 6, but airlines and […]
Trump Declares He Has ‘Total’ Authority As President In Defiant Press Briefing
President Donald Trump wrongly claimed during a press briefing on Monday that the president’s “authority is total” after reporters pressed him to explain how he would force governors to restart state economies during the coronavirus pandemic. “When somebody’s the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that is the way it’s gonna […]
Trump uses coronavirus briefing to air his grievances
President Donald Trump’s grievances with the media and his political opponents took center stage Monday during the daily White House coronavirus briefing after a weekend of tough reporting on his administration’s handling of the pandemic. “Everything we did was right,” Trump told reporters after playing a campaign-style video defending the White House’s response to the […]
California, Oregon and Washington to work together on plan to lift coronavirus restrictions, some Eastern states follow suit
Gov. Gavin Newsom and his counterparts in Washington and Oregon announced “a regional pact to recovery” from the coronavirus crisis on Monday and agreed to work together to develop a plan to lift restrictions on daily life and reopen economies along the West Coast. The announcement comes as six states in the Northeast — New York, […]
Trump Retweets ‘#FireFauci’ Post in Response to Fauci’s Claim Earlier Mitigation Would’ve Saved Lives
President Donald Trump was clearly annoyed by Dr. Anthony Fauci‘s comments on CNN today regarding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, retweeting a former congressional candidate’s post that criticized Fauci and used the hashtag “#FireFauci.” Earlier in the day, Fauci had appeared on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper, and made several comments that may […]
Fauci: Earlier social distancing measures ‘obviously’ would have saved more lives
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said Sunday that earlier efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. “obviously” could have saved lives but that top health officials faced “a lot of pushback about shutting things down.” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was […]
As feds play ‘backup,’ states take unorthodox steps to compete in cutthroat global market for coronavirus supplies
Rushing to stave off a shortage of medical-grade protective gear to combat the spread of the coronavirus, Minnesota officials leaned on a local company’s global connections to airlift a cache of N95 masks from a Chinese factory back to the state for delivery this week. Washington state purchased 750,000 cotton swabs for coronavirus tests, taking […]
Check your balance: Coronavirus stimulus money starts to flow into bank accounts
Americans are starting to receive their cash payments via direct deposits, part of the $2 trillion bill passed by Congress to stimulate the economy after the decline caused by the pandemic. “#IRS deposited the first Economic Impact Payments into taxpayers’ bank accounts today. We know many people are anxious to get their payments; we’ll continue […]
U.S. Overtakes Italy With Largest Number Of Coronavirus Deaths
The United States surpassed Italy in coronavirus fatalities on Saturday to become the nation with the highest number of reported deaths from the virus worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins data. Italy has counted 152,271 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 19,468 deaths, while the U.S. has counted 522,286 infections and 20,283 deaths as of late […]
It’s a hoax for Trump to say he was distracted by impeachment to concentrate on his coronavirus response
It’s a hoax for Trump to say that his impeachment hearings distracted him from the coronavirus response. Watch this video from The Lincoln Project and it will show you why.
Barack Obama Slams Wisconsin For Holding Election Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Barack Obama has slammed the decision to go ahead with this week’s election in Wisconsin, which forced thousands of people out to the polls amid a statewide stay-at-home order aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The former president, in a thread on Twitter Friday, described the vote as a “debacle” and said “no […]
U.S. spy agencies collected raw intelligence hinting at public health crisis in Wuhan, China, in November
U.S. spy agencies collected raw intelligence hinting at a public health crisis in Wuhan, China, in November, two current and one former U.S. official told NBC News, but the information was not understood as the first warning signs of an impending global pandemic. The intelligence came in the form of communications intercepts and overhead images […]
Linda Tripp, whose tapes were pivotal in Clinton impeachment scandal, dies
Linda Tripp, who secretly recorded her conversations with Monica Lewinsky about the then-intern’s relationship with President Bill Clinton in the White House, has died, according to her mother, Inge Carotenuto, and her former attorney, Joseph Murtha. Carotenuto told CNN that Tripp had been diagnosed with late stage pancreatic/lymph node cancer in the last few days. […]
White House working on plan to cut aid to World Health Organization
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget is working on a possible plan to cut U.S. aid to the World Health Organization, administration officials said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump tries to deflect blame for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Administration officials said they also plan to look into the timeline of the […]
Bernie Sanders drops out of the 2020 race, clearing Joe Biden’s path to the Democratic nomination
Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his presidential campaign on Wednesday, clearing Joe Biden’s path to the Democratic nomination and a showdown with President Donald Trump in November. Sanders made the announcement in a call with his campaign staff, his campaign said. Read the rest of the story at CNN
Stephanie Grisham leaving as White House press secretary after holding no formal briefings
After less than a year on the job, White House press secretary and communications director Stephanie Grisham is stepping down, according to senior Trump administration officials. Grisham is returning to the East Wing to start immediately as first lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff and spokesperson, her office announced Tuesday. She previously served in the […]
Acting Navy secretary resigns after criticizing ousted captain who raised alarm on outbreak
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly has resigned, two defense officials said, a day after he ridiculed and then apologized to a captain he had ousted for raising concerns about a coronavirus outbreak on his aircraft carrier. Modly offered to quit in a Tuesday morning conversation with Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the officials said. Esper accepted […]
Trump removes independent watchdog for coronavirus funds, upending oversight panel
President Donald Trump has upended the panel of federal watchdogs overseeing implementation of the $2 trillion coronavirus law, tapping a replacement for the Pentagon official who was supposed to lead the effort. A panel of inspectors general had named Glenn Fine — the acting Pentagon watchdog — to lead the group charged with monitoring the […]
U.S. reports 1,200 coronavirus deaths in one day as China lifts lockdown
At the start of what is expected to be the deadliest week of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, the White House tried to offer some hope that measures to contain the spread were working. The virus killed 1,264 over 24 hours in the U.S. as of 2:05 am ET on Tuesday, according to […]
Acting Navy secretary apologizes for scathing rebuke of ousted captain
Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly apologized Monday night for calling the now-ousted commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt “stupid” in an address to the ship’s crew Monday morning. Modly told the crew that their former commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, was either “too naive or too stupid” to be in command or that he […]
Democrats warn people will die as courts rule Wisconsin’s election on for today
Wisconsin’s controversial election is back on for Tuesday, and voters will get no extension on the deadline to return absentee ballots despite the coronavirus crisis, thanks to two top courts that sided with Republicans on Monday. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, issued an executive order Monday afternoon postponing the election to June 9, citing […]
Boris Johnson Hospitalized as Queen Urges British Resolve in Face of Epidemic
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalized on Sunday evening after 10 days of battling the coronavirus, unnerving a country that had gathered to watch Queen Elizabeth II rally fellow Britons to confront the pandemic and reassure them that when the crisis finally ebbed, “we will meet again.” The British government said that Mr. Johnson would […]
Surgeon general says coming week will ‘be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment’
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Sunday said the coming week could be a national catastrophe comparable to Pearl Harbor or 9/11, echoing President Trump’s dire prognostication. There are more than 300,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 9,000 deaths in the United States. Experts say Americans are almost certainly dying of covid-19 but being left […]
Wisconsin Republicans Block Governor’s Last Minute Plea to Change Tuesday Election
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) made a last minute push to stop in-person voting scheduled for Tuesday, as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in the state, but Republicans aren’t interested. Evers called a special session of Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled legislature on Saturday in an attempt to change the state’s Election Day into an […]
CDC recommends people wear cloth masks in public – but Trump says he won’t
President Donald Trump on Friday said new guidance from the Centers for Disease and Prevention urges Americans to wear cloth face coverings in public to prevent the spread of the virus. “The CDC is advising the use of nonmedical cloth face covering as a voluntary health measure,” Trump said during his Friday briefing. “It is […]
Trump Fires Intelligence Community Inspector General Who Told Congress About Whistleblower Complaint
President Donald Trump has fired Michael Atkinson, the Intelligence Community Inspector General, who brought forward the whistleblower complaint to Congress in light of President Donald Trump’s conversation with Ukraine’s president – which later led to the impeachment proceedings. The news comes late Friday night, in a letter obtained by CNN, which states Atkinson is set […]
Dr. Fauci: ‘I Just Don’t Understand’ Why Everyone in America Isn’t Under a Stay at Home Order
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading voice on the White House coronavirus task force, believes that everyone in the U.S. should be subject to a stay at home order. Appearing on a CNN virtual town hall Thursday night, Fauci — responding to a question from Anderson Cooper — said that everyone in America should be under […]
Pelosi forming House committee to investigate the coronavirus outbreak
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced Thursday that a bipartisan House committee will investigate the federal response to coronavirus pandemic and ensure that congressional funding is spent wisely. “The committee will be empowered to examine all aspects of the federal response to the coronavirus, and to assure that the taxpayer dollars are being wisely and […]
Many Americans may have to wait months for coronavirus relief checks
The first Americans to get relief payments from the government under the coronavirus legislation signed into law last month won’t see the money until at least the week of April 13, according to new estimates from the Trump administration provided to House Democrats and outlined in a memo circulated this week by Democrats on the […]
U.S. coronavirus updates: Death toll tops 5,000
The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 5,100 people in the United States, as more state governors issued stay-at-home orders Wednesday to curb the spread. Over 216,000 people are now infected and more than 8,500 others have recovered. The state of play: Trump administration officials are anonymously sounding the alarm that America’s emergency stockpile […]
Republican Florida governor FINALLY issues stay-at-home order after weeks of resistance
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday issued a stay-at-home order for the entire state as it grapples with a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak. The order goes into effect Thursday at midnight and will last for at least 30 days, DeSantis said at a briefing on Wednesday. DeSantis said at Wednesday’s briefing that the order would […]
Trump admin will not reopen Obamacare exchanges during coronavirus pandemic
The White House will not reopen the Obamacare exchanges to allow uninsured Americans to purchase health care coverage during the coronavirus pandemic, NBC News has confirmed. Last month, President Donald Trump signaled that he was considering a special enrollment period that would reopen federal insurance exchanges, which shuttered in December after the end of the […]
Joe Biden: ‘Hard To Envision’ How DNC Goes Ahead As Planned Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Former Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday he didn’t see how the Democratic Party could hold its national convention as scheduled in July as cases of COVID-19 continue to spike around the country. “It’s hard to envision that,” Biden, the leading Democratic candidate hoping to unseat President Donald Trump in November, told MSNBC’s Brian Williams. […]
Governors Fight Back Against Coronavirus Chaos: ‘It’s Like Being on eBay With 50 Other States’
A chorus of governors from across the political spectrum is publicly challenging the Trump administration’s assertion that the United States is well-stocked and well-prepared to test people for the coronavirus and care for the sickest patients. In New York State — the center of the nation’s outbreak, with at least 1,550 deaths — Gov. Andrew […]
Dr. Fauci: Intensive Coronavirus Mitigation is Showing ‘Glimmers’ of a ‘Dampening Effect’
Dr. Anthony Fauci said there are signs that social distancing and other coronavirus mitigation strategies may be helping. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases gave an interview to CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Tuesday, in which he said “we’re starting to see glimmers that [intensive mitigation] is actually having some dampening […]
Wall Street just had one of its worst quarters in history
Wall Street just ended one of the worst quarters in stock market history, with all three major averages reflecting the devastating economic impact of the pandemic that has ground global activity almost to a halt. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by just over 400 points by the closing bell on Tuesday, a quarterly […]
McConnell: Impeachment ‘diverted’ attention from coronavirus concerns
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Tuesday suggested that the January Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump distracted from crucial early efforts to respond to the emerging coronavirus pandemic. During an appearance on conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, McConnell was asked about a POLITICO articlepublished Monday that pointed to Sen. Tom Cotton, […]
Model cited by White House says 82,000 people could die from coronavirus by August, even with social distancing
President Donald Trump’s decision to extend social distancing guidelines until April 30 came after officials reviewed 12 different statistical models, said Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, during a Sunday press briefing. But standing in the Rose Garden, Birx also mentioned another model, created independently, that “ended up at the same numbers.” […]
House Democrats eye ambitious fourth coronavirus bill
House Democratic leaders laid out their priorities for an ambitious fourth coronavirus response package on Monday, saying they hope to pass bipartisan legislation with more direct payments for individuals, money for state and local governments, and funding for infrastructure. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said members will be working together to craft the legislation as they […]
Fauci: Coronavirus could kill over 100,000 Americans
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that he anticipates the coronavirus could kill 100,000 to 200,000 Americans while infecting “millions” of others. Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, however, that he does not want to be held to that prediction because the outbreak […]
Pelosi Blasts Trump’s Coronavirus Response: ‘His Denial at the Beginning Was Deadly’
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, appearing on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday morning, said that President Donald Trump’s “denial at the beginning” with respect to coronavirus was “deadly.” Pelosi told Jake Tapper, “The president, his denial at the beginning, was deadly. His delaying of getting equipment to where it continued — his continued delay in getting […]
Sad Milestone: U.S. Passes 2,000 Coronavirus Deaths — Death Toll Doubled in Two Days
The death toll in the United States from COVID-19 has passed 2,000, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reported Saturday evening. “We’ve just reached a tragic new threshold here in the United States,” said Blitzer, announcing that more than 2,000 people in the United States had died from the coronavirus. “That means the death toll has doubled in […]
5 takeaways from Joe Biden’s town hall on the coronavirus response
Joe Biden during a CNN town hall Friday night detailed how he’d respond to the coronavirus pandemic. From a remote feed in his home in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said he starts his mornings with back-to-back briefings on the health and economic fallout of the pandemic — and that he is regularly speaking with governors who […]
Under Intense Criticism, Trump Says Government Will Buy More Ventilators
Faced with a torrent of criticism from cities and states that have been pleading for help to deal with the most critically ill coronavirus victims, President Trump announced on Friday that the federal government would buy thousands of ventilators from a variety of makers, though it appeared doubtful they could be produced in time to […]
Trump chips away at Congress’ role in coronavirus relief oversight
President Donald Trump intends to ignore provisions in the newly passed $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill intended to shore up Congress’ oversight of the massive rescue program. The legislation establishes a “special inspector general” to review and investigate loan decisions made by the treasury secretary as part of the coronavirus relief effort, an accountability measure […]
Trump Again Bashes Governors Of Washington And Michigan Over Coronavirus
President Donald Trump again bashed the Democratic governors of Washington and Michigan on Friday, saying they “should be appreciative” of the federal government and that he’s told Vice President Mike Pence — who heads the White House’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — not to call them. “I think we’ve done a great job for […]
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tests positive for coronavirus
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus, he said in a tweet Friday. He had developed “mild symptoms” in the last 24 hours and was “self-isolating,” he said. “I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus.” Read the rest of the story at NBC News.
House members race back to Washington amid fears the $2 trillion coronavirus bill could be delayed
Democratic and Republican leaders were scrambling members of Congress back to Washington late Thursday because they suddenly believe the $2 trillion economic relief package might not pass by the voice vote planned for Friday and could be delayed if at least 216 members don’t show up to vote on the floor. Members are now racing […]
‘I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators’: Trump questions New York’s plea for critical equipment
President Trump cast doubt Thursday on New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s assertion that his state, which has become the epicenter for the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, will need 30,000 ventilators to properly care for the influx of patients anticipated to flood hospitals in coming weeks. “I have a feeling that a lot […]
Jobless claims soar past 3 million to record as coronavirus sends Americans to the unemployment line
Americans displaced by the coronavirus crisis filed unemployment claims in record numbers, with the Labor Department reporting Thursday a surge to 3.28 million. The number shatters the Great Recession peak of 665,000 in March 2009 and the all-time mark of 695,000 in October 1982. The previous week, which reflected the period before the worst of […]
Nearly 100 People Died in NYC From COVID-19 in 24 Hours
Eighty-eight people have died of the new coronavirus in New York City in the past 24 hours, according to the NYC Department of Health. The number of total deaths due to the virus is now 280. Forty-nine percent of deaths occurred in adults over 75, and 96 percent of those who died had “underlying illnesses.” This […]
Pelosi Defends Jobless Aid In Stimulus, Tells GOP Not To ‘Resent Our Lowest-Paid’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) defended a proposed $600 weekly increase in unemployment payments to laid-off workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday, rejecting assertions by some Republican senators that people would rather collect government assistance than keep their jobs. “Please don’t resent our lowest-paid workers in America for getting $600 so that they […]
Deaths in United States linked to COVID-19 surpass 1,000
The United States has reached a grim milestone as the number of deaths linked to coronavirus passed 1,000 in the country on Thursday, according to a count by NBC News. The number of reported deaths associated with the disease in the U.S. was at least 1,001 as of Thursday morning, according to that count, and […]
Senate unanimously passes massive $2 trillion coronavirus spending bill
The Senate overwhelmingly passed a massive stimulus package late Wednesday meant to soften the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic for American workers and businesses. The bill includes billions of dollars in credit for struggling industries, a significant boost to unemployment insurance and direct cash payments to Americans. The fate of the bill now rests […]
Handful of GOP senators threaten to delay Senate coronavirus bill over unemployment payments
A handful of Republican senators on Wednesday threatened to delay the $2 trillion coronavirus spending bill over a proposed increase to unemployment insurance. In a statement, Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said that the bill could provide a “strong incentive for employees to be laid off instead of going to work” because […]
Obama Logs On To Twitter and Facebook To Share Vital Health and Safety Information
Former President Barack Obama is making use of his large social media platforms to address the coronavirus crisis and posting like never before since leaving the presidency. Obama, who has remained mum on many of the biggest issues to arise during President Donald Trump’s time in office, is now routinely posting messages to Twitter — […]
Sanders camp signals his presidential campaign will go on
Lacking a meaningful path to the Democratic nomination at a moment when the coronavirus crisis is gripping Washington and the country, Bernie Sanders stepped back from actively campaigning for president over the past week, leading some Democrats to wonder whether he would soon leave the race altogether. But Tuesday, Sanders appeared to signal anew that […]
White House public health expert says anyone who recently left New York should self-quarantine
The White House’s coronavirus response coordinator said Tuesday that anyone who has recently left New York should self-quarantine for 14 days in an effort to slow the spread of the virus in the US. “To everyone who has left New York over the last few days, because of the rate of the number of cases, you may have […]
Tokyo 2020 Olympics postponed over coronavirus concerns
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been postponed, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Tuesday. Abe said Japan and the International Olympic Committee came to an agreement during a phone call with the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, following growing calls for the games to be delayed or canceled because of the concerns around coronavirus […]
Mnuchin, Schumer say coronavirus rescue package deal very close
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that they are “very close” to an agreement on a nearly $2 trillion coronavirus economic rescue package, raising the possibility of a Senate vote on the legislation as early as Tuesday. Following a series of late-night meetings in Schumer’s office in the Capitol — […]
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggests he, other seniors willing to die to get economy going again
Dan Patrick, Texas’ Republican lieutenant governor, on Monday night suggested that he and other grandparents would be willing to risk their health and even lives in order for the United States to “get back to work” amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Those of us who are 70 plus, we’ll take care of ourselves. But don’t sacrifice the […]
Trump outlines National Guard activations for New York, California and Washington
President Donald Trump said Sunday that the federal government has activated US National Guard units for three of the states hardest hit by the novel coronavirus — New York, California and Washington state. “And through (Federal Emergency Management Agency), the federal government will be funding 100% of the cost of deploying national guard units to carry out […]
Fauci gets frank about Trump: ‘I can’t jump in front of the microphone and push him down’
Amid the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, Anthony S. Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been charged with a herculean task: trying to keep President Trump’s public statements about the novel virus rooted in fact. Now it appears that Fauci’s frustration is showing. When asked Sunday by Science magazine’s Jon Cohen about having to stand […]
Marriott Furloughs Two-Thirds of Its Employees; CEO Calls Coronavirus Impact ‘Worse Than 9/11 and 2009 Financial Crisis Combined’
Marriott International, Inc., the world’s largest hotel company, announced on Sunday that it would furlough two-thirds of its workforce due to economic pressures from the coronavirus pandemic. The furlough will include two-thirds of the 4,000 employees at Marriott’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland and two-thirds of the 174,000 employees around the world, according to a report by Fox […]
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) Tests Positive For Coronavirus
Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, has tested positive for coronavirus, his office announced in a statement on Sunday. He is the first senator and the third member of Congress to test positive. Mr. Paul “is asymptomatic and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events,” his office said […]
DOJ Wants to Suspend Certain Constitutional Rights During Coronavirus Emergency
The Trump Department of Justice has asked Congress to craft legislation allowing chief judges to indefinitely hold people without trial and suspend other constitutionally-protected rights during coronavirus and other emergencies, according to a report by Politico’s Betsy Woodruff Swan. While the asks from the Department of Justice will likely not come to fruition with a Democratically-controlled House of Representatives, they […]
Stimulus package could top $2 trillion as negotiators look to clear final major hurdles
US negotiators entered a crucial day in the effort to deploy more than $1 trillion in emergency stimulus to a staggering economy, with a growing consensus on a final agreement, but a handful of significant hang-ups still to be resolved. Bipartisan groups of senators worked late into Friday night with top officials from President Donald Trump’s administration to lock […]
U.S. intelligence reports from January and February warned about a likely pandemic
U.S. intelligence agencies were issuing ominous, classified warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus while President Trump and lawmakers played down the threat and failed to take action that might have slowed the spread of the pathogen, according to U.S. officials familiar with spy agency reporting. The intelligence reports didn’t predict […]
Biden trashes Trump over coronavirus response: ‘Step up and do your job, Mr. President’
Joe Biden, the 2020 Democratic front-runner, slammed President Donald Trump over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic Friday, accusing him of being “behind the curve through his whole response.” Biden, speaking on a conference call with reporters, offered a series of blunt missives for Trump, and criticized him for repeatedly providing the American people with […]
Staffer for Vice President Mike Pence tests positive for the coronavirus
A member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff has tested positive for the coronavirus, Pence’s office said Friday night. The staffer’s name and exact position was not released, but Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, said, “Neither President Trump nor Vice President Pence had close contact with the individual. “Further contact tracing is being conducted in accordance […]
Americans told ‘do not travel’ overseas by State Department amid coronavirus outbreak
The State Department is urging all Americans “do not travel” abroad because of the novel coronavirus pandemic and the severe travel restrictions or quarantines imposed by governments around the world. In an unprecedented global health advisory, the department issued its highest-level alert, usually reserved for war zones or hot spots like Syria, North Korea or Somalia. Read the rest of the story at ABC News.
Senate Republicans release massive economic stimulus bill for coronavirus response
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) released a massive economic stimulus bill Thursday to fight the coronavirus’s fallout, even as opposition emerged from some key Republicans to one of the central elements of the plan — direct cash payments to many Americans. Some conservatives expressed opposition to these cash payments entirely, while others warned that GOP […]
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), head of powerful committee, sold large amount of stocks before sharp declines in market
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who had expressed confidence in the country’s preparedness for the coronavirus outbreak, sold a significant share of his stocks last month, according to public disclosures. The sales included stocks in some of the industries that have been hardest hit by the global pandemic, including hotels and restaurants, shipping, drug manufacturing, […]
Tulsi Gabbard ends presidential campaign, endorses Biden
Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has announced the end to her campaign following continued low placement in national polls, a weak finish during Super Tuesday and subsequent contests and failing to meet the thresholds to participate in the most recent series of Democratic National Committee sponsored debates. In a letter to supporters, Gabbard cited that the […]
New York Stock Exchange temporarily closing trading floors, going all electronic
The New York Stock Exchange will temporarily close its trading floors and switch to all-electronic trading beginning when markets open next Monday amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. “Trading and regulatory oversight of all NYSE-listed securities will continue without interruption,” its operator, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., said in a statement Wednesday. The facilities that will be closed include the […]
Two members of the U.S. House of Representatives test positive for COVID-19
Two members of the House of Representatives have tested positive for the coronavirus illness COVID-19 and are self-quarantining, the lawmakers said Wednesday. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., and Ben McAdams, D-Utah, are the first two members of Congress who have said they tested positive for COVID-19. Diaz-Balart was the first to make the announcement Wednesday. His office said […]
The coronavirus pandemic began in China. Today, it reported no new local infections for the first time
China has reported no new locally transmitted coronavirus cases for the first time since the the pandemic began, marking a major turning point in the global battle to contain Covid-19. At a news conference on Thursday morning, officials from China’s National Health Commission announced there had been just 34 new cases in the past 24 hours — […]
Projections: Biden sweeps three states, doubles delegate lead over Sanders
Joe Biden doubled his delegate lead over Bernie Sanders in Tuesday’s primaries, giving him a nearly insurmountable advantage after sweeping Florida, Illinois and Arizona, according to NBC News projections. The former vice president now has 315 more delegates than the senator from Vermont — 1,132 to Sanders’ 817 — after having started the night with an edge of 154. Biden has passed […]
Hello from Italy. Your future is grimmer than you think.
My family lives in the Veneto, in Northern Italy, one of the regions worst hit by the novel coronavirus. We are on lockdown. It’s scary. It’s lonely. It’s uncomfortable. And did I mention scary? I’ll spare you the statistics and the sermons; both are already abundant. But I do want to make one thing clear: If […]
Mitch McConnell Calls For House Coronavirus Bill To Be Passed Without Amendment: ‘Gag and Vote For It Anyway’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said the Senate would move ahead with a vote on the House’s coronavirus response bill, and urged his Republican colleagues to withhold their objections to the bill and “vote for it anyway.” Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, McConnell said his intention was to hold a vote on the House’s bill as […]
New York City mayor says ‘shelter in place’ decision coming in next 48 hours
The City That Never Sleeps could be shutting down in 48 hours. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that he was considering whether to impose a shelter in place order which would essentially require residents to stay in their homes and keep outside social contact to a minimum to slow the spread of […]
Ohio governor announces polls will be closed today over coronavirus
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced late Monday night that polls will be closed in the state on Tuesday as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The order came from Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton, who said she was ordering “the polling locations in the State of Ohio closed on March 17” in order to “avoid […]
Idris Elba announces he tested positive for coronavirus, but says he’s feeling fine
Actor Idris Elba announced Monday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, but says he has not shown symptoms. Elba, 47, told his social media followers that he was tested after he discovered he was in close contact with someone else who tested positive, but that he is not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, the disease […]
Rep. Louie Gohmert delays House coronavirus relief bill from moving to Senate
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, is holding up the House-passed coronavirus relief bill and preventing it from being delivered to the Senate for a vote. The House was expected to make technical corrections Monday to the bipartisan measure, passed by the House early Saturday, but Gohmert is insisting on reading them, a Democratic leadership aide confirmed to NBC […]
Federal Reserve cuts rates to near zero in emergency action
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates to nearly zero Sunday, an emergency move that represented its second attempt to stimulate an economy that has been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. By making borrowing as cheap as possible, the central bank hopes businesses and individuals will have ready access to nearly interest-free cash to invest and […]
Biden says he will pick a woman running mate, Sanders likely to do same
Joe Biden said for the first time during Sunday’s debate that he will “pick a woman to be my vice president” if he’s the Democratic nominee. “If I’m elected president, my Cabinet, my administration will look like the country, and I committed that I will pick a woman to be my vice president,” Biden said […]
Struggling Europeans tighten virus measures as China relaxes
Spain prepared to declare a state of emergency on Saturday and Italy tightened its lockdown by closing down parks, while Denmark and Poland became the latest countries to shut their borders to most travelers in a bid to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. As European countries took ever more severe, though widely varying, measures to reduce contact between […]
White House doctor says Trump doesn’t need coronavirus test
The president does not need to take a test to determine if he’s positive for coronavirus because two interactions he had with known patients were “low risk,” a White House doctor said in a memo released Friday. The memo was made public hours after Trump said he would be tested. “Not for that reason, but […]
Trump declares national emergency to combat coronavirus, authorizes waiving of laws and regulations
President Donald Trump on Friday announced a new series of measures to combat the coronavirus and treat those who are affected, while pushing back on criticism that his administration was unprepared to confront the pandemic. Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Trump declared a national emergency that could free up $50 billion to help fight the […]
Dow’s 10% loss most since 1987 market crash
U.S. financial markets fell even further on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing more than 2,350 points, almost 10%, in the biggest single-day decline since one of more than 22% in 1987’s Black Monday crash. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq similarly tumbled by 9.51% and 9.43%, with the S&P 500 joining the Dow […]
Two-thirds of Americans concerned about contracting coronavirus, as country grapples with growing crisis: POLL
Two-thirds of Americans are concerned that they or someone they know will be infected with the novel coronavirus, but in a country with a growing partisan divide, political tribalism is having a large impact when it comes to anxiety over the disease, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday. Although unease over the coronavirus is high, […]
Top Disease Expert Fauci: Virus Testing Is A ‘Failing,’ Leaving Cases Uncounted
Seven weeks have passed since the first U.S. case of coronavirus was announced, and the government is failing to account for what could be thousands of additional infections because of ongoing problems with testing. “The system is not really geared to what we need right now,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert […]
Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson Say They’ve Tested Positive For Coronavirus
Actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, Hanks said in a statement on Wednesday. The married couple are currently in Australia where Hanks was working on director Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley film. Hanks plays Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, in the movie. Hanks tweeted […]
NBA Suspends Season After Player Tests Positive For Coronavirus
The NBA announced Wednesday evening that it is suspending the 2019-2020 basketball season after a player tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. “The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the association said in a statement. “The NBA will use this […]
House Democrats Unveil Broad Package To Help Americans Affected By Coronavirus
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday unveiled a broad package of proposals to help Americans affected by the coronavirus outbreak, while officials suspended public tours through the Capitol building. The legislation, which Democratic leaders aimed to rush to the House floor for debate and passage on Thursday, would grant workers 14 days of paid sick leave and […]
Next Democratic debate to be held without an audience, DNC and CNN announce
The next Democratic debate set to take place in Phoenix, Arizona will be held without a live audience due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, the Democratic National Committee and CNN announced Tuesday. “At the request of both campaigns and out of an abundance of caution, there will be no live audience at […]
Trump pushes economic relief amid coronavirus crisis: Stay calm and ‘it will go away’
President Donald Trump headed to Capitol Hill Tuesday to push what he called a “very dramatic” economic relief plan to counter the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, and on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, after experiencing the biggest-ever point drop on Monday, rose close to 800 points in trading near the opening Tuesday before settling […]
As U.S. coronavirus cases top 1,000, mixed signs of recovery in China, South Korea
As the number of novel coronavirus cases topped 1,000 in the United States amid widening public disruption, Asian nations were struggling to recover from their own outbreaks Wednesday. In the United States, government officials and businesses announced sweeping steps to contain the rapidly expanding outbreak. Five more deaths — including two in Washington state and […]
California Cruise Ship With Coronavirus Cases Docks In Oakland To Unload Passengers
A cruise ship that was held off the California coast for days after several passengers tested positive for coronavirus docked Monday in the port of Oakland. The Grand Princess cruise ship will gradually unload its around 2,500 guests onboard to send them to facilities for further testing and treatment. Of around 45 people tested onboard […]
“He’s Definitely Melting Down Over This”: Trump, Germaphobe in Chief, Struggles to Control the Covid-19 Story
Publicly, he sees it as yet another (“Fake News”) media war; privately, he worries about virus-carrying journalists on Air Force One. But cancel his rallies? “I’m not going to do it,” he says. Ever since the coronavirus exploded outside of China at the end of January, Donald Trump has treated the public health crisis as a media […]
Cory Booker endorses Biden
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a former Democratic presidential candidate, endorsed Joe Biden’s White House bid Monday — becoming the latest of the former vice president’s old primary rivals to back his campaign over that of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. “The answer to hatred & division is to reignite our spirit of common purpose,” Booker wrote on […]
Dow futures tumble as Saudi-Russia oil price war adds to coronavirus stress
Stocks across the world tumbled early Monday after a shocking all-out oil price war added to anxiety around the economic fallout from the spreading coronavirus. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average indicated an opening drop of more than 1,300 points. The S&P 500 futures indicated a 5 percent drop at Monday’s open. The S&P futures trading was briefly halted […]
Former Blackwater Head Erik Prince Recruits Ex-Spies to Help Infiltrate Liberal Groups
Erik Prince, the security contractor with close ties to the Trump administration, has in recent years helped recruit former American and British spies for secretive intelligence-gathering operations that included infiltrating Democratic congressional campaigns, labor organizations and other groups considered hostile to the Trump agenda, according to interviews and documents. One of the former spies, an […]
Matt Gaetz Wore Gas Mask To Mock Coronavirus Concerns. One Of His Constituents Just Died From It.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) mocked coronavirus concerns by wearing a gas mask on the House floor just days before an infected man from his district died. “Reviewing the coronavirus supplemental appropriation and preparing to go vote,” he said in a tweet Wednesday before the Senate approved an $8.3 billion emergency funding bill to combat the […]
Sen. Kamala Harris endorses Joe Biden for president
Kamala Harris endorsed Joe Biden on Sunday and said she would “do everything in my power’’ to help elect him, becoming the latest dropout from the Democratic race for president to line up behind the former vice president in his battle with Bernie Sanders for the nomination. The decision by the California senator who was […]
Trump falsely claimed that Obama administration slowed down diagnostic disease testing
President Donald Trump sought to lay blame on the Obama administration for slowing down new diagnostic testing, but a Republican senator’s office and a lab association said this is not correct. “The Obama administration made a decision on testing that turned out to be very detrimental to what we’re doing,” Trump said Wednesday during on a meeting addressing […]
Bloomberg ends presidential campaign, endorses Biden after dismal Super Tuesday
Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York mayor who jumped into the 2020 presidential race late and spent over $500 million on an unorthodox campaign, ended his bid for the Democratic nomination on Wednesday, but vowed to stay in the fight in an attempt to defeat President Donald Trump in November. “After yesterday’s results, the delegate […]
Coronavirus triggers cancellations, closures and contingency planning across the country
With daily reports of the deadly coronavirus spreading into communities across the country, schools, companies, religious organizations and local governments are grappling with whether to shut down facilities and cancel events or to proceed, cautiously, as planned. Increasingly, organizations are opting to cancel large gatherings, encourage remote work or take other steps reflecting an abundance of caution about the virus, […]
Trump launches an urgent fight to save his ticket to reelection
Eight months from a general election, President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers are considering an urgent effort to rescue the U.S. economy from a coronavirus panic. Trump advisers and GOP lawmakers have spent the past few days pushing the White House to develop a package of economic stimulus measures, designed to prop up the economy […]
Bloomberg spends $500 Million to notch first win — in American Samoa, 6,000 miles from U.S. mainland
Mike Bloomberg won his first contest, carrying the American Samoa Democratic caucuses and winning at least four delegates on Super Tuesday, NBC News projected. Bloomberg won 49.9 percent of the vote, or 175 votes. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, who was born in American Samoa, received 29.3 percent, or 103 votes, and earned one delegate with 99 percent […]
Elizabeth Warren Announces Plan For Swift Federal Action On Coronavirus
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday will lay out a detailed plan for swift federal action to combat the coronavirus outbreak. The proposed initiative, which Warren’s presidential campaign shared with HuffPost on Sunday evening, is not another item on Warren’s agenda for what she would do if she becomes president. It is, instead, a list of steps that she […]
Pete Buttigieg Will Endorse Joe Biden for Democratic Nomination
Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg plans to endorse former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in the Democratic presidential race, according to a person informed of the decision, as the Democratic Party’s moderate wing quickly began coalescing around Mr. Biden in an effort to stop Senator Bernie Sanders from winning the Democratic nomination. Mr. Buttigieg’s endorsement, which is set to […]
Amy Klobuchar Drops Out Of 2020 Presidential Race
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) dropped her presidential bid Monday, an aide told HuffPost. Klobuchar is set to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden at an event in Dallas on Monday night, The Associated Press reports. Her decision comes after a poor showing in the South Carolina primary. She picked up just 3% of the vote, flailing in comparison to her […]
Pete Buttigieg Drops Out of Democratic Presidential Race
Pete Buttigieg, the former small-city Indiana mayor and first openly gay major presidential candidate, said Sunday night he was dropping out of the Democratic race, following a crushing loss in the South Carolina primary where his poor performance with black Democrats signaled an inability to build a broad coalition of voters. The decision comes just […]
Billionaire Tom Steyer quits Democratic primary race
Tom Steyer, the California activist billionaire who has largely been a nonfactor in the Democratic primary campaign, dropped out of the race on Saturday night. Steyer’s departure came after a disappointing finish in the South Carolina Democratic primary. With 70 percent of the vote in, Steyer had just 11.5 percent of the vote — despite […]
Biden wins South Carolina primary, Sanders in 2nd
Joe Biden got the resounding victory his struggling campaign needed in South Carolina on Saturday night, buoyed by strong support from black voters, according to an NBC News projection. “Just days ago, the press and the pundits had declared this candidacy dead,” Biden told supporters. “Now, thanks to all of you, the heart of the Democratic Party, we’ve […]
Trump Takes Victory Lap Over Coronavirus Outbreak That’s Still Growing and Crashing World Markets
The politicization of the coronavirus continues to spread faster than the potential pandemic itself. President Donald Trump called out “Do Nothing Democrats” for ostensibly saying that the new virus is “the fault of ‘Trump’” while at the same time taking credit for how slow it has spread in the United States. Weird flex, but okay. In a […]
Whistleblower: HHS Staff Who Met Coronavirus Evacuees Had No Training Or Protection
A government whistleblower has alleged that federal health employees who interacted with Americans quarantined for potential exposure to coronavirus were not wearing protective gear or given proper medical training, according to several media reports on Thursday. Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services sent more than a dozen ill-equipped workers to California earlier this […]