In The News

The world is hurtling toward an unprecedented hunger crisis. As many as 132 million more people than previously projected could go hungry in 2020, and this year’s gain may be more than triple any increase this century. The pandemic is... Read More

RICHMOND -- Rap star Kanye West was booted off Virginia’s ballot this week by a judge who accused him of using deceptive tactics to qualify as a candidate for president. Last week, Virginia’s Board of Elections determined West qualified to... Read More

WASHINGTON - Regardless of what happens between now and Tuesday, Nov. 3, the 2020 campaign for the White House will go down in history as a race like no other. Played out against the backdrop of a global pandemic, the... Read More

Pandemic-induced poll worker shortages could potentially wreak havoc on the electorate of vulnerable communities this November. One high-profile effort to combat this issue, “More Than a Vote,” is launching an initiative with professional athletes to recruit poll workers for this... Read More

Community colleges saw a nearly 6% decline in enrollments this summer due to uncertainties stemming from the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Community colleges were not the only institutions to face... Read More

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Election officials across the country have a new tool to help them recognize and respond to malicious interference in the votes they oversee. Created by the Belfer Center at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, the new... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris have been added to sample ballots in South Carolina after initially being left off the voter education pieces. The sample ballots were made public Thursday, and... Read More

U.S. unemployment claims figures gave a mixed picture of the labor market amid government changes to seasonal adjustments to account for distortions from the pandemic. Initial jobless claims in state programs totaled 881,000 in the week ended Aug. 29, according... Read More

RALEIGH, N.C. — President Donald Trump encouraged North Carolina voters Wednesday to mail in their ballots and then — if their vote hasn’t been counted yet — go to the polls to vote, which is in violation of state election... Read More

KENOSHA, Wis. — Joe Biden visited this crucible of the nation’s debate over race and policing Thursday with a clear mission: to set up a clear contrast between his compassion for victims of racial injustice and the harsh “law and... Read More

WASHINGTON — Terrorism hasn’t disappeared just because a pandemic is happening. In fact, calamitous world conditions embolden those who want to do others harm, and police budget cuts, virus-related conspiracy theories, and other vulnerabilities are exacerbated during the COVID-19 crisis.... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. unemployment rate fell sharply in August to 8.4% from 10.2% even as hiring slowed, with employers adding the fewest jobs since the pandemic began. Employers added 1.4 million jobs, the Labor Department said, down from... Read More

Voters who plan to participate in the 2020 election say they trust Democrat Joe Biden more than incumbent Republican President Donald Trump to protect their health care options and to deal with the persistent coronavirus pandemic. The new survey, released... Read More

The presidential race between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden is tightening in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, a new poll from Monmouth University shows, with Biden holding a 4-point lead over Trump in the key swing... Read More

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed doubts about whether Congress can get a deal on another pandemic relief package when lawmakers return to Washington after a monthlong recess, despite the Trump administration’s push for a quick, targeted stimulus. “I don’t... Read More

WASHINGTON — Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sent a letter last week to the nation’s governors with an urgent request. The Trump administration wanted them to do everything in their power to eliminate... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., wants to reduce the barriers currently preventing many Rural Utility Service borrowers from refinancing their debt to take advantage of lower market rates. Unlike most private lenders, the Rural Utility Service, a division of... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Commission on Presidential Debates announced the moderators for its upcoming general election debates with Chris Wallace of Fox News presiding over the first meeting of President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The moderators for the... Read More

SPRINGDALE, Ark. - As part of its ongoing effort to protect its workers from COVID-19, Tyson Foods is launching a nationwide monitoring program at its facilities while extending its occupational health staff. The new monitoring strategy was designed with the... Read More

SPRINGDALE, Ark. - The COVID-19 pandemic put everyone through changes. But for large companies, particularly those in the business of providing Americans with something to eat, the challenges that needed to be addressed, quickly, were far ranging and complex. A... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. – Elected officials rallied with voting rights advocates this week in support of New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman’s proposed bill that would authorize election boards to establish absentee ballot drop off locations statewide. The Democratic legislator staged... Read More

WASHINGTON — National Democrats will spend more than $5 million over the next five weeks on TV ads in Missouri to boost Democrat Nicole Galloway’s campaign against Republican Gov. Mike Parson. A Stronger Missouri, an independent expenditure group linked to... Read More

WASHINGTON — Massachusetts Rep. Richard E. Neal, who over his 16 terms in Congress has risen to the top of one of the House’s most seminal committees, overcame a Democratic primary challenge from his left Tuesday by defeating Holyoke Mayor... Read More

WASHINGTON — The pharmaceutical industry’s leading lobby group said Tuesday it did not know of a meeting at the White House to discuss lowering prescription drug prices, after President Donald Trump said executives were coming in this week to negotiate.... Read More

Senate Republicans hope to vote next week on a so-called “skinny” coronavirus stimulus package even as the gap between the White House and Democrats remains as wide as ever. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a close ally of Majority Leader Mitch... Read More

DETROIT — In a new letter to the nation’s parents, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is encouraging them to send their kids back to school, warning of students falling behind academically without directly addressing the health risks posed by the coronavirus.... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s support has eroded among key groups of voters who backed him in 2016 — a major reason why he continues to trail former Vice President Joe Biden and a prime motivator for the president’s reelection... Read More

KENOSHA, Wis. — In front of a brick building northwest of downtown, on a day when the nation’s gaze again fixed on this once-strong factory city, Justin Blake declared that President Donald Trump must be defeated as he stood over... Read More

WASHINGTON — The cumbersome and sometimes slow counting of an expected record number of mail-in ballots — especially in some crucial swing states — could delay results and open the door to challenges in this year’s elections. In 13 states... Read More

The first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine should go to front-line health-care workers and first responders, followed by people at higher medical risk from the virus, said a group of scientists and academics advising the U.S. government. The draft guidelines... Read More