States

STOWE, Vt. (AP) — Eduardo Rovetto is hoping the state of Vermont's reinstated requirement that people who are collecting unemployment benefits must seek work to qualify will help him hire enough staff for his restaurant in the resort town of... Read More

Though still awaiting money from the latest federal coronavirus relief act, some governors and state lawmakers already are making plans to add the multibillion-dollar boon to their budgets. Among their priorities: bailing out depleted unemployment accounts, expanding high-speed internet and... Read More

Stefani Jahjahrova, a 30-year-old Costco employee, received her first vaccine shot in Denver only five days before transferring to a new work location in Virginia.  “I was told I need to reach out to arrange an appointment, and it’s up... Read More

Thirty-five states are at extreme or high risk of partisan gerrymandering, according to an in-depth report by the nonpartisan RepresentUs organization. The Gerrymandering Threat Index rates all 50 states, and its authors argue their findings underscore the urgent need to... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden White House is amplifying the push for its $2.3 trillion infrastructure package with the release of state-by-state breakdowns that show the dire shape of roads, bridges, the power grid and housing affordability.The figures in the... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Democrats' nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief package includes a big financial incentive for the states that have opted against expanding Medicaid to provide health coverage for more low-income Americans. It's proving to be a tough sell.... Read More

After an election season dominated by conspiracy theories and false claims about voting, top election officials across the country say they already are bracing for what comes next. They are grappling with ways they can counter waves of misinformation in... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Signs of hope are emerging to end the COVID-19 pandemic but they will continue only if the United States speeds up its rate of vaccinations, state health officials told a congressional subcommittee Tuesday. The number of vaccinations administered... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican lawmakers in statehouses across the country are moving swiftly to attack some of the voting methods that fueled the highest turnout for a presidential election in 50 years. Although most legislative sessions are just getting underway, the Brennan... Read More

As the first week of the new year comes to an end, the vaccine distribution system across the country continues to face numerous challenges in producing an effective rollout as the public remains confused on who is supposed to get... Read More

It's the time of year when many of us start to think "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas," but for residents of an ever-growing number of states, this November is starting to look an awful lot like March... Read More

Eight months into the pandemic, the coronavirus is infecting Americans at an increasing pace no matter where they live. The seven-day average of new cases was climbing in every state in the U.S. on Sunday, a shift from earlier waves of the... Read More

ANCASTER, Pa. — With one envelope slicer, three ballot scanners and around 175 people, it took election officials roughly 37 consecutive hours to process 91,000 mail-in ballots in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. "It's taking a little longer to scan than we had hoped,"... Read More

Imagine this scenario: It's been weeks since Election Day, and in one state, it's not clear which presidential candidate won. In an initial count, the Democrat won by roughly 100 votes. Then an audit found a counting error that put the... Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic, which set records for infections and hospitalizations across the U.S. on Wednesday, is now predicted to kill 180,000 Americans by October, adding to dire signs that prompted a stock-market selloff and drastic measures from government leaders. The... Read More

WASHINGTON — States have less say in issuing Clean Water Act permits under an EPA rule finalized Monday as the Trump administration and conservative lawmakers seek to speed energy projects. The rule limits the scope of environmental reviews that states... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his counterparts in four Western states on Monday asked Congress for $1 trillion in COVID-19 pandemic relief for all states and local governments. Newsom joined with the governors of Oregon, Washington, Nevada... Read More

Everyone wants to know: When, oh when, will it go back to normal? As some governors across the United States begin to ease restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, hopes are soaring that life as Americans knew... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr on Monday ordered federal prosecutors across the U.S. to identify coronavirus-related restrictions from state and local governments “that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.” The memo to... Read More

As several Southern governors began to reopen their states shuttered by the coronavirus outbreak, some mayors pushed back Tuesday, saying they have yet to see the decline in COVID-19 cases needed to ease stay-at-home orders. “I am beyond disturbed,” Van... Read More

PHILADELPHIA — Everyone wants life to get back to normal, to have their hair cut or get a sunburn at a baseball game, to go to work, and walk shoulder-to-shoulder in a park. Some people want all of that now,... Read More

WASHINGTON — Since the novel coronavirus was first detected in the District of Columbia about a month ago, the city has requested more than 1 million N95 masks from the national stockpile. The number of these masks the city has received: 5,520. ... Read More

WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump invoked emergency war powers last week to fight the coronavirus outbreak, many were hopeful that the federal government would take charge in addressing the nation’s dire shortage of ventilators, protective masks and other critical... Read More

WASHINGTON - Seven House members have come together in a bipartisan effort to help state and local governments address cybersecurity weaknesses in their networks. The lawmakers engaged in the effort are Reps. Cedric Richmond, D-La., John Katko, R-N.Y., Derek Kilmer,... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Fourteen states have joined a lawsuit that seeks to block the Trump administration from reducing food benefits for about 700,000 people nationwide. The cuts represent a rule change the U.S. Department of Agriculture finalized shortly before Christmas for... Read More

WASHINGTON - States will now have the ability to convert part of their Medicaid funding into a block grant under a new program announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday. According to Seema Verma, administrator of... Read More

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Trump administration executive order that gives state and local officials discretion on whether or not refugees would be allowed to resettle in their jurisdictions. Wednesday’s preliminary injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge Peter... Read More

WASHINGTON — With the White House and Congress paralyzed over how — or even whether — to act on intelligence agency warnings about foreign interference in U.S. elections, Maryland opted to take matters into its own hands. The state adopted... Read More

National recession fears have intensified this month amid growing concerns about the U.S.-China trade war and the appearance of a normally reliable recession warning in the bond market that sent stocks tumbling. A significant spike in the national unemployment rate... Read More