This Week
MIAMI — Of all the outlandish myths about Florida’s outlandish history, one of the most stubborn holds that Ponce de Leon discovered it in 1513 when he was searching for the Fountain of Youth. But evidence compiled by a Florida... Read More
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Friday said it would postpone oral arguments scheduled for its April session due to the coronavirus pandemic, making it increasingly unlikely they will be able to hear every case they planned to before their... Read More
Though the 2020 presidential race has left the forefront of the news cycle due to the growing international concern about the coronavirus, a lack of visibility does not appear to have hurt the campaign of Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden. A... Read More
WASHINGTON — Over the weekend, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a reminder that people with disabilities have the same worth as everybody else. That the agency felt compelled to issue such a directive reflects the anguishing... Read More
SINGAPORE — Vietnam has banned public gatherings of more than two people. Hong Kong has closed nightclubs, karaoke bars and mah-jongg parlors, and deployed health inspectors to check that restaurants are seating parties at least 6 feet apart. Singapore has... Read More
How do you run an election in the middle of a global pandemic? Some states have postponed voting or shifted to mail-only balloting. Some states have taken both approaches. Wisconsin, the next state to head to the polls, has done... Read More
WASHINGTON - House Democrats unveiled a wide-ranging and ambitious plan Wednesday to significantly make over the nation's infrastructure while also tamping down on the economic distress caused by the coronavirus outbreak. “We need to invest in our infrastructure to address... Read More
Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has drawn attention for her scrapes with President Donald Trump over the federal government’s coronavirus response, is on Joe Biden’s list of potential vice presidential candidates, he said in an interview Tuesday. The former... Read More
WASHINGTON — A Justice Department watchdog has found more problems with FBI applications to a secret court that approves surveillance as part of counterintelligence and counterterrorism investigations. The inspector general audit, released Tuesday, could play into the ongoing congressional debate... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration asked a federal judge to grant a 120-day delay for a deadline for e-cigarette manufacturers to submit applications to keep their products on the market. Citing “the exceptional circumstances presented by the global... Read More
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday joined a growing chorus of lawmakers and lobbyists proposing massive spending on infrastructure in the next coronavirus stimulus bill, calling for a $2 trillion investment. And his endorsement appeared to embrace borrowing to... Read More
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the nation must move to a vote-by-mail system amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis and that she plans to advocate funding for that in the next stimulus measure. “In terms of the elections, I think... Read More
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Census Bureau, which had already suspended its field operations due to the coronavirus outbreak, has announced it will further postpone those operations at least through April 15. In a written statement, the agency said it made... Read More
WASHINGTON - The United States’ former chief technology officer and a top regulatory policy official from Johnson & Johnson spoke at a Bipartisan Policy Center virtual briefing Tuesday morning about how artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to predict or... Read More
WASHINGTON - House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn has not been shy in recent weeks in touting a number of women he believes are well-qualified to be the first African-American vice president of the United States. “I really believe that we’ve... Read More
PHILADELPHIA — When Deborah Birx told classmates at Carlisle High School that she planned to compete in the local science fair, some laughed. It was the early 1970s, and Birx was a pretty girl with a bubbly personality. She waitressed... Read More
WASHINGTON — As Joe Biden begins to formalize a list of potential running mates, it’s clear that several African American women will sit prominently at the top. Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams already boast considerable national profiles, and Val Demings,... Read More
WASHINGTON — Janet Yellen, the former chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, warned Monday that the longer the economy is locked down, the worse the recession will be. But she added she was encouraged by the actions of the Fed and... Read More
WASHINGTON - Attorneys general nationwide are joining in urging companies that sell online to stop price-gougers trying to take advantage of consumers during the coronavirus pandemic. They are selling hand sanitizers, aerosol spray disinfectants, surgical masks and other devices designed to prevent... Read More
WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department provided some guidance Monday night on how it will award grants and loans to airlines affected by the coronavirus outbreak, urging them to apply for "payroll support" by Friday. The department said the resources it... Read More
WASHINGTON - Even before Congress had passed the third economic stimulus package of the coronavirus era on Friday, talk had turned to what should be included in a currently hypothetical, but no less likely, fourth stimulus bill. Among the welcome... Read More
Federal judges in three states blocked efforts to shutter abortion providers during the coronavirus outbreak. In Texas, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel held that the Supreme Court has already "spoken clearly" on a woman's right to abortion and therefore Texas... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s fiscal 2021 budget request would add $5.4 trillion more to the cumulative 10-year deficit than the White House originally estimated, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released Monday. That would mean increased deficits during... Read More
With more than two-thirds of the U.S. population ordered to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic, it’s tougher for burglars to find an empty house to rob. But the cooped-up residents seem more likely to fight each other. That’s what... Read More
WASHINGTON — The coronavirus pandemic has put on indefinite hold a major portion of the U.S. Supreme Court’s docket, including a multibillion-dollar clash between software giants Google and Oracle Corp. and cases that could affect President Donald Trump’s reelection chances.... Read More
WASHINGTON — For tens of thousands of immigrants protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the coronavirus pandemic has created additional challenges to staying in the U.S. legally. Adrian Escarate, a 31-year-old “Dreamer” from Chile, needs to renew... Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration rolled back ambitious Obama-era vehicle mileage standards Tuesday, raising the ceiling on damaging fossil fuel emissions for years to come and gutting one of the United States' biggest efforts against climate change. The Trump... Read More
