'Based on science:' Joe Biden outlines ‘roadmap’ to ‘safely’ reopen schools
WILMINGTON, Del. -- Joe Biden on Friday, July 17 announced a five-step guideline "based on science" to support local decision-making on reopening schools to help students whose learning was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
President Trump down 15 points to Joe Biden in latest national poll
HAMDEN, Conn. -- As new cases of the coronavirus soar in much of the nation, a new national poll now shows Democratic challenger Joe Biden leading President Donald Trump by 15 percentage points.
Pentagon bans Confederate flag in way to avoid President Trump's wrath
WASHINGTON — After weeks of wrangling, the Pentagon on Friday will ban displays of the Confederate flag on military installations, in a carefully worded policy that doesn't mention the word ban or that specific flag.
President Trump looks to curb Nixon-era environmental act for infrastructure projects
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is ready to roll back a foundational Nixon-era environmental law that he says stifles infrastructure projects, but that is credited with ensuring decades of scrutiny of major projects and giving local communities a say.President Trump was traveling to Atlanta on Wednesday to formally announce changes to the National Environmental Policy Act's regulations for how and when authorities must conduct environmental reviews, making it easier to build highways, pipelines, chemical plants and other projects.
President Trump signs bill, order rebuking China, and slams Biden
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed legislation and an executive order on Tuesday that he said will hold China accountable for its oppressive actions against the people of Hong Kong, then quickly shifted his policy speech into a political one, hurling broadsides against Democratic rival Joe Biden.The legislation and order are part of the Trump administration's stepped-up offensive against China for what he calls the rising Asian superpower's exploitation of America and its effort to conceal details about the human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus from the world.
Trump administration tells hospitals to bypass CDC with COVID-19 data reporting
WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration has ordered hospitals to begin sending coronavirus patient information directly to the Department of Health and Human Services, bypassing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The move has drawn criticism from some public health experts, who say the White House has been politicizing science and sidelining the CDC in its response to the pandemic.The change in reporting will begin Wednesday, according to a document offering guidance for hospitals and clinical labs posted on the HHS website.The HHS will now collect daily reports about the number of patients each hospital is treating, how many beds and ventilators are available, testing data, and other pandemic-related information.Hospitals previously reported to the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network, described by the agency as “the nation’s most widely used healthcare-associated infection tracking system.” The CDC is one of 11 divisions under the HHS, and has historically handled this sort of data.The Trump administration claims the goal is to streamline data and help the White House Coronavirus Task Force with distributing scarce supplies and treatment.Some hospital leaders welcomed the change, saying it will save time and energy from having to respond to requests from multiple federal agencies, according to the New York Times.
Trump administration rescinds rule on foreign students
BOSTON — The Trump administration has rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer schools or leave the country if their colleges hold classes entirely online this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the decision as a court hearing was getting underway on a challenge to the rule by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.A federal judge scheduled arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit that challenged the new Trump administration policy.Under the policy, international students in the U.S. would be forbidden from taking all of their courses online this fall.
Joe Biden unveils $2 trillion climate plan with energy revamp
WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden released a $2 trillion plan Tuesday aimed at combating climate change and spurring economic growth in part by overhauling America’s energy industry, with a proposal to achieve entirely carbon pollution-free power by 2035.“These are the most critical investments we can make for the long-term health and vitality of both the American economy and the physical health and safety of the American people,” Biden said during remarks to reporters near his home in Wilmington, Delaware.Biden acknowledged that the economy is in “crisis” because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but said it offers "an incredible opportunity, not just to build back to where we were before, but better, stronger, more resilient and more prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.”The plan marks his latest effort to build out a legislative agenda with measures that could animate progressives who may be skeptical of Biden, who waged a more centrist campaign during the Democratic primary.It reflects ideas embraced by some of Biden’s more progressive allies during the primary, like Jay Inslee, whose campaign centered on the issue of climate change.
White House campaign to help jobless 'find something new'
WASHINGTON — A new White House-backed ad campaign aims to encourage people who are unemployed or unhappy in their jobs or careers to “find something new.”The opening ad in the “Find Something New” campaign beginning Tuesday features ordinary people sharing their stories.
Judge blocks federal executions; administration appeals
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A U.S. district judge on Monday ordered a new delay in federal executions, hours before the first lethal injection was scheduled to be carried out at a federal prison in Indiana.
President Trump threatens 'automatic 10 years in prison' for anyone harming statues: 'If they even try'
WASHINGTON D.C. -- Historic monuments and statues have become the targets of anger and vandalism during protests in the wake of George Floyd's death while in police custody at the end of May.
President Trump says golfing is his 'exercise' and he plays 'very fast'
STERLING, Va. -- President Donald Trump on Sunday, July 12 defended his golf outings in a tweet -- saying he plays “VERY fast” and it’s his “exercise.”
Virus spread, not politics should guide schools, doctors say
WASHINGTON -- As the Trump administration pushes full steam ahead to force schools to resume in-person education, public health experts warn that a one-size-fits-all reopening could drive infection and death rates even higher.They’re urging a more cautious approach, which many local governments and school districts are already pursuing.But U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos doubled down on President Donald Trump's insistence that kids can safely return to the classroom.“There’s nothing in the data that suggests that kids being in school is in any way dangerous,” she told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday."Still, health experts say there are too many uncertainties and variables for back-to-school to be back-to-normal.Where is the virus spreading rapidly?
President Trump wears mask in public for 1st time during pandemic
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital on Saturday, the first time the president has been seen in public with the type of facial covering recommended by health officials as a precaution against spreading or becoming infected by the novel coronavirus.President Trump flew by helicopter to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington to meet wounded service members and health care providers caring for COVID-19 patients.
President Trump commutes longtime friend Roger Stone's sentence
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called Roger Stone to inform his longtime political confidant that he would commute his sentence for crimes related to the Russia investigation, Stone told The Associated Press on Friday, just days before he was set to report to prison.The White House later confirmed the commuting of the sentence in a statement, saying Stone was a victim of the Russia “hoax.”The move, though short of a full pardon, is sure to alarm critics who have long railed against the president’s repeated interventions in the nation’s justice system.“The president told me he thought my trial has been unfair,” Stone told the AP in a phone call from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
President Trump in Florida, postpones New Hampshire rally due to tropical storm threat
MIAMI — President Donald Trump made it to the critical battleground state of Florida on Friday to raise campaign cash and tend to issues of high interest there for his base supporters.
President Trump asks Treasury to review colleges' tax-exempt statuses, threatens to revoke funding
WASHINGTON - President Trump on Friday said he would direct the Treasury Department to review the tax-exempt statuses of some universities and threatened to revoke federal funding for the schools."Too many Universities and School Systems are about Radical Left Indoctrination, not Education," he tweeted. "Therefore, I am telling the Treasury Department to re-examine their Tax-Exempt Status and/or Funding, which will be taken away if this Propaganda or Act Against Public Policy continues.
Biden pledges New Deal-like economic agenda to counter President Trump
DUNMORE, Pa. — Democrat Joe Biden turned his campaign against President Donald Trump toward the economy Thursday, introducing a New Deal-like economic agenda while drawing a sharp contrast with a billionaire incumbent he said has abandoned working-class Americans amid cascading crises.The former vice president presented details of a comprehensive agenda that he touted as the most aggressive government investment in the U.S. economy since World War II.
Jacksonville businesses file lawsuit to block RNC from coming to city, or shrink attendance
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Several business owners in Jacksonville have sued the city and President Donald Trump's campaign in an effort to stop the Republican National Convention from coming next month.The lawsuit claims the event would be detrimental to the health of the community.