House GOP to sue Democrats to block new proxy voting plan
House Republicans will sue Democrats to block a plan to permit proxy voting on the House floor, aides to Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced Tuesday.
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Retail job losses highest on record as coronavirus wreaks havoc on economy
The already struggling retail industry has experienced catastrophic layoffs amid the coronavirus pandemic that are hitting historic levels.
Republican Groups File Suit Against California Governor, Claiming His Vote-By-Mail Executive Order is Unlawful
Republican groups filed a lawsuit against California Governor Gavin Newsom Sunday, challenging his executive order that all state registered voters can vote by mail in November’s General Election, CBS news reports. The Republican National Party, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the California Republican Party launched the case in the District Court for Eastern California, claiming that Newsom’s order was issued in “a direct usurpation of the legislature’s authority.”
Trump ‘Orders’ U.S. States To Reopen Churches
Tensions were rising Saturday after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that states allow churches and other houses of worship to reopen from stay-at-home restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. Saying America needed more prayer, Trump threatened to override governors’ orders though he faced constitutional limits to enforce these policies.
Oregon Supreme Court Holds in Place Stay-At-Home Order Limiting Churches Services to 25 People
Pending judicial review, the Oregon Supreme Court held in place on May 19 Gov. Kate Brown’s stay-at-home orders that limit in-person church services to 25 people, the New York Times reported. Ten churches had filed suit, arguing that the orders placed an undue burden on houses of worship that wanted to have services with social distancing. The state appealed to the Supreme Court after Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff ruled May 18 that Brown overstepped her authority in not seeking legislative approval to extend her stay-at-home orders beyond a 28-day limit.
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi shooting investigated as ‘terrorism-related,’ FBI reports
The FBI said Thursday that a shooting at a Texas naval air station earlier in the morning that left the gunman dead is being investigated as “terrorism-related.”
Justice Department says California Restrictions on Churches are Unfair
The Justice Department has told California Gov. Gavin Newsom that his current COVID-19 order prohibiting worship services amounts to “unequal treatment of faith communities,” the Washington Examiner reports. In a letter sent Tuesday by the Department’s Civil Rights Division, the governor was told it is apparently unfair that church should be closed when “non-essential” businesses have opened in phase two of California’s Reopening Plan.
Record-Breaking $1.3 Billion Contract Awarded to Build Section of Border Wall
A North Dakota construction company has received a massive $1.3 billion contract to build a section of President Trump’s US-Mexico border wall, the Arizona Daily Star first reported. The award to Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. is the largest border wall contract to date.
U.S. Cities Seen Losing $360 Billion of Revenue From Economic Rout
U.S. cities are projected to lose about $360 billion of revenue through 2022 because of the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, an unprecedented loss that would trigger deep spending and job cuts, according to a National League of Cities analysis released Thursday.
Report: 1,797,910 Firearms Sold in April 2020, a 71.3% Increase Over April 2019
A report by Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting (SAAF) estimates that in April 2020 there were 1,797,910 gun sales, an increase of 71.3% over the April 2019 sales.
Planned Parenthood must return $80 million it received in COVID-19 loans for small businesses
Thirty-seven Planned Parenthood affiliates received a total of $80 million in loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) intended to help small businesses in the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox News has reported exclusively. The federal government now says the abortion provider must pay back the money it received. Explaining its position, the government said Planned Parenthood is a federation of affiliates with over 500 employees and should have known it does not qualify for small business aid.
U.S. Birthrate Hits Record Low
The United States hit a record low birthrate amid broader concerns over the economy, U.S. health authorities revealed Wednesday.
Federal Judge Rules All voters in Texas Can Cast Ballot by Mail
A Democrat federal judge ruled Tuesday that all Texans can apply to vote by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic, VOA reported. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the state would appeal, describing the ruling by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery as a dismissal of “well-established law.”
Trump signs executive order to cut regulations hampering economic recovery
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday seeking to cut regulations that hamper economic recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Declassified Susan Rice email shows Comey suggested ‘sensitive’ info on Russia not be shared with Flynn
Former FBI Director James Comey suggested to then-President Barack Obama in a January 2017 meeting that the National Security Council [NSC] might not want to pass “sensitive information related to Russia” to then-incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, according to a newly declassified email that Flynn’s predecessor sent herself on Inauguration Day.
Forecasters says this Year’s Hurricane Season may be Among the Worst
Weather forecasters are concerned this year’s hurricane season may be among the worst ever as the first-named tropical storm of 2020 brushed past North Carolina yesterday. Forecasters are seeing climate conditions similar to those of 2005, when Hurricane Katrina killed 1,800 people in New Orleans, Bloomberg Green reported.
FBI: Saudi officer’s Pensacola naval station attack was an al-Qaida terrorist strike
A Royal Saudi Arabian Air Forces cadet training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola was acting on behalf of al-Qaida on Dec. 6 when he murdered three U.S. Navy sailors and wounded eight, according to information uncovered from his cellphones.
US President Trump Takes Malaria Drug against COVID-19
US President Donald Trump says he has been taking a malaria drug to protect against the new coronavirus COVID-19, despite warnings from his health officials. “What do you have to lose?” he told reporters on Monday.
Senator Rubio chosen as acting Intelligence Committee chairman
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio will serve as acting chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday, after Senator Richard Burr announced he would step aside from the position during a federal investigation of his stock trades.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules ‘Unilateral’ Extension of Executive Lockdown Order is Unlawful
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled three to four Wednesday that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’s administration had no authority to extend a coronavirus stay-at-home order to the end of May, Fox News reports. Evers’ executive order was due to end on April 24, but Health Secretary Andrea Palm extended it to May 26. After Republicans filed suit, the Court found the extension amounted to an emergency rule which Palm had no power to enact unilaterally.