U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says Trump eyeing restaurant tax changes, travel boost
May 4th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday that bipartisan discussions are underway over whether more government funding is needed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Mnuchin said the administration was prepared to back additional coronavirus stimulus money for American businesses if needed, but added that it is...
Report: Trump told Saudis to cut oil supply or risk losing U.S. military support
May 2nd, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. —President Trump gave Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman an ultimatum in an April 2 phone call to begin cutting oil production or he would be powerless to stop lawmakers from passing legislation to withdraw U.S. troops from the kingdom, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The message was...
Roughly half of states easing coronavirus restrictions as jobless numbers rise, nation passes 1 million case mark
May 2nd, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Initial White House social distancing guidelines were set to expire on Thursday, with about half of all U.S. states pressing ahead with plans to ease restrictions on business and social life, including Michigan. The enormous pressure placed on states to reopen was highlighted by new data from the Labor Department...
Four U.S. Reps, including Tlaib and Dingell, introduce Arab American Heritage Month resolution
May 2nd, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-New Jersey), Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), Donna Shalala (D-Florida) and Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) introduced a resolution honoring Arab American Heritage Month this past Thursday, recognizing the many contributions Arab Americans have made to the United States. “As a strong and...
Opinion: Reasons for hope in a dark time
April 30th, 20200 We are living in a difficult time. Our country and its communities are deeply polarized; many Americans distrust one another as well as the government and other institutions. The novel coronavirus has deepened our problems in a way none of us imagined. The number of Americans who have contracted COVID-19 has surpassed a million. Tens...
Experimental antiviral drug to become the new standard of care for COVID-19 patients, Fauci says
April 29th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Top U.S. infectious disease official Dr. Anthony Fauci said Gilead Science Inc.'s experimental antiviral drug remdesivir will become the new standard of care for COVID-19 after results from a key clinical trial released Wednesday showed it help patients recover more quickly from the illness caused by the...
We need to do our part in fighting the coronavirus
April 29th, 20200 As the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic spreads around the world, it is important that we all realize the impact that this virus has had on essential workers and low-wage laborers who support the global consumer economy. There are people who are still getting up and going to work every day, so that we can all enjoy the...
Former staffer Tara Reade says Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993
April 28th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. – It's been about a month since Tara Reade, a former staffer to Joe Biden when he served in the Senate, publicly aired her allegation of sexual assault against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Reade claims that Biden assaulted her in the Capitol building in 1993, when she worked as an aide. Biden's...
Companies rolling out AI cameras to “track compliance with health guidelines”, including social distancing and mask-wearing
April 27th, 20200 OAKLAND, CA — Stores and work places are beginning to equip existing security cameras with artificial intelligence software that can track compliance with health guidelines and social distancing, according to a report released Monday. The software will allow them to show workers, customers, ensurers and regulators that they are...
More than 3,000 inmates in four state prisons test positive for coronavirus — 96 percent without symptoms
April 27th, 20200 Mass coronavirus testing has expanded to prisons, and while thousands have been infected, large numbers of inmates are showing no symptoms. Out of four state prison systems, Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, 96 percent of 3,277 who tested positive for the virus were asymptomatic, according to interviews with officials and...
Calls to New York Poison Control Center increase after Trump’s comments on disinfectants
April 25th, 20200 NEW YORK CITY — Calls to New York City's Poison Control Center for exposure to certain household chemicals more than doubled after President Trump suggested an injection of a disinfectant chemical might be one way to combat COVID-19, the city said on Saturday, according to a report from NBC4 New York. In the 18 hours after the...
U.S. Congress approves $484 billion coronavirus-relief bill to help boost funds for small businesses
April 24th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives passed a $484 billion bill to expand federal loans to small businesses impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, as well as hospitals that have suffered during the crisis financially. The vote passed by a total of 388-5 on Thursday, after it was unanimously approved by the Senate on...
Biden, Trump release greetings on the eve of Ramadan as Muslims worldwide prepare to fast
April 23rd, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and President Trump released separate greetings on Thursday the eve of the first day of Ramadan, extending well wishes for the Muslim holy month. “As Muslim families across America and around the world celebrate the beginning of Ramadan, Jill and I want to...
How Congress has changed
April 22nd, 20200 If you feel like Congress has become less productive, less functional and more partisan… you’re right. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how it’s changed over the years since I served there in the ‘60s to the ‘90s, and several issues help explain why it often struggles to get things done. Heightened partisanship may...
Neiman Marcus expected to file bankruptcy soon
April 21st, 20200 DALLAS — Neiman Marcus Group could seek bankruptcy protection as soon as this week, Reuters reported Sunday, citing "sources familiar with the matter." The Dallas-based luxury retailer first opened in Dallas in 1907, led by the Neiman and Marcus families. It has since expanded to include dozens of stores and outlets specializing......
Trump says he will suspend all immigration into U.S. over coronavirus
April 21st, 20200 WASHINGTON,D.C. - President Trump said on Monday he will suspend all immigration into the United States temporarily through an executive order in response to the coronavirus outbreak and to protect U.S. jobs. The move, which Trump announced on Twitter, effectively achieves one of his long-term policy goals of curbing immigration,...
Muslim organization endorses Biden, promises to continue engaging with possible president on important issues
April 16th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Emgage PAC, the first and largest Muslim American federal policial action committee, announced Thursday that it is endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden for president. The PAC is the support and endorsement arm of Emgage, a well known organization working to promote Muslim American civil engagement, that has...
Midwest governors including Whitmer to coordinate reopening economies battered by the coronavirus
April 16th, 20200 The governors of Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky have formed a partnership to work together on restarting the economies in their states, they said in a statement on Thursday. The states collectively account for about 16 percent of total economic output in the United States. “We are eager to...
Small business rescue program runs out of money after Thursday talks fail to reach an agreement for additional funding
April 16th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thousands of small business owners across the United States have been unable to secure funding as the federal government-backed loan program meant to save them and protect worker paychecks officially ran out of money Thursday morning, according to a report from ABC News. Talks resumed Thursday afternoon amid a......
Coronavirus hospitalizations continue to fall in New York, shutdown to last through at least May 15
April 16th, 20200 NEW YORK — The total number of hospitalizations for the novel coronavirus and related deaths in New York fell to their lowest levels in more than a week, adding to evidence that the hardest-hit state was controlling its spread, according to comments from Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday. The governor also extended an order closing...
Outdated regulations hamper charitable giving when the world needs it most
April 16th, 20200 Americans generously donate more than $427 billion annually to charities—a powerful driver of positive impact as communities across the country, including in Michigan, respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Charitable giving plays a vital role in supporting high-need communities, both at home and abroad. Religious faith often plays a role......
Trump halts World Health Organization funding, says administration will review its response to coronavirus pandemic
April 15th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. —President Trump said he would halt funding to the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic while his administration reviews its response to the global crisis on Tuesday. Trump told a White House news conference the WHO had “failed in its basic duty and it must be held...Trump suggests states re-open economies in three phases in newly released guidelines
April 14th, 20200 WASHINGTON — Parts of President Trump's guidelines for re-opening the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus pandemic surfaced on Thursday afternoon, revealing a three-phase plan that could allow some states to begin as early as this month to begin lifting limits meant to contain the spread of the virus. In the first phase, larger venues......
