The Federal Reserve invoked emergency powers Tuesday to launch a new program that will seek to unfreeze a $1 trillion market that keeps the American economy moving. The US central bank’s moves are aimed at stabilizing the commercial paper market, where during normal times businesses can easily get short-term loans to pay workers and finance
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Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Tuesday the department will make 14 certified coronavirus testing labs available to test civilians and donate five million medical masks to the Department of Health and Human Services for distribution as hospitals deal with an influx of patients during the pandemic. Esper said at a briefing that of the five
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Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that all 30 major league teams have committed $1 million each to help assist thousands of ballpark employees affected by the delay in start of the baseball season. This is the largest commitment by the four major American sports leagues to support stadium workers amidst the work
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Members of Congress who are working to mitigate the spread of coronavirus around the country are as susceptible as anyone to catching the disease. So despite Republican opposition, some Senate Democrats are calling for unprecedented measures like voting away from the chamber floor and conducting committee hearings via Skype. “It’s time for the Senate to
Continue Reading Individuals and businesses will have an extra 90 days to pay the IRS if they owe additional income tax for 2019, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday. Normally, taxpayers owe the amount due by April 15. But as part of the government’s response to the coronavirus, individual and small business filers will be able to
Continue Reading The United Auto Workers union is calling on Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to shut down their US factories for two weeks amid the coronavirus outbreak. In a letter sent to union members, UAW President Rory Gamble said the union has requested the shutdown “to safeguard our members, our families and our communities.”
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The European Union has formally agreed to temporarily close its external borders to all “non-essential” travel from third nations, as the bloc hopes to put out internal political fires that the coronavirus outbreak has lit across the continent. With immediate effect, the only things permitted to cross into the bloc will be goods, medical equipment
Continue Reading The United States’ internet and wireless networks are coming under immense pressure to deliver reliable connectivity as schools and businesses confronting the novel coronavirus have shifted their day-to-day operations out of the workplace and into homes, according to industry analysts and government officials. “This is going to be an enormous stress test for our communications
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Click here for updates on this story Baton Rouge (WGNO) — The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced today that GeauxPass, the statewide toll system, is currently distributing toll tags for no cost during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is part of an effort that encourages motorists to use the GeauxPass lane rather than
Continue Reading European governments are writing blank checks to protect businesses and workers from the deep recession into which the global economy is sinking rapidly because of the coronavirus pandemic. France has so far taken the boldest approach, promising that no company will be allowed to fail as a consequence of the disease that has prompted businesses
Continue Reading Click here for updates on this story Bridge City (WGNO) — The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating an arrest on the West Bank that is drawing attention after a video surfaced on social media allegedly showing an officer planting drugs on a suspect. The suspect in question fit the description of a man who
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“That sounds kind of fun. Can I tag along?” “You mean you want to bat mitzvah crash?” my friend replied. “Yeah, why not?” I responded, revisiting the kitschy yet sanctified rites of passage that punctuated my adolescence. And so that early March afternoon, in a stunningly decorated space nestled in the woods of Westchester County,
Continue Reading How do you get people to take personal hygiene seriously in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic? Music and dance. With the whole world almost at a standstill over the rapid spread of coronavirus to 125 countries, Africans are inspiring their continent with music and dance in an attempt to beat the virus. People are
Continue Reading US stocks finished higher on Tuesday, staging a rebound after one of the ugliest days on record for the market in the prior session. The administration outlined some measures to combat the coronavirus fallout that were deemed positive by investors. The Dow closed up 5.2%, or 1,049 points, higher. It recorded its worst day since
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A study by UK epidemiologists predicts that attempts to slow, or mitigate — rather than actively halt, or suppress — the novel coronavirus could overwhelm the number of intensive care hospital beds and lead to about 250,000 deaths in the UK and more than a million in the United States during the course of the
Continue Reading Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in full crisis mode as he oversees New York state’s response to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic that he has dubbed “a new war that no one has ever seen before.” And as the Democratic governor tries to slow the spread of the disease in his state — including in the country’s
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EL PASO, Texas — Dr. Hector Ocaranza with the El Paso City/County Department of Public Health issued an order Tuesday shutting down bars, clubs and arcades, while imposing restrictions on restaurants to help prevent the spread of cornavirus. (You can read the entire order at the bottom of this article.) El Paso City Council voted unanimously to
Continue Reading A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. You can sign up for free right here. Last Monday, Tucker Carlson delivered a warning on his Fox News show. He said the coronavirus posed a great threat. He said it was much more severe than the flu. And he said that people
Continue Reading Amazon is trying to make more room on its warehouse shelves for essential goods such as household and medical supplies to keep up with the insatiable demand driven by the coronavirus outbreak. An Amazon spokesperson said online shopping has surged as coronavirus spreads, and it is out of stock on some household staples and medical
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EL PASO, Texas — Macy’s announced Tuesday it is closing all stores nationwide amid the coronavirus outbreak. This includes the Macy’s store at El Paso’s Cielo Vista Mall. Macy’s said stores will be closed through at least March 31 and it will provide benefits and compensation to its impacted workers. “The health and safety of
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The drastic measures enforced by China during the coronavirus outbreak have slashed deadly air pollution, potentially saving the lives of tens of thousands of people, a Stanford University researcher said. Marshall Burke, an assistant professor at Stanford’s Department of Earth System Science, said the better air quality could have saved between 50,000 and 75,000 people
Continue Reading The ongoing threat posed by the coronavirus crisis is shining a bright light on our politicians. Some, like Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, are showing their leadership mettle. Others are Devin Nunes. Yes, the California Republican congressman of the various attempts to out the whistleblower in the Ukraine story and conspiracy theories about the so-called
Continue Reading Store workers at Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, are grappling with an unnerving challenge: keeping shelves stocked and giant supercenters operating smoothly while trying to stay safe from a frightening pandemic. “The routine is up in the air. You never know what you’re walking into and we are out of basic cleaning supplies [to sell],”
Continue Reading March 17 is normally a day to celebrate St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. However, as the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, St. Patrick’s Day parades across the globe have been canceled as large gatherings have been banned in many countries. The Centers for Disease Control has recommended that in-person events
Continue Reading Tens of millions of people around the world have suddenly found themselves under various forms of lockdown as governments scrambled to impose new coronavirus-related restrictions over the past 24 hours. But with different governments taking different approaches, many people have been left confused. If schools are shut in one country, is it really safe to
Continue Reading Just a couple of months after Neal Matthews and his wife moved to their home on a small lake in Tucker, Georgia – an injured goose showed up in their backyard. “The goose was ensnarled in fishing line. Its leg literally had a big knot around it and it was having trouble walking,” Matthews said.
Continue Reading Former Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter was sentenced Tuesday to 11 months in prison and three years of parole for corruption charges stemming from his misuse of more than $200,000 in campaign funds for a slew of personal expenses. Hunter pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to misuse campaign funds. He sat expressionless
Continue Reading When 18 contestants entered the German “Big Brother” house on February 6, an outbreak of the novel coronavirus was just starting to seep out of mainland China. Germany had 13 confirmed cases of the virus. The United States had 12, and the United Kingdom just 3. Sporting events, concerts and social gatherings were continuing as
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Stephen Colbert isn’t letting a little social distancing stop him from roasting President Trump. “The Late Show” host managed to pull off a monologue Monday night from his bathtub, and it was fantastic. (Following Colbert’s opening, a repeat of an old show played.) Colbert touched on Trump’s claim that when the panic subsides, the country
Continue Reading Harvey Weinstein is back at Rikers Island one week after being sentenced to 23 years in prison. Following Weinstein’s sentencing last week, the former movie producer experienced chest pains and was transferred to Bellevue Hospital where he has spent the past six days. But his spokesman, Juda Engelmayer, confirmed to that Weinstein was transferred back
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