At testimony, Whitmer asks Congress for aid with budget crisis, testing and protection
June 2nd, 20200 WASHINGTON D.C. — At a U.S. House subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, Michigan Governor Whitmer joined Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to discuss their states' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Entitled, On the Front Lines: How Governors are Battling the COVID-19 Pandemic, the hearing was...
Minneapolis ablaze: Arab American owner of store where George Floyd was killed says he condemns police’s actions
May 29th, 20204 Minneapolis — The city of Minneapolis has been plunged into rioting this week after video of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer circulated widely. Outrage over police brutality culminated into three days of demonstrations that by Thursday night set the city ablaze. Late Thursday, the Third Precinct was broken into...
Trump considering legislation that may scrap law protecting social media companies
May 28th, 20200 WASHINGTON D.C. — President Trump said he will introduce legislation that may scrap or weaken a law that has long protected Internet companies, including Twitter and Facebook, an extraordinary attempt to intervene in the media that experts said was unlikely to survive legal scrutiny. Trump...
Sen. Peters proposes bills to bring medical manufacturing back to U.S., track and address future shortages
May 23rd, 20201 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The shortage of medical supplies and protective equipment to tackle the COVID-19 crisis in the U.S. became apparent early on in the pandemic. In Wayne County alone, workers at a prominent hospital spoke of under 100 masks at the beginning of the disease’s spread. The country’s national strategic reserve of...
Bill providing second round of coronavirus stimulus checks passes in House, could face uphill battle in Senate
May 19th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill this past Friday which provides for a second round of stimulus checks dubbed “The Heroes Act.” The bill must next be approved by the Senate. Meanwhile, a meeting was expected to be held on Tuesday by Vice President Mike Pence to discuss “economic impacts of the...
Nationwide CDC study of coronavirus antibodies expected to kick off in June or July
May 18th, 20200 ATLANTA — The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning to launch a nationwide study of up to 325,000 people to track how the coronavirus is spreading across the country and who may have developed antibodies to it, according to a CDC spokeswoman and researchers conducting the effort. The study is...
CDC releases guidelines for reopening businesses and schools, as states prepare to ease lockdowns
May 15th, 20200 ATLANTA, GA — On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a voluntary set of guidelines for businesses and workplaces as well as schools and childcare programs on how they can most safely reopen their doors during the coronavirus pandemic. The guidelines are the most specific instructions yet from the...
WHO says governments should prepare for new infections that may follow reopening of the economy
May 12th, 20200 GENEVA — The World Health Organization’s Tedros Adhanom said on Monday that governments considering reopening their economies should have a plan to deal with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Adhanom, the director-general of the WHO, said that those countries gearing up to ease economic restrictions should consider whether the...
New $3 trillion aid bill unveiled by House Democrats, including new round of larger stimulus check payments
May 12th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled a new $3 trillion-plus coronavirus relief package on Tuesday, including nearly $1 trillion in assistance for state and local governments affected by the pandemic. The package also includes funding for the post office and testing. Among the provisions in...
Changes in the bankruptcy code offer a lifeline to struggling businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic
May 11th, 20200 Almost all countries around the world are forced to adopt dramatic measures to slow down the COVID 19 pandemic. With social distancing in place by public health departments, we are all part of the fight to combat this pandemic. These measures have severely impacted the global economy in various ways. Small businesses will suffer the...
Father and son arrested, charged and denied bond in killing of Ahmaud Arbery
May 8th, 20200 BRUNSWICK, GA — Father and son, Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, have finally been arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault in the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, authorities in Georgia said on Thursday. Both were denied bond during their first court appearance on Friday. Arbery would have turned...
Trump, Pence test negative for coronavirus after White House valet was reportedly infected
May 7th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both tested negative for the coronavirus after a member of the U.S. military who works at the White House was found to be infected, a White House spokesman said on Thursday. The military official was identified as a personal valet to Trump by CNN. “We were...
Ilhan Omar signs Israeli lobby AIPAC’s letter pushing for Iran arms embargo
May 6th, 20201 WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a disappointing and surprising move, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has signed her name to a letter backed by the Israeli lobby AIPAC that demands an extension of the U.N.’s arms embargo on Iran. Omar has joined 391 members of the House in signing the letter, which effectively bolsters the Trump...
‘Murder Hornets’ won’t be seen in Michigan for years
May 6th, 20200 While there have been multiple reports of Asian giant hornets attacking beehives in Washington, it will be years before they spread to the Midwest according to a board certified entomologist. Dubbed “Murder Hornets” by researchers, the species has a venomous sting that can kill a human if they are stung several times. The hornets...
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......
