Featured Articles in National News

Pornhub to block access in 13 states as age-verification laws expand across U.S.

(The Center Square) − Pornhub will soon be inaccessible in 13 states after lawmakers passed a slurry of restrictions for social media and other internet sites. The bills require certain age verification measures for websites hosting adult content. A total of 16 states – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Read More…

ABC News Settles Trump Defamation Lawsuit for $16 Million, Issues Apology

ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to a “presidential foundation and museum” and $1 million in legal fees as part of a settlement with President-elect Donald Trump in a defamation lawsuit, according to court documents filed Saturday. The lawsuit was sparked by comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos during a March 2024 broadcast. Read More…

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‘WE DID NOTHING WRONG’ Coronavirus-infected couple put under house arrest and forced to wear ankle monitors after refusing to stay home

A CORONAVIRUS-infected couple has been put under house arrest and forced to wear ankle monitors after refusing to stay home. Elizabeth and Isaiah Linscott said personnel from the health department and sheriff’s office showed up at their Kentucky home after she declined to sign a self-quarantine order, according to reports. The woman underwent a voluntary Read More…

Hackers took over dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts including those of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, and Apple and used them to post bitcoin scam links

Dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts were apparently hacked Wednesday as part of a cryptocurrency scam. This included the accounts of the billionaires Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mike Bloomberg, and Warren Buffett, as well as numerous tech startups and cryptocurrency-related sites. The Twitter accounts of former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden Read More…

CA sues Trump over policy that forces international students out of country if classes held online

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and top education leaders in the state announced Thursday that California was suing the Trump administration in an attempt to stop a directive that would force international students to leave the country should their schools conduct classes exclusively online. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Monday that students on F-1 and Read More…

Several baseball players are opting out of the 2020 MLB Season, citing ‘personal health and safety’

(CNN)Several players have decided to opt out of the rescheduled Major League Baseball season due to health concerns amid coronavirus outbreak.   Washington Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman and pitcher Joe Ross will not be playing the 2020 season, the team confirmed on Monday. Arizona Diamondbacks right-handed pitcher Mike Leake also has decided not to play this season, Read More…

TSA casts doubts on effectiveness of passenger temperature checks at airports

Checking temperatures at airports might not be the best way to weed out travelers with Covid-19, the head of the Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday. TSA and other industry officials urged all travelers to wear masks throughout the airport and onboard, but the federal government hasn’t determined if it will perform temperature checks on passengers. “No Read More…

Brett Favre said Colin Kaepernick is a ‘hero’ and likened the former 49ers QB’s sacrifice to that of the late Pat Tillman

Colin Kaepernick has long been a divisive figure in the NFL and beyond. But according to one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the league, the former San Francisco 49ers QB is a “hero.” In an interview with TMZ Sports, Hall of Famer Brett Favre said he suspects Kaepernick’s “hero status will be Read More…

Two schools honoring Washington and Jefferson to be renamed in ‘support of Black Lives Matter’

Two public schools in Berkeley, California, will remove their names commemorating Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson amid renewed and widespread calls from the Black Lives Matter movement for racial equality. The Berkeley Unified School District approved a “Resolution in Support of Black Lives Matter” last week, following weeks of nationwide protests and riots denouncing systemic racism Read More…

Justices won’t reexamine legal doctrine that shields law enforcement

The Supreme Court decided on Monday that they will not reexamine a doctrine that protects law enforcement and government officials from being sued over their actions while on the job. The doctrine, which the justices created nearly 50 years ago, gives “qualified immunity” for law enforcement officers, which protects them from frivolous lawsuits CNN reported. READ FULL STORY

New coronavirus spread isn’t the feared ‘second wave’ – it’s still the first, researchers say

The rise in coronavirus cases seen in about half a dozen states across the U.S. isn’t the feared “second wave” — it’s still the first, scientists and infectious disease specialists say. To be defined as a second wave the virus would need to retreat and reappear, or a new variant would have to emerge, said Ian Lipkin, a professor Read More…

‘They are blatantly snubbing us’: Protesters feel at risk as some NYPD officers don’t follow guidelines to wear masks

While covered head to toe in protective equipment, New York City officers appear to be neglecting one necessary item of protective gear: masks. And protesters feel it’s a snub to their safety in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. According to TIME, officers have been seen not donning the protective face coverings in the midst of Read More…

MOUSEKETEERS ON PATROL Disney World to reopen in July with ‘high-energy squads’ roaming park to make sure people wear masks

Officials from the theme park, located in Orlando, Florida, announced their proposed phased reopening on Wednesday during a meeting with a local economic recovery task force. Jim McPhee, senior vice president of operations at Disney World, said that as part of the plan, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom would reopen on July 11. Epcot and Hollywood Studios Read More…

Pence aide who had COVID-19 returns to work

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence’s chief spokeswoman said Tuesday that she has recovered from coronavirus and is back at work. President Donald Trump confirmed on May 8 that Katie Miller, Pence’s press secretary, had tested positive for COVID-19. She is one of two people working at the White House complex known to have tested positive for the virus. Miller Read More…

Can NASA and Elon Musk lift off?

A lot will be riding on the 230-foot rocket that lifts off this week from Cape Canaveral: The lives of two NASA astronauts. The United States’ ambitions to reclaim its independence as a spacefaring nation. And hopes for a reimagined era of space travel in which private companies ferry humans to low-Earth orbit and beyond. Read More…

FDA approves at-home sample collection kit for coronavirus

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Food and Drug Administration announced Saturday that it has authorized an at-home sample collection kit that can then be sent to specified laboratories for COVID-19 diagnostic testing. Specifically, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Everlywell, Inc. for the Everlywell COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit. Everlywell’s kit is authorized to be Read More…

Wisconsin Governor Urges Social Distancing After Court Blocks Statewide Lockdown

Local governments across Wisconsin moved to implement new public health guidelines Thursday after the state’s highest court overturned a statewide stay-at-home order, prompting the governor to warn of “massive confusion.” Some businesses began reopening Thursday, but it wasn’t clear whether they would do so on a broad scale. Some that did reopen closed again within Read More…

Uber to require all drivers, passengers to wear masks in fight against coronavirus spread

Starting Monday, Uber (UBER) will require its drivers and passengers to wear face coverings as the coronavirus crisis rages on around the world. Even as some countries and U.S. states debate relaxing lockdown orders, the ride-hailing giant is implementing new rules to protect both drivers and customers. The company plans to enforce the new policy using technology Read More…

Scientists race to find a cure or vaccine for the coronavirus. Here are the top drugs in development

Health officials and scientists across the world are racing to develop vaccines and discover effective treatments against the coronavirus, which has infected more than 4.2 million people worldwide in as little as four months, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. There are no proven, knockout treatments and U.S. health officials say a vaccine could take Read More…

Will international travel resume this year? Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says it’s ‘too hard to tell’

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin encouraged Americans to focus on domestic travel this year as the international travel outlook for the rest of 2020 remains uncertain amid the coronavirus pandemic. In response to a question from Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business Network Monday about whether international travel will be opened up this year, he responded, “Too hard to tell at Read More…

Texas governor will allow state’s stay-at-home order to end on Thursday and open businesses Friday

(CNN)Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday he will allow his stay-at-home order for the Lone Star State to expire on Thursday, commencing a phased exit from the social distancing measures meant to mitigate the novel coronavirus pandemic.   The Republican’s new order, which supersedes local orders, will allow businesses like retail stores, malls, restaurants and theaters to reopen Friday Read More…

Car-rental giant Hertz is reportedly preparing for a potential bankruptcy after it missed lease payments

Car-rental company Hertz is preparing for a potential bankruptcy filing, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, as the coronavirus pandemic brings nearly all travel to a standstill. People familiar with the matter told the paper that Hertz is working to reduce its debt payments and is in talks on a forbearance agreement that could help it Read More…

USNS Comfort Set to Return to Virginia on Thursday

NORFOLK, Va. — The Navy hospital ship sent to relieve stressed New York City hospitals as coronavirus cases surged is set to leave this week and return to its homeport in Virginia, the U.S. Navy said. The USNS Comfort will set sail for Norfolk on Thursday, officials said in a statement Tuesday. The ship docked in Manhattan on March Read More…

From Montana to Massachusetts, states approach economic restarts at different speeds

As governors around the country weigh reopening their economies amid the fight against COVID-19, a patchwork of stay-home orders and other business restrictions exist. Some states are moving faster to reopen, like Georgia, where the governor is allowing nail salons, bowling alleys and other businesses to reopen Friday. Other states such as New Hampshire are Read More…

Wuhan abruptly increased its coronavirus death toll to 50% higher than previously reported

The central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus first appeared late last year, revised its death toll sharply higher on Friday. Local authorities changed the previous figure of 2,579 to 3,869, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The change, 1,290 additional deaths, is an increase of almost exactly 50%. Officials also added another 325 Read More…

Billionaire Blackstone boss Steve Schwarzman expects coronavirus to wipe out $5 trillion of US GDP

Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman expects the novel coronavirus outbreak to wipe out nearly a quarter of US economic output this year. “We have a GDP of somewhere around $21 trillion and we’re probably going to miss $5 trillion of it,” the chief of the private equity titan told Bloomberg on Tuesday. The pandemic is temporarily “putting Read More…

FDA relaxes guidance on giving blood, reduces deferral period for gay men from 1 year to 3 months

The FDA announced Thursday that it is relaxing some of the recommendations regarding blood donations to address “a dramatic reduction in donations” amid the COVID-19 pandemic — but the department still recommends that sexually active gay men should not give blood. According to a press release from the department, it is now recommending that male donors can Read More…