Despite Reopening, Some Jobs Lost To The Virus Are Gone For Good

The immigrant rights activist who' s shielded from deportation and allowed to legally work in the U.S. under an Obama-era program sets a 6 a.m. alarm so she’ s alert when the latest Supreme Court decision may be posted online about an hour later. Montoya, like 650,000 others enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, is waiting for the justices…

Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California, both former presidential candidates, are expected to announce a package in coming days, with a House bill coming soon. Both the Senate and House efforts are expected to include changes to police accountability laws, such as revising immunity provisions, and creating a database of police use-of-force…

The pace of applications for U.S. unemployment compensation eased again last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, as many American employers slowly reopen their businesses after the coronavirus pandemic forced their closure. But overall, 42.5 million workers have now sought unemployment compensation, more than a quarter of the U.S. labor force of…

Biden and President Donald Trump easily swept their respective primary contests that ranged from Maryland to Montana and featured the night’ s biggest prize: Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania, which offered Tuesday’s largest trove of delegates, also represented a significant test case for Republicans and Democrats.

—President Donald Trump said he is seeking a new state to host this summer’ s Republican National Convention after North Carolina refused to guarantee the event could be held in Charlotte without restrictions because of ongoing concerns over the coronavirus. Trump and the Republican National Committee had been demanding that the convention be allowed to…

Jun. 2– ATLANTA– On Sunday night, under the glow of the Ferris wheel and with the lingering sting of tear gas in the air, Farees Kaleemah extended his hand to an Atlanta police officer. The day before, the 27- year-old said, he was in handcuffs for protesting inside Cumberland Mall. An officer encouraged Kaleemah to protest the death of George Floyd– a black man killed by…

—Several Democratic governors on Monday pushed back against President Donald Trump's threat to deploy the U.S. military unless they dispatch National Guard units to“ dominate the streets” in reaction to the violence that has erupted across the country. “I reject the notion that the federal government can send troops into the state of Illinois, “Pritzker said on…

Sunday capped a tumultuous weekend and month that saw city and state officials deploy thousands of National Guard soldiers, enact strict curfews and shut down mass transit systems. Even with those efforts, many demonstrations erupted into violence as protesters hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at police in Philadelphia, set a fire near the White House and…

WASHINGTON- The coronavirus crisis threw at least 2.1 million Americans out of work last week despite the gradual reopening of businesses around the country, stoking fears Thursday that the scourge is doing deep and potentially long-lasting damage to the U.S. economy. The confirmed U.S. death toll has topped 100,000, the highest in the world.

—Legislation extending surveillance authorities the FBI sees as vital in fighting terrorism was thrown into doubt as President Donald Trump threatened a veto and Republican leaders and top liberal Democrats said they would oppose it. Combined with strong GOP opposition, the Democrats' defiance of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- Calif., suggested there might be…

A 68- year-old sales manager from Harleysville, Pa., he voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Trump, who needs to win states like Pennsylvania and hopes to hold onto supporters like Banion, may have a lurking problem. In recent polling of Pennsylvania voters, Trump comes up a few points short of Biden with voters over 45, according to an April Fox poll.

The Labor Department reported 20 million jobs lost in April, raising unemployment to 14.7 percent, and government statisticians believe the chaos caused serious undercounting. For example, Boeing and GE’ s aircraft engine division are girding for depressed air travel for several years, and cleaners, caterers, other business and child care services are losing…

WASHINGTON- The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits in the two months since the coronavirus took hold in the U.S. has swelled to nearly 39 million, the government reported Thursday, even as states from coast to coast gradually reopen their economies and let people go back to work. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said over the weekend…

May 21– WASHINGTON– Former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday criticized President Donald Trump for threatening to stop funding to Michigan amid the coronavirus pandemic and an unfolding disaster in Midland County. “Michigan is in the fight of its life as it battles this pandemic and flooding disaster, and now more than ever, leadership and empathy matter.”

—Beyond its hard-hitting rhetoric against China over its handling of the coronavirus, the White House has issued a broad-scale attack on Beijing's predatory economic policies, military buildup, disinformation campaigns and human rights violations. The 20- page report does not signal a shift in U.S. policy, according to a senior administration official, who…

Exact numbers won't be known for a few years, but based on the last recession it's likely that thousands of people who will earn at least $1 million this year but find themselves between work will hold out their hand asking Uncle Sam for an unemployment check. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican, said Wednesday she wants to have Congress cut them off, calling it an affront to…

President Trump has been vilified for initially dismissing the threat as the virus spread from China, but he had help. Well after China was taking aggressive action in Wuhan, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was shaking hands, encouraging visits to San Francisco’ s Chinatown and criticizing Mr. Trump’ s travel ban on China.

Mr. Trump relayed his optimism as transmission appears to be slowing, with the U.S. recording about 20,000-25,000 infections per day, compared to about 30,000-35,000 in late April. Mr. Trump said he talked about “everything you can discuss” with the Senate GOP, which will defend its majority this November in the face of polls that suggest they'll have a fight on…

WASHINGTON- Facing the gravest U.S. economic crisis in decades, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell offered Congress contrasting views Tuesday of what the government's most urgent priority should be. Powell, by contrast, stressed, as he has in recent weeks, that the nation is gripped by an economic shock “without modern…

Joe Biden is beefing up his Latino outreach effort as his campaign eyes Arizona and Florida as enticing targets to shift the Electoral College map in his fight to oust President Trump. The move came as a new poll says Biden is leading Trump by 7% points in Arizona. If Biden can win Arizona or Florida, he could win the 270 electoral votes needed to oust Trump without…

In recent days, that's meant Mr. Trump pushing what he calls “Obamagate,” an unsubstatiated suggestion Mr. Obama led an illegal conspiracy to persecute and prosecute him and his aides during the 2016 presidential campaign. That then led to Mr. Obama's skewering of Mr. Trump at the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner. Mr. Obama later watched as Mr. Trump became…

The stock market bounced back from its worst week in nearly two months Monday as optimism about a potential vaccine for the coronavirus and hopes for a U.S. economic recovery in the second half of the year put investors in a buying mood. The stock of the company, Massachusetts- based Moderna, jumped 20%. Investors were also encouraged by remarks over the weekend…

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, continues a virtual campaign from his Delaware residence, determined to heed public health recommendations he says are the first steps toward a national recovery. Biden’ s advisers have struck a confident tone after other Democrats openly questioned how they’ re using their early start to the general election.

—Japan’ s economy plunged into recession in the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic squelched business activity, while leaders in the U.S. and Europe are weighing the risks and rewards of lifting COVID-19 restrictions knowing that a vaccine could take years to develop. Two of the new cases were in Jilin and residents were being required to show…

In his first visit to the Lehigh Valley, President Donald Trump headed to an Upper Macungie Township medical equipment distributor, where he renewed his push to reopen the nation’ s economy with a focus on Pennsylvania. He praised Pennsylvania and Allentown workers several times, saying that for generations,“ American greatness was made, forged, and won in places…

—The Democratic-controlled House is pressing ahead Friday with votes on another massive rescue bill that would pump almost $1 trillion to state and local governments, renew $1,200 cash payments for individuals, and extend a $600 weekly supplemental federal unemployment benefit. But it's earned a White House veto threat and a scathing assessment from top…

—Typhoon Vongfong slams into eastern Philippines during lockdown for coronavirus. A World Health Organization official says the debate between ensuring health and reviving the economy is a“ false dichotomy” and that countries must remain vigilant even as they move to lift restrictions. The WHO Western Pacific director Takeshi Kasai says the reopening of…

By Martin Crutsinger| The Associated Press. WASHINGTON— The economic paralysis caused by the coronavirus led in April to the steepest month-to-month fall in U.S. consumer prices since the 2008 financial crisis— a 0.8 percent drop that was driven by a plunge in gasoline prices. The business shutdowns, reduced travel and shrunken consumer spending that the virus…

A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research predicted that more than 11.6 million of the layoffs during the pandemic, or 42%, will become permanent job losses. The shutdowns in various states also have accelerated the dire condition of brick-and-mortar retail chains such as J.Crew and Neiman Marcus, both of which have filed for bankruptcy protection.

House Democrats on Tuesday went all-in with a new coronavirus spending bill that topped $3 trillion and checked off virtually every box on the party's liberal wish list, all but guaranteeing it has no chance of ever becoming law. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended the hefty price tag, saying low interest rates lessen the pain of borrowing and that Democrats…

Anthony Fauci will speak before the Senate Tuesday and is expected to present a stern warning as states begin to enact reopening plans. The top infectious disease expert, who has been a key figure in the White House coronavirus task force, shared with the New York Times what he will discuss. Fauci referenced the White House plan, titled Opening Up America Again,…

—Joe Biden ventured back onto the campaign trail Thursday, targeting the critical battleground state of Florida— but without actually leaving home. But he held a virtual roundtable on Thursday with more than a dozen African American leaders in Jacksonville, including Rep. Al Lawson. “It's great to be in Jacksonville today,” Biden said, grinning.“ I'm anxious to get…

“We're going to build the greatest economy in the world again,” Mr. Trump told reporters. On his first trip outside the Washington region in more than a month, Mr. Trump visited a Honeywell International plant in Phoenix, where repurposed employees were manufacturing N95 masks for health care workers and others on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rogenski is a DACA recipient, one of about 700,000 who as children were illegally brought to the United States by their parents, then permitted to live, learn, and work here under an Obama-era program. “It bothers us that from a government standpoint, they want to get rid of us,” said Rogenski, 26, who was 12 when her parents came to the Philadelphia area from Brazil.

—Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has agreed to let former primary rival Bernie Sanders keep hundreds of delegates he would otherwise forfeit by dropping out of the presidential race in a deal designed to avoid the bitter feelings that marred the party in 2016 and helped lead to Hillary Clinton's defeat. Under party rules, Sanders should lose about…

The coronavirus crisis is crashing the U.S. economy at the fastest rate since the Great Depression, the government reported Wednesday, while the Federal Reserve pledged to keep interest rates near zero as long as it takes to bolster a recovery. “We want it to be the way it was,” Mr. Trump said during a meeting with business leaders at the White House.

—With the U.S. economy gripped by its worst crisis since the 1930 s, Federal Reserve policymakers are expected to offer sweeping assurances Wednesday that they will act as needed to help prevent the damage from growing even worse. Chairman Jerome Powell will hold his usual news conference— this time virtually, rather than on site— after the Fed issues its latest…

A top White House adviser on Sunday warned that the U.S. is facing Great Depression-era economic pain from the COVID-19 pandemic as major business leaders said there is essentially no chance of a substantial economic rebound before the fall. “Make no mistake: It's a really grave situation,” White House senior adviser Kevin Hassett said on ABC's “This Week.”

The president is right: The states should lead testing programs for the virus, collaborating with municipal leaders and county public health officials. The federal government should not be running a testing and tracing program. And take note: President Donald Trump's restraint in this moment refutes earlier criticisms that he has little respect for…

NEW YORK- Unemployment in the U.S. is swelling to levels last seen during the Great Depression of the 1930 s, with 1 in 6 American workers thrown out of a job by the coronavirus, according to new data released Thursday. In all, roughly 26 million people- the population of the 10 biggest U.S. cities combined- have now filed for jobless aid in five weeks, an epic collapse that…

From an office in Texas, Monty Bennett oversees a nationwide empire of more than 120 hotels– from an Embassy Suites in midtown Manhattan to a Marriott in Beverly Hills, plus Ritz-Carlton resorts in Sarasota, Atlanta and Lake Tahoe, Calif. More than 50 of his hotels and other corporate entities– which are held in separate subsidiaries– have qualified for $58.7…

Congress is sprinting to approve the next coronavirus aid package, a $483 billion deal backed by the White House to replenish a small-business payroll fund and pump more money into hospitals and testing programs.

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who as President Obama's chief of staff during the Great Recession famously said “never allow a good crisis go to waste,” points out that after the Civil War came land grant colleges and the national railway system; after the Great Depression came rural electrification and Social Security; and at the height of the Cold War…