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In response to protests following the death of George Floyd, Wisconsin’s state capital has proposed that police be banned from using tear gas, mace and projectile devices for crowd control. But not everyone agrees.
States and localities will need the full range of tools to recover economically. That calls for federal policies that tap infrastructure-building's power to boost local jobs and small-business growth.
A group of lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote in letters to Twitter, Facebook and Google, urging the social media companies to increase their transparency about COVID-19 disinformation. (The Hill — July 8, 2020)
The number of Americans who were collecting unemployment checks in the third week of June. With 1.3 million workers applying for jobless aid last week, it’s a sign that the economy is slow to bounce back from the coronavirus’ impacts.
Outside consultants detailed seven major areas that the Georgia County needed to improve in its election process. But as officials continue to bicker, it is unclear if the county will be ready come November.
Gov. Lujan Grisham signed a bill this week that requires police officers to wear body cameras and orders the state board to decertify officers that are convicted of unlawful use of force.The law takes effect on Sept. 20.
There are 78 days between Election Day and Inauguration Day. Many officials expect that those 11 weeks will be rife with misinformation as election results could be delayed by the increase in mail-in ballots.
The U.S. senator proposed legislation to invest $100 billion in high-speed broadband implementation in communities nationwide. The bill would benefit her home state, Minnesota, where 140,000 households lack connection.
In looking for a new chief information security officer, it's tempting to generate a long list of professional qualifications. But these days, technical expertise isn't what the job is really about.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is looking past the immediate health and economic challenges to map out programs for the city's future. She has ambitious ideas about attracting wealth while also addressing racial inequities.
A report finds that the coronavirus-caused shift to remote work has altered the idea of a workspace. Some are uncomfortable with returning to an office and many hope to continue working from home even after offices reopen.
The national conversation about racism isn't about individual acts of violence or harassment, but about systems that perpetuate injustice. In the wake of recent protests, legislators have responded.
Harvard President Lawrence Bacow, speaking of the Trump administration’s decree to bar international students from remaining in the U.S. if they take online college classes this fall. Harvard and MIT have sued the administration over the decision. (AP News — July 8, 2020)
The amount that Tennessee is going to be allocating to education. The money will come from the state’s CARES Act allotment and is a part of the “first wave” of efforts to reopen schools safely.
The Los Angeles County primary in March left voters waiting in line for hours and battling broken voting machines. With the presidential elections fast approaching, officials must work quickly to regain voter confidence.
Black Michigan Democrats have called for a ban on police use of identification technology because of its disproportionate misidentification of people of color. The legislation is part of a larger police reform bill.
Nearly 2 million unemployment claims that were filed months ago still haven’t been paid. Residents and lawmakers are frustrated by the state’s inability to keep up. “EDD is utterly failing millions of Californians.”
President Trump insists schools must reopen in the fall. It's a widely shared priority in terms of both childhood development and the economy, but there are serious challenges with the coronavirus still on the rise.
Smartphone-wielding citizens and the ease of video conferencing have largely taken the place of the public-access television of earlier decades. They raise new questions for public officials.
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To help contain the virus and keep people safe, the pandemic drove an urgent need for consistent and trustworthy information from government leaders.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, commenting on the Supreme Court’s decision that a 2015 federal law that allowed debt collectors to make robocalls was unconstitutional. (NPR — July 6, 2020)
The number of fraud reports that the Federal Trade Commission has received as of June 8 as the coronavirus has increased numbers of fraudulent unemployment claims. The reports amount to $59.2 million.
The president says vote by mail is riddled by fraud. Gov. DeSantis, who supports Trump, agrees, but the elections supervisor for Palm Beach County, who DeSantis appointed to the job, refutes that claim.
As shoppers stay home and the CDC encourages the use of touchless transactions, the amount of cashless payments has seen a steady increase. Some think this could be permanent while others expect a bounceback post pandemic.
Four state lawmakers will draft a bipartisan police accountability bill that will be up for consideration in a special session. Uncertain is whether it will address broader social and economic justice issues.
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As students and parents look to the fall, awaiting decisions about whether their school or university campus will open or close, many institutions are reimagining the possibilities and overall improvement of their education system.
A former Baltimore CFO and city manager for Cincinnati, Harry Black just started as Stockton’s city manager when the pandemic began, quickly followed by national protests. But with his extensive, unique career, he is ready to help the city succeed.
Oscar Veneszee Jr., a Black Facebook employee, said of his employer’s lack of opportunities for Black workers. Veneszee has filed an employment discrimination charge against the social media giant. (NPR — July 2, 2020)
The proportion of small business employees that have been supported by the Paycheck Protection Program during the economic downturn of the coronavirus pandemic.
Many believe that COVID-19, the protests over racial inequity and the upcoming election have increased opportunity for misinformation. Users will have to be especially critical of what they see online.
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