National

Georgia Republicans Pledge To Crack Down On Voting Laws

4:08pm December 17, 2020

by Stephen Fowler

In Georgia, many Republicans are promising to end no-excuse absentee voting, enact photo ID laws for those who qualify for mail-in ballots and potentially strip power from the secretary of state.

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National

Google Employees Demand Company Rehire Black Scientist Who Spoke Up About Diversity

4:08pm December 17, 2020

by Bobby Allyn

Inside Google, tensions are growing weeks after the company fired a high-profile Black researcher. Questions are still simmering about whether Google can tolerate dissent and criticism.

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With Tax Break About To End, Congress Puzzled Over How To Encourage People To Give

4:08pm December 17, 2020

by Kelsey Snell

This year, Congress passed a tax break to encourage more people to make donations. The break is about to expire, leaving Congress to rethink how to help boost charitable giving in the pandemic.

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National

Senate Intelligence Committee Member On Latest Hacks In Government Agencies

4:08pm December 17, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, about the scale and significance of the recent cyberattacks on government agencies and what actions are crucial moving forward.

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FDA Immunization Panel Assesses Moderna's Application For Its COVID-19 Vaccine

4:08pm December 17, 2020

by Joe Palca

An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration met on Thursday to review Moderna's application for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine. NPR discusses the latest.

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West Virginia Schools Chief Declares A Snow Day Despite Remote Learning

4:08pm December 17, 2020

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Bondy Shay Gibson, superintendent for Jefferson County Public Schools in West Virginia, about her decision to declare a snow day even though schools are teaching remotely.

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A federal grand jury has charged six men with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in what investigators say was a plot by anti-government extremists angry over her policies to prevent spread of the coronavirus. The suspects are, from top l

National

6 Suspects Indicted For Conspiracy To Kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

3:32pm December 17, 2020

by Mark Katkov

The six men had already been charged in a criminal complaint at the time of their arrest in October, but the federal grand jury indictment enables the U.S. Justice Department to proceed with the case.

President-elect Joe Biden, pictured last week, issued a statement saying his transition team has been briefed on a major cyberattack on U.S. government networks.

Biden-Harris Team Briefed On Cyber Breaches To Government Networks

3:23pm December 17, 2020

by Brian Naylor

President-elect Joe Biden said he would make cybersecurity — and responding to this broad attack in particular — a priority for his incoming administration.

Tufts employee Gabe Ryan removes the Sackler family name from a building at Tufts University, the first major university to strip the Sackler name from buildings and programs.

Sacklers Deny Wrongdoing During House Panel Over Purdue Pharma Oxycontin Sales

2:33pm December 17, 2020

by Brian Mann

Thursday's hearing was the first time members of the Sackler family faced a public accounting for their alleged role in the nation's deadly opioid epidemic.

Evening light illuminates the Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino earlier this year in Atlantic City, N.J. The city's mayor, Marty Small, says that the right bid will buy one lucky person the right to activate the casino's planned implosion next month.

National

Atlantic City Is Offering Bidders The Chance To Blow Up A Former Trump Casino

2:12pm December 17, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

The Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, N.J., is scheduled for implosion next month, but the right to press the button is still up for grabs. The city is auctioning off the opportunity for charity.