Politics & Government

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, here at a March event, has outlined a $700 million investment to boost broadband access and help close the digital divide for some of the state's poorest regions.

Politics & Government

Virginia Shifts $700 Million In Relief Funds To Boost Rural Broadband Access

5:25pm July 16, 2021

by Claudia Grisales

Virginia will direct $700 million drawn from pandemic relief funds to boost broadband access and help close the digital divide for some of the poorest regions of the state.

NPR Exclusive: Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph on Haiti's Future

5:02pm July 16, 2021

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Claude Joseph, the interim prime minister of Haiti, who was about to be replaced the day of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

Biden Administration Warns Against Doing Business In Hong Kong

4:42pm July 16, 2021

by John Ruwitch

President Biden has issued a warning to U.S. companies doing business in Hong Kong that because of China's national security law, the former colony is no longer a safe place for commerce.

Two men have been indicted over what authorities say was a plan to attack the Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento, Calif.

2 California Men Have Been Charged With Plotting To Bomb A Democratic Party Building

3:05pm July 16, 2021

by Ryan Lucas

Ian Rogers and Jarrod Copeland are facing several federal charges. Prosecutors say that at one point, Rogers told Copeland: "I want to blow up a democrat building bad."

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed four bills into law Thursday that implement some criminal justice reforms, notably one with the goal of preventing false confessions.

Illinois Is The 1st State To Tell Police They Can't Lie To Minors In Interrogations

11:02am July 16, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

Under a law that goes into effect in January 2022, officials can't use common manipulative tactics, including offering leniency or suggesting that incriminating evidence exists, to people under 18.

Wind turbines in a field in Adair, Iowa. Democrats' budget deal would use financial carrots and sticks to encourage utilities to shift to clean energy.

Democrats' Budget Plan Pushes A Shift To Clean Energy. Here's How It Would Work

10:24am July 16, 2021

by Jeff Brady

The budget blueprint would use financial carrots and sticks to encourage utilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The "clean energy standard" is key to President Biden's climate goals.

Politics & Government

State GOP Members Want Voting Machines Examined

10:06am July 16, 2021

by Rusty Jacobs, WUNC

A group of conservative Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly wants access to voting machines to clear up what they call public concern over election integrity.

Rudy Giuliani points to a map as he speaks to the press about various lawsuits related to the 2020 election on Nov. 19, 2020. He and other Trump lawyers are now under scrutiny for their roles in promoting false claims of election fraud.

Politics & Government

Trump Lawyers Who Spread False Election Claims Are Now Defending Themselves In Court

8:36am July 16, 2021

by Carrie Johnson

Some legal experts argue that the profession needs to engage in deep soul-searching after serious abuses of ethics rules by attorneys in the Trump years.

Politics & Government

Biden Administration Wants To Make Child Tax Credit Payments Permanent

8:36am July 16, 2021

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tells NPR's Noel King that Congress should make permanent the expanded child tax credit payments that began arriving this week.

Politics & Government

What Are Noncompete Clauses? Why Biden Wants To Limit Their Usage

5:02am July 16, 2021

by Erika Beras

President Biden recently announced an executive order to limit non-compete clauses. Planet Money asks, where did these clauses come from, what do they do, and are they really ruining the job market?