Politics

How Protecting Voter Safety With Mail-In Ballots Became A Partisan Issue

1:56pm May 11, 2020

by Terry Gross

In her New York Times Magazine article, Emily Bazelon says it's estimated that it would take $4 billion to properly run the election in November; Congress has allocated only $400 million

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President Trump, seen here in the Oval Office on Wednesday, holds up a chart showing that the United States has done more total tests than a number of peer nations.

Trump Says More Testing Makes U.S. 'Look Bad,' But Its Availability Remains A Concern

8:50am May 11, 2020

by Domenico Montanaro

In recent days, a top Senate Republican has said the coronavirus testing the United States has done so far is "not nearly enough."

Rep. Escobar On Pandemic Employment Challenges Facing Latinos

6:56am May 11, 2020

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas about devastating unemployment numbers among Latinos, and why they have been hit so hard.

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Politics & Government

Democrats Fret Losing U.S. House Special Election In Southern California

6:13am May 11, 2020

by Susan Davis

A special election being held during the pandemic takes place Tuesday in California for a U.S. House seat. It's a snapshot at what campaigning could look like across the country this November.

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After Exposure To Coronavirus, Top U.S. Health Officials Self-Quarantine

6:13am May 11, 2020

by Mara Liasson

The coronavirus has moved inside the White House. At least two staffers tested positive for COVID-19 late last week, and as a result, three top health officials are self-quarantining.

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News Brief: Senate Health Committee, U.K. Reopening Plan, College Lawsuit

5:59am May 11, 2020

Senate panel considers if it's safe for U.S. to reopen. Leaders in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales reject Boris Johnson's reopening plans. And, Florida Career College faces class-action lawsuit.

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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks at a White House coronavirus press briefing in April.

Unemployment Numbers 'Will Get Worse Before They Get Better' Mnuchin Says

6:32pm May 10, 2020

by Hannah Hagemann

Asked Sunday whether the nation's true unemployment rate was close to 25%, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin responded, "we could be."

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on May 7. Cassidy says testing needs to be targeted.

Sen. Bill Cassidy On Reopening Schools: Children Are Paying A High Price At Home

5:51pm May 10, 2020

by James Doubek

"Children, they are paying the highest price relative to their risk of having a complication from coronavirus," the Louisiana senator tells Weekend Edition. He says testing needs to be targeted.

Politics & Government

Views On The Pandemic From 3 Swing States

4:59pm May 10, 2020

NPR's Don Gonyea discusses how the pandemic has affected politics in three battleground states — Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan — with Charles Franklin, Salena Zito and Rochelle Riley.

Los Angeles County vote center worker Steven Toro stands outside a temporary polling place in Palmdale, Calif., for a special election in the state's 25th Congressional District. The coronavirus pandemic has upended the race between Democrat Christy Smith

Democrats Fear Losing U.S. House Special Election In Southern California

4:59pm May 10, 2020

by Libby Denkmann

In a rural and suburban district north of Los Angeles that Democrats flipped in 2018, a Republican candidate is gaining ground amid debates about how to respond to the pandemic.

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