SILVER SPRING, Md. — Sales of new homes jumped again in July, rising 13.9% as the housing market continues to gain traction following a spring downturn caused by pandemic-related lockdowns. The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that July’s gain propelled sales of new homes to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 901,000,...
Newsom Promises New Reopening Rules for Businesses This Week
SACRAMENTO — While California faces multiple crises, there are encouraging signs in the coronavirus fight, with infection rates falling enough that Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that soon he will announce plans for reopening businesses that closed nearly two months ago when cases spiked. “We are moving forward this week,"...
FDA Chief Apologizes for Overstating Plasma Effect on Virus
WASHINGTON — Responding to an outcry from medical experts, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn on Tuesday apologized for overstating the life-saving benefits of treating COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma. Scientists and medical experts have been pushing back against the claims about the treatment since President Donald Trump’s announcement on...
Boys & Girls Clubs Ready for New Role as Virtual Learning Hubs for Students
The Zimmerman Club has been a ghost town since April 1 when the site just north of downtown Fresno and other Boys and Girls Clubs of Fresno County closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Diane Carbray hopes that's about to change. Carbray, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls...
AP Fact Check: Trump’s Baseless Claim of ‘Deep State’ at FDA
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is leveling unfounded attacks on his Food and Drug Administration and distorting the science on effective treatments for COVID-19. Heading this week into the Republican National Convention, he asserted that the agency is slow-walking vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus in a bid to undermine his November reelection...
Postal Chief Urges Voters to Request and Return Ballots Early
WASHINGTON — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is warning that voters should request mail-in ballots at least 15 days before the Nov. 3 election to ensure they have enough time to receive their ballot, complete it and mail it back to elections officials on time. Acknowledging an expected surge in mail-in...
Walters: Short-Circuiting the Legislative Process for Electric Cars
The 2020 session of the California Legislature is radically different from any other in the state’s 170-year history, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Legislators abandoned the Capitol last spring after giving Gov. Gavin Newsom carte blanche authority and a billion dollars to deal with the crisis. When they finally returned...
As US Deaths Mount, Virus Takes Outsize Toll on Minorities
As many as 215,000 more people than usual died in the U.S. during the first seven months of 2020, suggesting that the number of lives lost to the coronavirus is significantly higher than the official toll. And half the dead were people of color — Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and,...
9 Reasons to Be Optimistic a COVID-19 Vaccine Will Arrive in 2021
As fall approaches rapidly, many are wondering if the race for a vaccine will bear fruit as early as January 2021. I am a physician-scientist and infectious diseases specialist at the University of Virginia, where I care for patients and conduct research into COVID-19. I am occasionally asked how I...
Walters: California Gambles With Stopgap Legislation
The severe recession that has engulfed California as the state battles the COVID-19 pandemic presents the state’s dominant Democrats with a very large dilemma. As businesses closed their doors and unemployment skyrocketed, the natural inclination of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislators was to spend money to relieve the economic...