LOS ANGELES — California faces a heat wave Friday that could bring dangerously high temperatures throughout the state, increased wildfire danger and a higher threat of the spreading of the coronavirus as people flock to lakes, beaches and other recreation areas. High pressure building over Western states will push temperatures...
US Retail Sales Rise for 3rd Month but Slowdown Expected
WASHINGTON — Americans increased their spending at retail stores and restaurants in July for a third straight month, but some evidence suggests that sales are weakening with the expiration of government rescue aid that had previously put more money in people's pockets. Friday's report from the Commerce Department showed that retail...
Can the US Make Money Out of Thin Air Like AOC Says?
French philosopher Voltaire famously quipped: “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” Something similar can be said of modern monetary theory, also known as MMT, because it may be the economy’s only hope to get through the pandemic. Coined by Australian economist Bill Mitchell and...
California, Minnesota Churches Sue to Challenge COVID-19 Restrictions
Churches in California and Minnesota, backed by a conservative legal group, filed lawsuits this week against the governors of their states challenging restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak that they contend are violations of religious liberty. They’re the latest in a long series of legal challenges, many of them...
American Airlines May Cut Flights to 30 ‘Smaller Cities’
DALLAS — American Airlines is planning to drop flights to up to 30 smaller U.S. cities if a federal requirement to continue those flights expires at the end of next month, an airline executive familiar with the matter said Thursday. American agreed to keep serving those smaller cities as a...
Fresno County Public Health to Immanuel Schools of Reedley: Stop In-Person Instruction Now
The Fresno County Public Health Department on Thursday issued a health officer order to Immanuel Schools of Reedley to immediately close schools to in-person instruction, which began Thursday morning, or face sanctions and possible closure. Violating the order could result in fines of up to $1,000 a day and other...
Distrust of Authority Fuels Virus Misinformation for Latinos
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — When Claudia Guzman suspected she had caught the coronavirus, her friends and family were full of advice: Don’t quarantine. Don’t get tested. A homemade tea will help cure you. “They were saying, ‘Don’t go to the hospital,’ because supposedly, if you are admitted into the hospital, they...
Newsom: New Data Show California Is ‘Turning the Corner’
SAN FRANCISCO — California is showing improvement in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday, citing a significantly lower number of confirmed new cases as the state begins to clear backlogged cases from a data failure. The Democratic governor said he also was encouraged by a...
New US Jobless Claims Fall Below 1 Million but Remain High
WASHINGTON — The number of laid-off workers applying for unemployment aid fell below 1 million last week for the first time since the viral pandemic intensified five months ago, yet still remains at a high level. The latest figures show that the pandemic keeps forcing layoffs just as the expiration...
Big Creek Has Essential Workers, a Closed School, and No Child Care Center for Kids
Big Creek, population 188, is in essence a Southern California-Edison company town — one where parents live with their children year-round. The parents run the region's massive hydroelectric project that generates one-sixth of all the hydropower produced in California, or about 4 million megawatt-hours per year. These are the folks...