STURGIS, S.D. — Thousands of bikers poured into the small South Dakota city of Sturgis on Friday as the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally rumbled to life despite fears it could lead to a massive coronavirus outbreak. The rally could become one of the largest public gatherings since the pandemic began, with organizers...
Latest Figures Show 10,000 Californians Dead of Coronavirus
SACRAMENTO — California has surpassed 10,000 deaths from the coronavirus, making it the U.S. state with the third-highest number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. The figure was reported Friday by Johns Hopkins University, with 10,024 dead since the outbreak began in California in February. New York and...
California Sets In-Person Voting Rules Amid Coronavirus
SACRAMENTO — Worried about the unpredictable coronavirus wreaking havoc on the November election, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed a law to let counties offer fewer in-person polling places in exchange for opening the sites earlier. The change follows another law Newsom signed in June requiring counties to mail...
Virus Aid Talks on Brink of Collapse; Sides ‘Very Far Apart’
WASHINGTON — Washington talks on vital COVID-19 rescue money are teetering on the brink of collapse after a marathon meeting in the Capitol Thursday night generated a wave of recriminations but little progress on the top issues confronting negotiators. “There’s a handful of very big issues that we are still...
Cuomo Clears New York Schools Statewide to Open, Carefully
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s governor said Friday that he would allow children statewide to return to classrooms for the start of the new school year, citing the state’s success in battling the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo clears the way for schools to offer at...
1.2 Million Seek Jobless Aid After $600 Federal Check Ends
WASHINGTON — Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired. The government's report Thursday did offer a smidgen of hopeful news: The number of jobless...
California Ups Early Inmate Release Estimate Amid Objections
SACRAMENTO — State prison officials say as many as 17,600 California inmates may be released early due to the coronavirus, 70% more than previously estimated and a total that victims and police say includes dangerous criminals who should stay locked up. The releases also are causing consternation as probation officers...
Opinion: Why Biden’s VP Pick Matters
Sometime within the next week or so, Joe Biden will make the most important decision of his political career. If he is elected president in November, it could have momentous — or disastrous — consequences for the United States: his choice of running mate. Should Biden be defeated, his pick...
Biden Won’t Go to Milwaukee to Accept Democratic Nomination
Joe Biden will not travel to Milwaukee to accept the Democratic presidential nomination because of concerns over the coronavirus, party officials said Wednesday, signaling a move to a convention that essentially has become entirely virtual. It is the latest example of the pandemic’s sweeping effects on the 2020 presidential election...
Technical Issue Has California Under-Reporting Virus Cases
LOS ANGELES — A technical problem has caused a lag in California’s tally of coronavirus test results, casting doubt on the accuracy of recent data showing improvements in the infection rate and number of positive cases, and hindering efforts to track the spread, the state’s top health official said Tuesday....