LONDON — Scientists at Oxford University say their experimental coronavirus vaccine has been shown in an early trial to prompt a protective immune response in hundreds of people who got the shot. British researchers first began testing the vaccine in April in about 1,000 people, half of whom got the...
Stirring in the Oil Patch, Chevron Buys Noble for $5 Billion
NEW YORK — Chevron will take over Noble Energy for $5 billion in the first big deal announced since the coronavirus pandemic shook the energy sector. Chevron has been shopping for assets since last year and with crude prices down more than 30% this year, it jumped Monday with its...
Jumbos Retired: British Airways Bids Farewell to Boeing 747s
LONDON — The “queen of the skies” will no longer don the red, white and blue of the Union Jack after British Airways retired its fleet of Boeing 747s on Friday as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The airline, which was the world’s biggest operator of the 747-400 model,...
New Studies Clarify What Drugs Help, Hurt for COVID-19
Fresh studies give more information about what treatments do or don’t work for COVID-19, with high-quality methods that give reliable results. British researchers on Friday published their research on the only drug shown to improve survival -- a cheap steroid called dexamethasone. Two other studies found that the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine does...
Stress Rises for Unemployed as Extra $600 Benefit Nears End
WASHINGTON — A major source of income for roughly 30 million unemployed people is set to end, threatening their ability to meet rent and pay bills and potentially undercutting the fragile economic recovery. In March, Congress approved an extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits as part of its $2 trillion...
‘Newsom at Noon’ Needs a Permanent Substitute Host
Dear Governor, Your lunchtime COVID-19 briefings—“Newsom at Noon”— are must-see TV. No California governor has ever had such a regular platform, and you’ve demonstrated a memory, policy knowledge, and verbal facility (especially with long words) that are almost superhuman. You might be California’s greatest polysyllabic performance since Julie Andrews recorded...
Want Kids Back in School? Officials Say Wear a Mask, Wash Your Hands & Control COVID.
Students in the Fresno and Clovis unified school districts will start the new school year next month with online learning, but it's not due to school board decisions. Because Fresno County is one of the California counties on a state watch list for rising COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, a mandate...
Mnuchin Urges Swift Action on Next Relief Bill; Ex-Fed Chairs Want Bigger Deal.
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin urged Congress Friday to quickly enact a new pandemic relief package targeting hardest-hit swaths of the economy, as lawmakers race to stand up federal aid in the face of the latest spike in coronavirus cases and persistent, severe unemployment. Deadlines loom as the $600...
Before New Closures, California Added Record 558,000 Jobs
SACRAMENTO — California added a record 558,000 jobs in June as many more businesses reopened but the gains announced Friday by the state are expected to be short-lived because of new closures put into effect in July as the coronavirus surged. The unemployment rate fell to 14.9%, a staggeringly high...
Newsom Overrules Local Districts on School Reopening Plans
Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out strict criteria Friday for school reopenings that make it unlikely the vast majority of districts, including in Fresno and Clovis, will have classroom instruction in the fall as the coronavirus pandemic surges. The rules include a mandate that students above 2nd grade and all staff...