Trump administration unveils new sanctions on Iran despite foreign resistance
By Quint Forgey 09/21/2020 01:31 PM EDT Top Trump administration officials on Monday announced a slate of punitive measures intended to add teeth to the administration’s attempt to restore international sanctions on Iran — a diplomatic maneuver dismissed by much of the global community as illegal and ineffective. The new actions, facilitated by an executive order President […]
California LAO: Transit to take biggest state funding hit from driving reduction
By Debra Kahn 09/18/2020 07:42 PM EDT As if things weren’t bad enough for California transit agencies, they are expected to get hit hardest by cuts in fuel tax revenue and vehicle registration fees during the pandemic, according to a new analysis from the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Background: The state budget passed in June assumes revenue from […]
DOL releases proposal on gig worker classification under minimum wage, OT law
By Rebecca Rainey 09/22/2020 10:35 AM EDT WASHINGTON — The Department of Labor released a proposal Tuesday that would clarify whether gig workers are independent contractors or employees under federal minimum wage and overtime law. The proposed rule, which is expected to be published in the Federal Register later this week or early next week, would create […]
California’s embattled UI agency will take 2-week ‘reset,’ won’t resolve backlog until January
By Katy Murphy 09/20/2020 01:04 AM EDT California’s embattled unemployment agency will not accept new unemployment claims for the next two weeks, accepting a recommendation from a governor-appointed Strike Team dispatched less than two months ago, its director announced late Saturday night. The Newsom administration Saturday released a report with recommendations on improving California’s unemployment agency, from adopting a […]
25 years wiped out in 25 weeks: Pandemic sets the world back decades
By Carmen Paun 09/14/2020 11:00 PM EDT In only half a year, the coronavirus pandemic has wiped out decades of global development in everything from health to the economy. Progress has not only stopped, but has regressed in areas like getting people out of poverty and improving conditions for women and children around the world, […]
FAA extending airport slot usage exemptions through next spring
By Stephanie Beasley 09/11/2020 04:38 PM EDT The FAA will continue to exempt airlines from minimum slot usage requirements at several major U.S. airports through next year as air travel remains slumped during the coronavirus pandemic, per a Federal Register notice slated for publication Monday. The details: The FAA said it will extend waivers exempting airlines from […]
Inside Oxford’s vaccine saga: From wild hype to sobering reality
By Elizabeth Ralph 09/11/2020 04:00 AM EDT In April, Sarah Gilbert, the British scientist leading Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine effort, said she was 80 percent confident her team would be able to produce a successful vaccine by September. It was a remarkable statement—conspicuously confident—especially given the timing: Oxford’s vaccine had yet to be tested in a […]
The flip side of Trump’s eviction ban: Landlords face big crunch
By Katy O’Donnell 09/11/2020 06:07 PM EDT The White House’s move to ban evictions across the country during the coronavirus crisis is having an unintended side effect: It’s threatening the livelihood of millions of landlords. The sweeping order effectively requires landlords to subsidize distressed tenants’ housing through the end of the year or face criminal […]
Newsom pledges to speed up climate policies in response to wildfires
By Debra Kahn 09/11/2020 05:16 PM EDT Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged Friday to accelerate California’s response to climate change amid record- breaking wildfires sweeping the state. Speaking in Oroville, where the lightning-sparked North Complex Fire has burned 250,000 acres over the past month, Newsom said climate change has overtaken the state’s attempts to reduce carbon […]
OSHA issues first Covid-19 fine at meatpacking plant
By Ximena Bustillo09/10/2020 03:47 PM EDT Updated: 09/10/2020 05:52 PM EDT The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued its first Covid-19-related citation at a meatpacking plant on Thursday by proposing a $13,494 penalty on Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. in Sioux Falls, S.D. OSHA, part of the Labor Department, says the company failed to protect its […]
