Politics & Government

Bipartisan Bill Would Pour Billions Into Science And Technology To Compete With China

4:21pm May 27, 2021

by John Ruwitch

The Senate is poised to pass a major bill that would pour billions into science and technology to compete with China. It's one of the few pieces of legislation with strong bipartisan support.

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Intelligence Priorities Shift As Biden Calls For Investigation Into COVID-19 Origins

4:21pm May 27, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with The Wall Street Journal's Michael Gordon on President Biden's order to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and how U.S. intelligence doesn't prioritize pandemic detection.

West Virginia's Shelley Moore Capito and fellow Senate Republicans unveiled a new counteroffer to President Biden's infrastructure package during a news conference Thursday.

Politics & Government

Senate Republicans Release $928 Billion Infrastructure Counteroffer

4:21pm May 27, 2021

by Kelsey Snell

The move comes days after President Biden offered to lop off $550 billion from his original proposal, moving the two sides closer than they have ever been, though significant challenges remain.

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King Richard: Nixon and Watergate--An American Tragedy, Michael Dobbs

'King Richard' Is A Fresh Retelling Of Watergate — With All The Drama

4:00pm May 27, 2021

by Ron Elving

Michael Dobbs writes of a time when a bipartisan group in Congress could command respect as investigators, and when even leaders of the president's party were prepared to acknowledge his wrongdoing.

A laboratory on the campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province in May 2020. Focus has turned back to the facility as a possible origin of the coronavirus pandemic.

Why A Lab In Wuhan Is Worth A Closer Look As A Possible Source Of The Pandemic

2:40pm May 27, 2021

by Avie Schneider

With the focus shifting again to a Wuhan, China, lab, Dr. Céline Gounder, a COVID-19 adviser to the Biden transition team, says it's important to find the pandemic's origins to prevent the next one.

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Politics & Government

Voting Restrictions Are Further Politicizing U.S. Electoral System, Journalist Says

1:50pm May 27, 2021

by Terry Gross

NY Times reporter Nick Corasaniti says Republican-led state legislatures are restricting voting and seizing more power over how elections are run — making previously non-partisan jobs political.

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Under a new directive, pipeline operators will be required to report cyberattacks to the U.S. government.

In Wake Of Colonial Attack, Pipelines Now Must Report Cybersecurity Breaches

9:19am May 27, 2021

by Brian Naylor

The action, the first of several planned steps by the federal government, follows the ransomware hack of the Colonial Pipeline.

What Prompted Biden To Order A Deeper Look Into COVID-19's Origin?

7:59am May 27, 2021

President Biden has asked for a 90-day investigation into how the COVID-19 pandemic started, and whether it's possible that the virus leaked, either accidentally or on purpose, from a lab in China.

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Politics & Government

Majority Of Senate Republicans Remain Opposed To Insurrection Probe

6:29am May 27, 2021

by Claudia Grisales

Senate Republicans are expected to filibuster a bipartisan bill to create an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

A laboratory building at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, is seen on May 13, 2020.

Biden Asks U.S. Intel To Push For Stronger Conclusions On The Coronavirus' Origins

9:05pm May 26, 2021

by Alana Wise

The U.S. intelligence community is investigating the potential origins of the coronavirus, including the possibility that it emerged as a result of a lab accident in Wuhan, China.