Investigations

Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., has asked Trump administration officials to account for how and why they selected particular companies to provide personal protective equipment.

Congress Is Investigating Contracts Tied To Mask And PPE Shortages

12:55pm July 15, 2020

Seven multi-million-dollar contracts are at the center of a House subcommittee probe. Investigators say the companies lacked experience and some had political connections to the Trump administration.

A pedestrian walks past anti-5G graffiti in the Flatiron District of New York in May.

Health & Safety

Anatomy Of A COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory

7:57pm July 10, 2020

by Monika Evstatieva

Conspiracy theories need the right ingredients to take off, and the coronavirus pandemic has been a breeding ground for them. Here's how fear, wealth and social media all play a role.

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Jovita Carranza, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, testifies during a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing June 10, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

National

As Americans Avoided Restaurants And Doctors' Offices, Those Businesses Got Loans

9:23pm July 06, 2020

by Robert Benincasa

The small business sectors that received the largest share of federal loans from the coronavirus relief package known as PPP include restaurants, doctors' offices, car dealerships and law firms.

A couple has lunch under plexiglass protection designed by Christophe Gernigon at the H.A.N.D restaurant, on May 27, 2020, in Paris, as France eases lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Business As Usual During The Pandemic, This Time Through Plexiglass

4:03pm July 03, 2020

by Sacha Pfeiffer

Demand for plexiglass has skyrocketed due to the coronavirus as businesses worldwide install protective barriers.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in May. She wants an Army officer who testified at Trump impeachment hearings to get his promotion.

Senator Puts Rare Hold On Military Promotions Over Ousted Army Officer

10:57pm July 02, 2020

by David Welna

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified in impeachment hearings. He's been due for promotion to the rank of full colonel, but that has not happened. Sen. Tammy Duckworth wants assurances that it will.

Police confront protesters in front of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, on May 29, 2020.

National

Lawyers Charged With Seven Felonies In Molotov Cocktail Attack Out On Bail

4:33pm July 01, 2020

by Dina Temple-Raston

Two lawyers could face life in prison for allegedly firebombing an empty police car during a protest in New York. Prosecutors call it a calculated crime. Supporters say they're being singled out.

The Government Accountability Office says the IRS did not use death records for the first three batches of coronavirus relief payments — which account for 72% of the nearly $270 billion in payments dispensed so far.

Nearly $1.4 Billion In Coronavirus Relief Payments Sent To Dead People

4:53pm June 25, 2020

by Tim Mak

The improper payments happened due to confusion over whether dead people should receive the payments from the IRS, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

Travelers make their way through ticketing and TSA inspection at the Pittsburgh International Airport on May 7.

Whistleblower: TSA Failed To Protect Staff, Endangered Passengers During Pandemic

1:10pm June 19, 2020

by Tim Mak

A TSA official filed a whistleblower complaint alleging the agency didn't properly train staff, making them a "significant carrier" of the coronavirus. An independent agency ordered an investigation.

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A walker passes the names of George Floyd and Eric Garner spelled out in fabric at the Say Their Names: Silver Lake Memorial on June 9 in Los Angeles. There has been a recent push for a nationwide ban on police chokeholds.

National

How Decades Of Bans On Police Chokeholds Have Fallen Short

11:05am June 16, 2020

A federal ban on police use of chokeholds has been discussed in recent weeks, but NPR reviewed the internal policies of several large U.S. police departments and found them difficult to enforce.

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Tents are visible behind wire fences last month near buildings of the Federal Medical Center prison in Fort Worth, Texas. Hundreds of inmates inside the facility reportedly have tested positive for the coronavirus, and several have died.

National

As COVID-19 Spreads In Prisons, Lockdowns Spark Fear Of More Solitary Confinement

6:22pm June 15, 2020

by Joseph Shapiro

With many U.S. prisons on lockdown amid the pandemic, keeping prisoners in their cells has emerged as a way to stop viral spread. Advocates worry that will increase the use of solitary confinement.

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