National News
National News

Federal Eviction Moratorium Extended Just 2 Days Before Expiration
With many Americans behind on their rent during the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is extending an order aimed at preventing evictions through June.

President Biden Says ‘Nothing Has Changed’ But Child Migrants Crossing Border At Higher Pace
It is true, as Biden states, that numbers often rise during the early months of the year when temperatures begin to warm. But the number of children arriving today without their parents is considerably higher than at the same time in 2019 and 2020. In fact, the number of unaccompanied children being apprehended by the Border Patrol were higher in February than they’ve been any previous February since 2014, according to data shared with NPR by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

Why Nearly All Mass Shooters Are Men
A staggering 98% of these crimes have been committed by men, according to The Violence Project, a nonpartisan research group that tracks U.S. mass shooting data dating back to 1966.

How To File Your Taxes For Free, Get Help And Avoid Traps Trying To Get You To Pay
Most Americans are eligible for free tax-preparation services, but the truly free options can be hard to find. If you’re not careful, you could end up using a service that says it’s free but demands payment after you’ve spent time entering your information.

Here’s How A Long Shutdown Of The Suez Canal Might Roil The Global Economy
Now, with the ship lodged sideways in the canal, closing off the main oceangoing highway between Europe and Asia, much of that cargo is sitting idle. It’s either waiting to transit the canal or stuck in port while owners and shippers decide what to do.

DOJ Has Charged Nearly 500 With COVID-Related Fraud In The Past Year
On the anniversary of the CARES Act, the Justice Department says that over the past year it has charged 474 defendants with fraud or other criminal schemes tied to the pandemic. The grand total that fraudsters tried to scam from the government and the public in those cases is more than $569 million.

Why Boulder Is Trying To Keep The Focus On Victims, Not The Shooter
As police in Boulder, Colo., search for a motive in Monday’s mass shooting that left 10 dead, community leaders are trying to keep the focus on victims and the needs of their families, not the alleged gunman.

Half Of The Jury In The Derek Chauvin Trial Is Nonwhite. That’s Only Part Of The Story
The jury chosen for the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, is notable because it is significantly less white than Minneapolis itself.

Georgia Governor Signs Election Overhaul, Including Changes To Absentee Voting
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed a massive overhaul of election laws, shortly after the Republican-controlled state legislature approved it. The bill enacts new limitations on mail-in voting, expands most voters’ access to in-person early voting and caps a months-long battle over voting in a battleground state.

U.S. Refugee Program ‘On Life Support,’ Facing Big Challenges
Among the more daunting challenges President Biden faces in the coming year will be to make good on his goal of admitting 10 times as many refugees — 125,000 — as former President Donald Trump allowed to enter the United States last year. During his presidency, Trump ordered drastic cutbacks in the U.S. refugee program.

Rachel Levine Makes History As 1st Openly Trans Federal Official Confirmed By Senate
The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Dr. Rachel Levine as assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services. The vote is a history-making one: Levine is the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate.

Timber Wars Continued: Conservationists Sue To Save Spotted Owl Logging Protections
Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to preserve protections for 3.4 million acres of northern spotted owl habitat from the US-Canada border to northern California, the latest salvo in a legal battle over logging in federal old-growth forests that are key nesting grounds for the imperiled species.