January 13, 2022 9:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since mid-November. U.S. jobless claims climbed by 23,000 last week to 230,000, still low by historic standards. The four-week moving average, which smooths out week-to-week blips, was up nearly 6,300 to almost 211,000. The weekly applications, a proxy for layoffs, have now risen four of the last five weeks, possibly a sign that the omicron variant is having an impact on the job market, which has bounced strongly from last year’s coronavirus recession.
January 13, 2022 4:06 am
BOSTON (AP) – Navient, a major student loan servicing company, has settled allegations of predatory lending practices for $1.85 billion. The settlement was announced Thursday and could cancel student loans of tens of thousands of borrowers. The settlement includes $1.7 billion in debt cancellation and $95 million in restitution and involves 39 state attorneys general. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro says the settlement would resolve claims that Navient led student borrowers into long-term forbearances instead of giving them advice on less costly repayment plans. Navient says it did not act illegally and it did not admit fault in the settlement.
January 13, 2022 4:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – All but acknowledging defeat, President Joe Biden now says he’s “not sure” his elections and voting rights legislation can pass Congress this year. He spoke at the Capitol Thursday after a key fellow Democrat, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, dramatically announced her refusal to go along with changing Senate rules to muscle past a Republican filibuster blockade. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is still hoping to use Senate procedural rules to bypass a filibuster and force the legislation to the floor for a debate. But the Democrats still lack the support within their own party to overhaul the rules and pass the bill with a simple majority.
January 13, 2022 4:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group, has been arrested and charged with seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Justice Department announced the charges against Rhodes on Thursday. He is the highest-ranking member of an extremist group to be arrested in the deadly siege. It is the first time the Justice Department has brought a seditious conspiracy charge in connection with the attack on the Capitol. Ten other people also were charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the attack on Jan. 6, 2021, when authorities said members of the extremist group came to Washington intent on stopping the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. (Photo: ABC)
January 13, 2022 4:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) -President Joe Biden says the government plans to double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Biden says his administration will also make the most protective N95 masks available for no charge. He spoke at an event aimed at highlighting the federal government’s efforts to “surge” COVID-19 testing and send personnel to help overwhelmed medical facilities. The effort comes amid the upswing in coronavirus cases and staff shortages due to the omicron variant. Starting next week, 1,000 military medical personnel will begin arriving to help mitigate staffing crunches at hospitals. (Photo: AP)
January 13, 2022 2:45 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – After several months of positioning himself to run, ex-hedge fund CEO David McCormick is entering Pennsylvania’s campaign for U.S. Senate. He brings a glittering resume and high-level connections across finance and politics to a topsy-turvy GOP primary field. The 56-year-old McCormick has the support of various state party stalwarts in a contest that’s expected to help determine Senate control. To run, McCormick, who grew up in Pennsylvania, moved from Connecticut and bought a house in Pittsburgh. That’s raising carpet-baggery cries from GOP primary rivals. Also moving from out of state to run is Mehmet Oz, the heart surgeon best-known as the host of daytime TV’s “The Dr. Oz Show.” (Photo: Wikipedia)
January 13, 2022 2:34 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A plan to redraw lines for Pennsylvania’s congressional districts to account for a decade of population shifts is advancing in the Legislature with a partisan vote that signals lawmakers have more redistricting work ahead. Two suburban Philadelphia Republicans joined every Democrat in voting Wednesday against the proposal. It would reshuffle the state to take into account 2020 census results that dropped the state’s congressional delegation from 18 members to 17. The schedule is getting tight for lawmakers to produce congressional maps without delaying the May 17 primary election. In Pennsylvania, congressional maps are handled as regular legislation that need approval from lawmakers and the governor.
January 12, 2022 10:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration is increasing federal support for COVID-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge. The White House said Wednesday the administration is making a dedicated stream of 5 million rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests available to schools starting this month. The goal is to ease supply shortages and promote the safe reopening of schools. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona tells CBS students need to be in their classrooms and the announcement shows the administration’s commitment to helping schools stay open. The initiative comes after Chicago public schools closed for days amid an impasse between teachers and officials over reopening policies.
January 12, 2022 8:48 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Prices paid by U.S. consumer jumped 7% in December from a year earlier, the highest inflation rate since 1982 and the latest evidence that rising costs for food, gas, rent and other necessities are heightening the financial pressures on America’s households. Inflation has spiked during the recovery from the pandemic recession as Americans have ramped up spending on goods such as cars, furniture and appliances. Those increased purchases have clogged ports and warehouses and exacerbated supply shortages of semiconductors and other parts.
January 12, 2022 4:14 am
(AP) – Shortages at U.S. grocery stores have grown more acute in recent weeks. New problems like the fast-spreading omicron variant and severe weather are piling on to the supply chain struggles and labor shortages that have plagued retailers since the coronavirus pandemic began. The shortages are widespread, impacting produce and meat as well as packaged goods like cereal. And they’re being reported nationwide. U.S. groceries typically have 5% to 10% of their items out of stock at any given time. According to the Consumer Brands Association, the unavailability rate is hovering around 15%. Experts are divided on how long grocery shopping will sometimes feel like a scavenger hunt.
