Courthouse News
Trump extends some coronavirus relief, defers payroll tax
Negotiations to continue economic assistance for millions of Americans hamstrung by the Covid-19 pandemic stalled out in Congress last week prompting President Donald Trump to bypass lawmakers by issuing a host of executive actions reinstating relief.
![Scientists find smallpox in Viking skeleton teeth, marking earliest sign of plague](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2020/07/skeleton-1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Scientists find smallpox in Viking skeleton teeth, marking earliest sign of plague
An international team of scientists has found smallpox strains in the teeth of 1,400-year-old Viking skeletons, providing not only the earliest record of the deadly virus by far but also a rare glimpse into the extinct virus’ mutations and strains.
![Trump ally Hermain Cain hospitalized with COVID after Trump’s OK rally](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2020/07/herman-cain.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Trump ally Hermain Cain hospitalized with COVID after Trump’s OK rally
Herman Cain, a former 2012 Republican presidential candidate who attended President Trump’s comeback rally in Oklahoma last month, has been hospitalized in Atlanta after testing positive for Covid-19.
![U.S. added 4.8 million jobs in June, but coronavirus comeback looms](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2017/07/jobs.jpg?w=980&q=75)
U.S. added 4.8 million jobs in June, but coronavirus comeback looms
The American economy added 4.8 million new jobs in June as the unemployment rate ticked down to 11.1%, but a new surge in coronavirus cases this summer threatens to abruptly halt recovery.
![Mississippi governor signs bill removing Confederate symbol from state flag](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2020/07/racism.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Mississippi governor signs bill removing Confederate symbol from state flag
The Republican governor said the removal of the symbol from the state flag would ensure all residents that “their state recognizes the equal dignity and honor that they possess as a child of the South.”
![Trump’s DACA rollback overturned by fractured Supreme Court](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2020/06/daca.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Trump’s DACA rollback overturned by fractured Supreme Court
Writing for a 5-4 majority, Chief Justice John Roberts found the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy arbitrary and capricious.
High court rules civil rights law protects LGBT workers; Cooney praises ruling
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled federal anti-discrimination protections apply when companies fire people because they are gay or transgender. The ruling comes in a trio of cases the court considered across two hours of oral argument in October.
![Fired head of virus vaccine effort accuses White House of retaliation](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2020/05/vaccine.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Fired head of virus vaccine effort accuses White House of retaliation
The former head of U.S. vaccination efforts against the novel coronavirus brought formal charges Tuesday that blame his firing on the Trump administration’s fixation with an unproven antimalarial drug.
![Western governors coordinate plan to reopen states after pandemic](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2020/01/Newsom.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Western governors coordinate plan to reopen states after pandemic
The governors of California, Oregon and Washington state said Monday they will collaborate to reopen the West Coast’s economy through a “shared vision,” offering the latest sign of progress in the pandemic fight.
Senate and White House reach $2 trillion stimulus deal for virus relief
After five days of negotiations, Senate leaders and the White House reached a deal early Wednesday on a roughly $2 trillion stimulus package aimed at rescuing an economy ravaged by the rapid spread of the Covid-19 virus by aiding businesses, workers and hospitals.