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The Labor Department on Friday reported jobless rates in May for the 50 states, and the news is the greater than usual variation. Some state economies are recovering much faster than others, and the worst performing tend to be those that have imposed the most severe lockdowns. The national jobless rate was 13.3 percent in May, but 10 states still have unemployment rates above 15 percent. From highest down, they are: Nevada (25.3 percent), Hawaii (22.6 percent), Michigan (21.2 percent), California, Rhode Island and Massachusetts (16.3 percent), Delaware (15.8 percent), Illinois and New Jersey (15.2 percent), and Washington state (15.1...

The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in a Michigan federal court in support of a lawsuit filed by seven businesses challenging the restrictions imposed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.The statement of interest is part of Attorney General William P. Barr’s April 27, 2020 initiative directing Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Matthew Schneider, to review state and local policies to ensure that civil liberties are protected during the COVID-19 pandemic.In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the...

The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in a Washington State federal court supporting the First Amendment religious freedom claims of a Pierce County church, explaining how a recent Supreme Court decision, South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom (May 29, 2020), supports the church’s claim. The statement of interest explains that Washington’s preferable treatment of secular gatherings such as restaurants, taverns, and outdoor protests compared to the restrictions imposed on indoor and outdoor religious services triggers heightened scrutiny under the Constitution.The statement of interest is part of Attorney General William P. Barr's April 27, 2020 initiative...

OXFORD (CBS) – An escalating standoff with the town of Oxford and a local gym owner came to a head as the town moved in and changed the locks and ordered any members inside to leave. This week a judge ruled the town could use whatever means necessary to close the facility and took the first step overnight by turning off the water and electricity. In the afternoon, a constable posted a copy of the court order and soon after the locks were being changed. “I understand shutdown laws and rules but enough is enough,” said Prime Fitness owner David...

Potential Democratic vice presidential nominee Stacey Abrams called on the restaurant industry Thursday to do better for its employees of all backgrounds as dining establishments begin to more fully re-open following the easing of coronavirus-related lockdowns. Notably, she pressed the issue of “right to return,” an idea that in this context would encourage or require hiring managers to give employees furloughed or laid off during COVID closures the right of refusal to reclaim their jobs before they get offered to anyone else.

An Ohio barbecue joint just across the border from Erie named Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf its employee of the month for bringing so much business to the lakefront eatery over the past weeks. The Facebook post from Breakwall BBQ owner Mike Morgan is a wink and a nod to Pennsylvania’s slow, gradual reopening process — a process that has nearby Erie County still in the yellow phase, which prohibits restaurants from offering dine-in services. Ohio restaurants have been open for full-but-socially-distant business since last month. “Also want to give a shout-out to our employee of the month, Pennsylvania’s very own...

Dan Wu, an immigrant chef and owner of Atomic Ramen in Lexington, Kentucky, operated his restaurant for two and a half years before COVID hit. The location’s closure turned from temporary to indefinite as the government instituted stay-at-home orders and dining room restrictions. To-go and delivery weren’t feasible lifelines. Eventually it became clear the restaurant wasn’t going to hang on, so Atomic Ramen closed permanently about three weeks ago. Wu’s situation is an example of what numerous independent operators are facing nationwide. According to a report released by Compass Lexecon in conjunction with the Independent Restaurant Coalition, 85 percent of...

Ohio's COVID-19 lockdown violates due process and the separation of powers, a state judge concluded today, ruling in favor of a company that sought to reopen a water park without suffering criminal penalties. "This unbridled and unfettered consolidation of authority in one unelected official is dangerous grounds to tread on," writes Erie County Court of Common Pleas Judge Roger Binette, referring to Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton's orders requiring "nonessential" businesses to close. "If one unelected, unaccountable to the public official is allowed to invoke unfettered Orders [that] criminalize an otherwise non-criminal activity only for disobedience to her...

'I'm getting all sorts of excuses of why I can't give my brother the honorable service and burial that he is is entitled to. He was promised that in the event of death, this country will take care of you.' Master Sgt. Joseph Wynne Velasquez served his country in the U. S. Army for more than 20 years. He deployed once to Macedonia, twice to Iraq, and then to Afghanistan. He has six children, a grandson, and a wife of 19 years. Between him and his brother Phillip James Velasquez, Jr., their mother Wilma Maria endured a son in a...

Thousands of ‘black trans lives matter’ protesters gathered outside of the Brooklyn museum on Sunday. The protesters were shoulder-to-shoulder and not practicing social distancing. Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo threatened restaurant/bar owners, police officers and party goers in Manhattan and the Hamptons who were violating the Communist ‘social distancing’ orders...Crooked Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. recently announced the DA’s office will not prosecute protest-related arrests “in the interest of justice.”...

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday fired back at Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s threat to shut down Manhattan again if the city didn’t enforce social-distancing better — saying through a rep that “imprisoning people” isn’t the answer. “We must balance safety with people’s need to reopen their businesses,” a City Hall spokeswoman said in an e-mail. “We had social distancing ambassadors out all weekend distributing masks and encouraging people to disperse after making their purchases. “These businesses are allowed to be open per the Governor’s guidelines and we don’t believe imprisoning people or taking away their livelihood is the answer.”

The saying goes that in Berlin’s nightclubs, you can be or do whatever you want, as long as you don’t put anyone in danger. In a pandemic, that’s a problem. Paris has the Louvre, London its royal palaces and Berlin its nightclubs. Rooting back to the years after the fall of the Wall, when wild, improvised parties took place in abandoned industrial buildings, legendary techno club Tresor, rival Berghain and the city’s myriad other dance spots form a wild party scene that caters to all tastes—in music, drugs or sex. Clubs are among the biggest draws for the 13 million...

A date for reopening New Jersey malls has not been announced by Gov. Phil Murphy and a group of mayors is pressing him on why. The mayors of Bridgewater, Elizabeth, Paramus, Wayne and Woodbridge sent a letter to Murphy this week requesting a quicker reopening of malls in their towns. “Willowbrook Mall is the largest taxpayer in our community and having them closed for so long is hurting our economy severely,” Wayne Mayor Chris Vergano said in the letter. All of the mayors said the economic impact from the closings is substantial. “We have been unable to collect revenue associated...

Pecola Pointer owned the On Point Salon in downtown Cleveland for nine years - seven on St. Clair Avenue and the last two in the Halle Building on Euclid Avenue - before lack of business forced her to close in May. That makes the 58-year-old African American stylist a statistic in what a recent study out of California has found to be the alarming demise of black-owned businesses during the coronavirus pandemic A University of California at Santa Cruz professor found that 41 percent of black-owned businesses and 32 percent of Latinx businesses in the United States went under from...

The University of Houston has suspended voluntary workouts for all student-athletes after six symptomatic student-athletes in various sports tested positive for the coronavirus as the Houston area has seen a recent surge of positive tests....

(Update: Adding Kevin Mannix comment) High court rules against churches challenging COVID-19 restrictions, says executive orders did not violate 28-day time limit SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Supreme Court ruled Friday that a Baker County judge erred in ruling that Gov. Kate Brown’s executive orders relating to the coronavirus pandemic violated a 28-day statutory time limit and had therefore expired. Friday's decision directs Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff to vacate the preliminary injunction he'd issued while the Baker County case – seeking a declaratory judgment and permanent injunction – was pending (which the Supreme Court had previously stayed). The governor’s...

UPDATE 6/11/2020: Amy Acton has announced her resignation as Director of the Ohio Department of Health as of June 11, 2020. Read OR’s press release on her resignation. A Special Operation Rescue Investigative Report By Cheryl Sullenger Columbus, Ohio – She’s been called heroic. The Savior of Ohio. Inspirational. One four-year old child even dressed up like her for “Superhero Day.” But Operation Rescue has uncovered new information about Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Executive Director Amy Acton that casts doubt not only on her alleged meteoric rise from poverty and abuse, but also on her fitness to serve. Troubling...

Dr. Amy Acton has resigned as Ohio’s health director, Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday, capping a contentious few months as the target of frustrations during the coronavirus pandemic that included gun-carrying critics showing up at her home. Acton was most recently sued by organizers of music festivals and restaurant owners as the slow reopening unfolded. “I really want to say most of all to Ohioans: Ohioans, you have saved lives. You’ve done this,” she said at a news briefing. Acton, who called her time as the state health director an “honor of a lifetime,” faced House Republicans seeking to restrict...

Mnuchin, speaking on CNBC television, said he was prepared to go back to Congress for more money to support the economy, but additional funds would be targeted to sectors with the most need, including hotels, restaurants, travel and entertainment firms. The Treasury chief, who has been the Trump administration’s point man for negotiating rescue programs, said that he was confident that COVID-19 infection spikes in certain areas could be dealt with due to improvements in testing, contact tracing and ample hospital capacity. “We can’t shut down the economy again. I think we’ve learned that if you shut down the economy,...

According to a survey conducted by the newly formed National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), nearly all of independent music venues may be forced to close their doors for good due to the coronavirus pandemic. 2,000 members from all 50 states took part in the survey, which found that 90% of the venues "will close permanently in a few months without federal funding." NIVA recently sent a letter calling on Congress to provide assistance in the wake of the "unique and dire situation" facing the industry. Dayna Frank, NIVA board president and owner of Minneapolis's First Avenue, explained: "Our passionate and...