| | | | | | | Wednesday 5/18 at 11:48am | U.S. officials say the COVID-19 pandemic could get worse in the U.S. in the weeks ahead, and more people could be advised to again wear masks indoors. Increasing numbers of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are putting more of the country under guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that call for masking and other infection precautions. CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing that local leaders in increasing areas of the country are being urged to encourage masking and increase "access to testing and treatment." However, officials said how much worse the pandemic gets will depend on how well previous infections protect against new variants and other factors. | | | | | | | Wednesday 5/18 at 11:35am | The Department of Homeland Security paused the work of its new disinformation governance board Wednesday. The move responds to weeks of criticism from Republicans and questions about whether the board would impinge on Americans' free speech rights. Nina Jankowicz, picked to lead the board, wrote in her resignation letter that the board's future was "uncertain," according to her letter, obtained by The Associated Press. Federal and state agencies treat disinformation as a national security threat. But the new board was hampered from the start by questions about its purpose and an uneven rollout.. The phrase "Ministry of Truth" — a reference to George Orwell's "1984" — has repeatedly trended online in discussions about the board. | | | | | | | Wednesday 5/18 at 11:25am | Stocks fell sharply in afternoon trading on Wall Street Wednesday, led by led by steep drops in retailers as Target plunged after issuing a grim quarterly earnings report. The S&P 500 fell 1.6%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.4% and the Nasdaq fell 1.6%. Target lost a quarter of its value after saying its results were hit by higher costs, dragging other store operators down with it. Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Best Buy all fell sharply. Technology stocks also fell broadly and weighed on the market. Bond yields fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 2.92%. | | | | | | | Wednesday 5/18 at 11:14am | The United Nations is significantly lowering its forecast for global economic growth this year from 4% to 3.1%. In a new report Wednesday, it says the war in Ukraine has triggered increasing global food and commodity prices and exacerbated inflationary pressures, upending the fragile recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The mid-2022 forecast says the downgrade in growth prospects is broad-based, including the world's largest economies -- the United States, China and most significantly the European Union. It also affects the majority of other developed and developing countries. And it warned that the 3.1% forecast "faces significant downside risks." | | | | | | | Wednesday 5/18 at 10:52am | | MADISON, Wis. — Outgoing UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from the university. The news comes after several recent public-facing events celebrating her time at the university, including a day at the Memorial Union Terrace for a final round of ice cream, music and goodbyes with students and staff. Blank also attended UW-Madison’s... | | | | | | | Wednesday 5/18 at 10:45am | As the comment period begins for the FDA's proposed ban, public health experts explain the stakes. | | | | | | Companies that collect data from the digital clues people leave online often know their most sensitive health information _ gleaned from web searches, health apps and location trackers. Privacy experts fear this digital trail could be used to surveil pregnancies if the U.S. Supreme Court allows abortions to be banned, as a leaked draft opinion suggests it will. Ford Foundation technology fellow Cynthia Conti-Cook says the data gives outsiders a peek into someone's soul. It's mostly used to target advertising, like baby products shown to pregnant women. But the data could become evidence in a criminal case, something that worries abortion supporters. | | | | | | David Roth has won Idaho's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Roth has served as head of the Bonneville County Democrats and ran for the state Legislature in 2020. Roth will be a heavy underdog against four-term Republican Sen. Mike Crapo in November's general election. The last time Democrats won a U.S. Senate election in Idaho was 1974. The top issues Roth listed during his campaign were substance use reduction through evidence-based programs; funding for education, including early childhood and after-school programs; health care affordability; and immigration reform. | | | | | | |
