Your Thursday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News
Top eight CNS stories for today including a drift toward authoritarianism in Hungary and Poland during the Covid-19 crisis is raising alarms across the European Union; President Donald Trump rolled out a plan that allows governors to begin easing restrictions to slowly reopen the economy; A new Small Business Administration loan program is out of money, and more.
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National
1.) Defying experts warning that social distancing is still critical to stop the spread of Covid-19, President Donald Trump on Thursday rolled out a plan that allows governors to begin easing restrictions to slowly reopen the economy.
2.) Covid-19 has put estimated 26.8 million out of work since the U.S. declared a national emergency, according to new figures Thursday showing that 5.2 million people filed claims for unemployment insurance last week.
3.) A new Small Business Administration loan program is out of money, the agency said Thursday amid a deadlock in Congress over new funding to help employers cover payroll and expenses during the coronavirus pandemic.
International
4.) A drift toward authoritarianism in Hungary and Poland during the Covid-19 crisis is raising alarms across the European Union.
5.) El Salvador’s major political parties, displaced by a popular president, are prepared to cancel his nationwide quarantine that has limited the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
6.) Once-in-a-lifetime flooding events could be a daily occurrence in coastal cities, thanks to rising sea levels due to climate change.
Regional
7.) Seven Midwestern governors announced a plan Thursday to work together on reopening their states for business after similar pacts were made in the Northeast and on the West Coast.
8.) California hopes two weeks of paid leave will keep sick workers home and avoid outbreaks like the one in a South Dakota meatpacking plant that sickened at least 640.
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