A group of Republican attorneys general have lost their bid for a temporary injunction that would have blocked the federal government from imposing new staffing level requirements on nursing homes. Last year, the Biden administration approved new staffing requirements for nursing homes that collect taxpayer money through Medicaid and Medicare. The rules, which are to…
WASHINGTON − The White House is urging the Federal Communications Commission to crack down on U.S. telecom providers after at least nine were breached in a massive Chinese hacking and spying campaign that targeted senior government officials. Voluntary compliance with cybersecurity practices are inadequate to protect against hacking from foreign actors, the White House’s deputy…
WASHINGTON − The State Department’s Global Engagement Center, the highly touted nerve center for coordinating U.S. efforts to counter foreign disinformation – especially by Russia and China – shut down this week after becoming a lightning rod for conservative criticism. The mission of the GEC, as it is commonly known, was to “direct, lead, synchronize,…
The University of Delaware has agreed to pay more than $700,000 to resolve claims that it failed to disclose a professor’s “affiliations with and support from” the Chinese government when seeking federal funds for research, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The settlement announced Monday ties to a NASA grant issued back in 2020….
Despite stubbornly high inflation recently and a sturdy economy and job market, the Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates this week for the third straight meeting. What gives? Some economists say Fed officials could be making a blunder that risks reigniting inflation and undercutting their pledge to rely on the latest data when…
Rhode Island’s public benefits computer system was shut down Friday after it was breached by hackers, potentially exposing the personal information of hundreds of thousands of Rhode Islanders, Gov. Dan McKee said. Deloitte, the information technology vendor that built and runs the computer system known as RIBridges and UHIP, first alerted the state and police…
ASHEVILLE – Nearly 200 Buncombe County residents have applied for assistance through a state-managed program assisting owners whose properties were damaged when Tropical Storm Helene swept through the region Sept. 27. Dozens are hoping to have their properties purchased outright. During the Dec. 2 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners briefing, County Manager Avril Pinder updated…
Children’s Services Council Executive Director Cecka Rose Green received high praise from most of the council’s board members, scoring above average on her professional duties in her annual evaluation. However, during a Thursday executive committee meeting some members didn’t believe her performance warranted a salary increase, as she is requesting. “I’m not in favor of…
President-elect Donald Trump is naming the former U.S. Border Patrol chief pushed out by the Biden administration to lead the Customs and Border Protection, which monitors hundreds of ways to enter the country. Trump’s CBP nominee Rodney Scott is a 29-year border-enforcement veteran who clashed with President Joe Biden’s team on how best to tackle…
The World Health Organization is deploying a team of experts to help local health authorities investigate a mysterious, flu-like disease that has infected nearly 400 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. The team comprises epidemiologists, clinicians, laboratory technicians, infection prevention and control specialists and risk communications experts, according to a WHO statement….