Supreme Court upholds Puerto Rico financial oversight board

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the oversight board established by Congress to help Puerto Rico out of a devastating financial crisis that has been exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak, recent earthquakes and damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017. The justices reversed a lower court...

Hawaii public pension fund suffers worst loss in 17 years

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s largest public pension fund suffered its worst quarterly loss in more than 17 years because of the economic impact of the coronavirus. The state Employees’ Retirement System investments fell 9.5%, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Sunday. The fund’s...

Editorial Roundup:

The Detroit News. May 16, 2020. Use relief funds for recovery alone As the federal government spends astronomical sums to combat the effect of economic slowdowns due to the pandemic, Congress needs to make sure that these funds are targeted as narrowly as possible. House Democrats have presented their latest...

Correction: US-Virus Outbreak-IRS Payments story

In a story May 11, 2020, about (an IRS deadline for taxpayers to provide their direct deposit information, The Associated Press erroneously reported that the agency announced the deadline on Monday. The announcement was made Friday.

Pandemic shows contrasts between US, European safety nets

The coronavirus pandemic is straining social safety nets across the globe — and underlining sharp differences in approach between wealthy societies such as the United States and Europe. In Europe, the collapse in business activity is triggering wage support programs that are keeping millions on the job,...

Man sentenced for punching armed guard, trying to get gun

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A St. Louis man has been sentenced to time served and three years of probation for punching an armed guard in the face at a Social Security Administration office and attempting to obtain control of the guard's firearm. The U.S. attorney's office says 28-year-old Slaven Nedic was sentenced...

Lost your job? Here's what you need to know

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 33.5 million Americans have lost their jobs and applied for unemployment benefits in the past 7 weeks — a stunning record high that reflects the near-complete shutdown of the U.S. economy. On Friday, the government said the U.S. unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April, the...

Where's my check? Answers to common relief payment questions

The US government has distributed about 130 million economic impact payments to taxpayers in less than 30 days. The IRS anticipates sending more than 150 million payments as part of a massive coronavirus rescue package. The distribution has had some hiccups, including an overwhelmed website, payments to deceased...

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts: ___ CLAIM: Photo shows Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden kissing a young...

Mexican protest singer Oscar Chávez dies of COVID-19 at 85

MEXICO CITY (AP) — One of Mexico’s best-known protest singers, Oscar Chávez, died Thursday at age 85 after being infected with the coronavirus. Mexico's culture secretary confirmed the singer's death, and the State Workers' Social Security Institute said he died of complications from COVID-19...