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In this March 27, 2020, photo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., walks to her office after signing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump wants to spend $2 trillion on infrastructure projects to create jobs and help the collapsing economy rebuild from the coronavirus' stunning blows. Pelosi says that seems about right. Sounds like the prelude to a bipartisan deal. Except that when it comes to trying to upgrade the country's road, rail, water and broadband systems, Washington frequently veers off the tracks — usually over the bill's contents and how to pay for it. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Record jobless claims but Dems, GOP divide over rescue bill

Apr. 2, 2020 6:42 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh data on Thursday that detailed a record avalanche of unemployment claims offered no signs of easing the rift between Democrats and Republicans over the need for new legislation financing infrastructure and other job-creation programs. With the coronavirus barreling across the...

A couple sits on an empty section of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu on Saturday, March 28, 2020. Like many cities across the world, Honolulu came to an eerie standstill this weekend as the coronavirus pandemic spread throughout the islands. But Hawaii officials went beyond the standard stay-at-home orders and effectively flipped the switch on the state's tourism-fueled economic engine in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. As of Thursday, anyone arriving in Hawaii must undergo a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. The unprecedented move dramatically reduced the number of people on beaches, in city parks and on country roads where many people rely on tourism to pay for the high cost of living in Hawaii. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

Hawaii governor orders quarantine for travel between islands

Mar. 30, 2020 9:52 PM EDT

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii Gov. David Ige further tightened travel restrictions to limit the spread of the coronavirus on Monday by ordering people moving between islands to adhere to a 14-day self-quarantine. The order, which takes effect at midnight on Wednesday, won't apply to essential workers like health...

Kentucky governor signs coronavirus-relief bill

Mar. 30, 2020 8:06 PM EDT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Legislation offering relief to workers and employers suffering economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic was signed by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday. The bill was put on the fast track by lawmakers last week as the Bluegrass State deals with rising numbers of coronavirus...

Law to stop dental insurance waiting periods on Maine books

Mar. 29, 2020 3:09 PM EDT

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A new law that prohibits insurance companies from requiring waiting periods before covering tooth decay in children is on the books in Maine. The proposal from Democratic Sen. Heather Sanborn of Portland was intended to make sure children have timely access to dental care. Democratic...

Law to protect small pharmacies on the books in Maine

Mar. 27, 2020 2:45 AM EDT

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A new law in Maine is designed to protect small pharmacies from unexpected charges from insurance companies. The proposal, called “Act Act To Prohibit Health Insurance Carriers from Retroactively Reducing Payment on Clean Claims Submitted by Pharmacies,” was signed into...

Christine Hohf, wearing a unicorn costume, right,and Andi Correa, wearing a dinosaur costume, walk through South Addition, Wednesday, March 25, 2020 in Anchorage. Hohf, who works as a scrub tech at a surgery center, said her hours were cut due to elective surgeries being put off because of the coronavirus pandemic, and she wanted to do something that would make people smile. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

Alaska unemployment claims jump amid coronavirus concerns

Mar. 26, 2020 9:50 PM EDT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Claims for unemployment benefits have risen sharply in Alaska as concerns over the coronavirus ripple through the state, officials said Thursday. Claims filed during the latest weekly reporting period totaled 7,806, up from 1,120 the week prior, said Lennon Weller, actuary for the...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. gives a thumbs up as he leaves the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 25, 2020, where a deal has been reached on a coronavirus bill. The 2 trillion dollar stimulus bill is expected to be voted on in the Senate Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Airlines, others to benefit from $2 trillion rescue bill

Mar. 25, 2020 6:30 PM EDT

The White House and Senate leaders agreed early Wednesday on a $2 trillion economic rescue package, the largest in the country's history. The bill comes in response to the viral pandemic that has shut down businesses and crippled economies around the globe. The bill would give direct payments to most American...

A Salvation Army relief worker tends to a line at a local soup kitchen during the Great Depression. Nearly a century later, the U.S. economy is all but shut down, and layoffs are soaring at small businesses and major industries. A devastating global recession looks inevitable. Deepening the threat, a global oil price war has erupted. Some economists foresee an economic downturn to rival the Depression. (AP Photo)

Buddy, can you spare a dime? Echoes of '30s in viral crisis?

Mar. 24, 2020 11:34 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The imagery floats in sepia-colored photographs, faintly recalled images of bedraggled people lined up for bread or soup. Shacks in Appalachian hollows. Ruined investors taking their lives in the face of stock market crashes. Desperation etched on the faces of a generation that would soon...

From left, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., and White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow attend a a meeting to discuss the coronavirus relief bill on Capitol Hill, Friday, March 20, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Congress toils on $1 trillion rescue, Trump unleashes fury

Mar. 20, 2020 11:17 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As leaders from Congress and the White House toiled in high-stakes negotiations on a mammoth $1 trillion-plus economic rescue package Friday, President Donald Trump unleashed fury on those questioning his handling of the coronavirus outbreak. It was an extraordinary moment in Washington:...

State Rep. Jennifer Jermaine, wearing a mask, looks at documents on her computer as fellow Democratic Rep. Jennifer Longdon, left, looks at her phone before the start of an unusual floor session at the Arizona House in Phoenix, on Thursday, March 19, 2020. The Legislature could work long into the night to enact a basic state budget and fixes for schools and workers before adjourning to allow the coronavirus crisis to ebb. (AP Photo/Bob Christie)

GOP-led Arizona House rejects $50 million Senate virus plan

Mar. 19, 2020 11:44 PM EDT

PHOENIX (AP) — Republicans who lead the Arizona House late Thursday rejected a bipartisan Arizona Senate budget package that included tens of millions of dollars of extra spending to prevent foreclosures and evictions and help small businesses weather the coronavirus crisis. House Speaker Rusty Bowers...

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