March 2021

Blinken urges China to convince North Korea to denuclearize

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — America’s top diplomat on Thursday pressed China to use its “tremendous influence” to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, hours after the North said it will ignore U.S. offers to resume negotiations.

Treasury says state tax cuts OK if separated from virus aid

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Responding to concerns from state officials, the U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday that states can cut taxes without penalty under a new federal pandemic relief law — so long as they use their own funds to offset those cuts.

US jobless claims rise to 770,000; layoffs still high

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to 770,000, a sign that layoffs remain high even as much of the U.S. economy is steadily recovering from the coronavirus recession.

Who deserves credit? Biden leans into pandemic politics

WASHINGTON (AP) — In President Joe Biden’s war against the coronavirus, former President Donald Trump hardly exists.

The Democratic president ignored Trump in his first prime-time address to the nation, aside from a brief indirect jab. It was the same when Biden kicked off a national tour in Pennsylvania on Tuesday to promote the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Now, as his administration is on the cusp of delivering on his promise of administering 100 million doses of vaccine in his first 100 days, Biden is in no rush to share the credit.

US schools prepare summer of learning to help kids catch up

MISSION, Kan. (AP) —After a dreary year spent largely at home in front of the computer, many U.S. children could be looking at summer school — and that’s just what many parents want.

Although the last place most kids want to spend summer is in a classroom, experts say that after a year of interrupted study, it’s crucial to do at least some sort of learning over the break, even if it’s not in school and is incorporated into traditional camp offerings.

Police investigate suspect’s motive in Atlanta-area killings

ATLANTA (AP) — A gunman accused of killing eight people, most of them of Asian descent, at three Atlanta-area massage parlors claimed to have a “sex addiction” and apparently lashed out at what he saw as sources of temptation, officials said Wednesday.

GOP attorneys general question stimulus barring tax cuts

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Republican attorneys general from 21 states are questioning a provision in the $1.9 trillion pandemic rescue plan that bars states from using its funds to offset tax cuts.

Crews remove third giant chunk of shipwreck off Ga. coast

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Salvage crews cutting a wrecked cargo ship into giant chunks along the Georgia coast Tuesday lifted away the third big section to be severed from the vessel since demolition began four months ago.

Pre-embryos made in lab could spur research, ethics debates

WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time, scientists have used human cells to make structures that mimic the earliest stages of development, which they say will pave the way for more research without running afoul of restrictions on using real embryos.

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