Communities of color are driving population growth in states like Texas, North Carolina and Florida, but gerrymandering could limit their representation in Congress as district lines are redrawn this year based on a complicated 2020 census and just plain politics. Why it matters: When census counts are accurate and political boundaries fairly drawn, voters have…
The pandemic has thrust a relatively unknown ailment, anosmia — or smell loss — into the international spotlight. Why it matters: Researchers hope smell testing becomes as standard as the annual flu shot, helping to detect early signs of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.”Loss of smell is associated with so many different health conditions,”…
The Senate voted 50-49 on Saturday to approve President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief package.Why it matters: COVID relief has been a central promise for Biden, and passing the sweeping package has been a major priority for the administration and congressional Democrats. What’s next: The House is expected to take up the Senate version of…
Geopolitical tensions are foiling efforts to get to the bottom of how COVID-19 originated.Why it matters: Insights into how COVID-19 began can help us prevent future pandemics — especially if it involved any kind of leak or accident at a virology lab.Driving the news: The findings of a WHO-led mission to Wuhan, China, earlier this…
Mexican Americans make up the nation’s largest Latino group, yet they remain politically outshined by more recently arrived Cuban Americans.Why it matters: The disparities in political power between Mexican Americans and Cuban Americans reflect the racial, historical, geographical and economic differences within Latino cultures in the U.S. For the first time in U.S. history, the…
Race and identity play into the media platforms people use to advocate their politics, data show. Why it matters: People of color and Democrats are more likely to take to social platforms like Twitter to advocate for a cause, and to say that seeing something on social media changed their views. Republicans are increasingly turning to…
Vaccine passports could become available soon to help people resume their lives — but they face numerous scientific, social and political barriers to being accepted.The big picture: Reliable and accessible proof of vaccine-induced protection from the novel coronavirus could speed international travel and economic reopening, but obstacles to its wide-scale adoption are so great it…
Three men in prison for the 1996 killings of two men, including an off-duty New York Police Department officer, had their convictions overturned Friday, because of information prosecutors should have turned over to their defense attorneys at trial but did not.A judge released George Bell, Gary Johnson, and Rohan Bolt on their own recognizance while…
HOUSTON – Texas’ state power regulator on Friday unanimously vetoed a request to cut about $16 billion from state power charges during the final day of the state’s February cold snap, saying even a partial repricing could have unintended effects.The Public Utility Commission deferred voting on a separate proposal to slice service fees that would…
WASHINGTON — Attorneys for former President Donald Trump sent cease-and-desist letters Friday to three Republican organizations asking them to stop using the former president’s name and likeness in fundraising appeals and merchandise, a Trump adviser said Saturday.The letters were sent to the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senate…
