Politics

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday signed an emergency declaration over the coronavirus pandemic, unlocking certain government powers to deal with the public health challenge. Here’s a breakdown of what that means on a legal and practical level. What is emergency power? It’s special authority that a president can unlock and use in exigent circumstances. […]

For Joseph R. Biden Jr., campaigning these days means virtual fund-raisers. Field offices shuttered. And rallying support by live stream, a tactic vulnerable to severe technological difficulties, as he discovered on Friday evening. As the sound cut in and out and the audio often came out garbled, Mr. Biden sought to host what his campaign

As he declared a national emergency over the coronavirus outbreak, President Trump attempted to deflect criticisms of his administration’s response to the virus with inaccurate claims. Here’s a fact-check. what the facts are Mr. Trump wrongly blamed the Obama administration for coronavirus testing shortages and falsely said it “didn’t do testing” during the swine flu

But Mr. Trump and the clutch of aides that stood around him seemed like they were beaming in from a less precarious time and place. For all of the recommendations about social distancing and the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to replace handshakes with elbow taps, the president insisted on shaking

WASHINGTON — Despite the worsening pandemic, the Trump administration is pushing ahead with tougher work requirements for food stamps, and so far has not offered states the opportunity to cover the uninsured on an emergency basis under Medicaid. The coronavirus appears ready to upend the economic landscape, especially for low-wage workers who could face layoffs

Mr. Mnuchin has spent the week crisscrossing Pennsylvania Avenue to meet with Ms. Pelosi and the two have talked repeatedly on the phone. On Tuesday, after Mr. Mnuchin briefed Senate Republicans at the Capitol, Ms. Pelosi spontaneously invited him to her office. The two sometimes call each other directly on their cellphones. By Friday evening,

WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised schools on Friday that closings for at least eight weeks might be the most effective way to contain the coronavirus. The Education Department released school districts from a slew of testing and accountability measures required by federal law. But schools across the country were far

Trump declares a national emergency, “two very big words.” President Trump on Friday afternoon officially declared a national emergency that he said would give states and territories access to up to $50 billion in federal funds to combat the spreading coronavirus epidemic. In a live address in the White House Rose Garden, he also gave

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday denounced a sweeping relief package to assist people affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus hours before a scheduled House vote, leaving the fate of an emerging compromise between Democrats and his administration unclear even as top officials continued to negotiate. “We don’t think they’re giving enough,” Mr. Trump

WASHINGTON — The House barreled toward a vote on Friday on a sweeping relief package to assist people impacted by the outbreak of the coronavirus, but after days of intensive negotiations, it remained unclear whether President Trump would agree to the measure, leaving its fate up in the air. Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California announced