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With U.S. border work on track, rural towns fear virus spread BILLINGS, Mont. — Major construction projects moving forward along the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico are raising fears the coronavirus could race through temporary work camps and spread to rural communities unable to handle an outbreak. Despite a clampdown on people’s movements in much of the country, groups of workers travel every day from camps in New Mexico to build President Donald Trump’s border wall. Along the northern border, a Canadian company says it will start work this month on the disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline, another Trump-supported project that could bring thousands of workers to rural communities in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Residents, tribal leaders and state officials have warned that the influx of outsiders could make problems worse in rural areas with little or no medical infrastructure capable of dealing with a surge of infections. The border wall and pipeline are exempt from stay-at-home restrictions intended to reduce the virus’s spread. Share this -







Photo: California's deserted beaches Empty beaches in Manhattan Beach on Thursday after Los Angeles issued a stay-at-home order and closed beaches and state parks. Lucy Nicholson / Reuters Share this -







Roy Moore to advise Louisiana pastor arrested for violating coronavirus orders Roy Moore gives the Pledge of Allegiance before announcing his plans to run for U.S. Senate in Montgomery, Alabama, on June 20, 2019. Jessica McGowan / Getty Images Conservative lightning rod Roy Moore, the former chief justice of Alabama's high court, took to the pulpit on Thursday to back a Louisiana church defying state orders against mass gatherings. Moore appeared at Life Tabernacle Church to lend his support and advice to pastor Tony Spell, who faces misdemeanor charges for his continued flouting of state bans on large gatherings, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. "There is no more clear violation of the First Amendment than this prohibition to assemble in a church," said Moore. Read the full story here. Share this -







New York City burials delayed due to surging coronavirus deaths A funeral director and a Wycoff Heights Medical Center, employee transport a body in New York on April 1, 2020. Mary Altaffer / AP The surge in coronavirus-related deaths in New York City is overwhelming funeral homes, leading to delays in burials lasting upwards of one week. Numerous calls to funeral home and cemetery directors painted a growing crisis in the “aftercare industry.” Two directors said some hospitals have limited hours for pick up of the deceased, slowing the funeral homes' ability to retrieve the dead. In other cases, hospitals are delayed in filing the needed paperwork to authorize a body’s release for burial, the directors said. Read the full story here. Share this -







Private jet industry touts new coronavirus tax break The private jet industry got a big tax break in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed by President Trump on March 27. Now it's using the tax break as a marketing pitch. “Great news!” said a marketing email sent Thursday from Paramount Business Jets based in Leesburg Virginia. “The new CARES Act, recently signed by the President, waives all Federal Excise Tax (7.5% FET) on all domestic trips, as well as the segment fees associated with those flights.” The company boasts a “portfolio” of 4,000 “luxurious” jets, and its email adds that not only is private jet travel now cheaper, it’s also “a much safer way of flying.” Share this -







Fact check: Biden claims Trump is holding up stimulus checks President Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Reuters; AFP - Getty Images On a livestream today, Joe Biden suggested that coronavirus checks were being held up by the president. “No American should have to wait a single minute so Donald Trump can put his signature on a physical check,” the front-runner for the Democratic nomination said on Thursday. “It isn’t about him, it’s about families that need the cash now.” Biden is possibly referring to a recent Wall Street Journal report from late last week. The paper reported that according to an administration official, the president had told people he wanted his signature to appear on the direct payment checks. Though that would be unusual, there's no evidence that’s actually holding up payments. Trump administration officials have said the money will go out via direct deposit and physical check within weeks, but logistical and technological issues are expected to delay many of the payments. "if we have your information, you’ll get it within two weeks," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters Thursday during the White House briefing. Share this -





