Alanna Joyner

Trump’s attacks on voting-by-mail and the Post Office

By Alanna Joyner / August 17, 2020 /

In a long list of false claims and furious objections to voting-by-mail, Trump admitted on Thursday that he’s willingly blocking proposed federal aid for the U.S. Postal Service in an attempt to make it harder to expand voting by mail. For years, the Postal Service has struggled to stay afloat, and with Louis DeJoy, a…

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The Hill: Senate adjourns until September without COVID-19 relief package

By Alanna Joyner / August 17, 2020 /

Last Thursday, the Senate adjourned until September 8, without reaching a deal for the next round of coronavirus relief legislation. The lack of a deal leaves millions of Americans in financial peril, as the $600 per week federal unemployment benefit, the nationwide moratorium on evictions and the window to apply for Paycheck Protection Program small…

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NPR: Census Cuts All Counting Efforts Short By A Month

By Alanna Joyner / August 12, 2020 /

Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that its ending all counting efforts, including door knocks, responses by mail, over the phone and online, for the 2020 census on Sept. 30 — a month sooner than previously announced.  The last minute change imposed by the Trump administration, could threaten the accuracy of population numbers, especially…

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WRAL: Relief packages should be about helping Americans, not just boosting Trump’s reelection

By Alanna Joyner / August 10, 2020 /

On Saturday, Trump signed three memoranda and one executive order at his exclusive New Jersey golf resort, ahead of any stimulus bill agreement between the House and Senate. In an attempt to appear to come to the nation’s rescue, Trump’s measures would provide $300 per week in federal unemployment assistance with another $100 a week…

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Congress leaves town without a coronavirus stimulus deal, allowing $600 unemployment benefit to end

By Alanna Joyner / August 3, 2020 /

Another round of coronavirus relief package talks began today, as Congress adjourned for the weekend without coming to any deal on the program or a larger emergency stimulus package. The $600 weekly unemployment benefit that helped 32 million Americans stay afloat, officially ended on Friday — leaving unemployed Americans in limbo while Congress continues to…

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Port City Daily: The Covid-19 safety nets are gone. Now a flood of evictions is here.

By Alanna Joyner / August 3, 2020 /

Last week marked the end of statewide eviction moratoriums in more than 30 states, including North Carolina, that had protections for renters in the CARES Act. More than 40 million Americans may lose their homes — almost four times the amount seen during the Great Recession. In North Carolina, Gov. Cooper mandated a months-long statewide…

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The News & Observer: With weekly $600 gone, NC unemployment benefits alone are not enough, workers say

By Alanna Joyner / July 29, 2020 /

As Congress debates how to shape the next phase of coronavirus relief, the extra $600 federal unemployment benefits that were legislated through the CARES Act have now expired for millions across the country.  The last payment rolled out this past weekend, as the House and Senate are considering different economic stimulus packages.  Instead of extending…

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Millions of Americans are about to experience utility shutoffs, evictions and loss of homes

By Alanna Joyner / July 28, 2020 /

Numerous moratorium on evictions across the nation, including in North Carolina, are set to end in the coming days. According to a Census Bureau survey, almost 24 million Americans say that they don’t expect to be able to make their next monthly rent or mortgage payment, as the blockage of utility charges and the eviction…

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Progressive Pulse: N.C. is fifth in the nation in lost health insurance coverage due to the COVID-19 recession

By Alanna Joyner / July 22, 2020 /

According to a new report from researchers at the group Families USA, North Carolina is one of the hardest hit state by COVID-19’s economic impact with 238,000 people losing health insurance through May. One-in-five adults under age 65 in North Carolina was uninsured as state lawmakers refused to pass Medicaid expansion in the latest legislative…

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The New York Times: Trump Administration Strips C.D.C. of Control of Coronavirus Data

By Alanna Joyner / July 20, 2020 /

Last week, the Trump Administration stripped control of all COVID-19 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and has ordered hospitals to send the information to the Department of Health and Human Services through a private company. Since the pandemic began, the CDC has regularly published data on availability of hospital beds,…

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