5 national stories of the week

<p>Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing in the Rose Garden of the White House, March 29, 2020, in Washington, as President Donald Trump listens. <strong>(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)</strong></p>

Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing in the Rose Garden of the White House, March 29, 2020, in Washington, as President Donald Trump listens. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Editor’s Note: This listicle is part of a weekly series by The Ball State Daily News summarizing five stories from across the United States. All summaries are based on stories published by The Associated Press.

The White House’s projections of the virus outbreak, the Trump administration’s roll back on mileage standards, the debate on widespread mail-in ballots, blocking of abortion bans in three states and three major retailers furloughing a majority of their workers make up this week’s five national stories.


Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House, March 30, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

White House turns to statistical models for virus forecast

White House officials are relying on statistical models to help predict the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and try to protect as many people as possible. The public could get its first look at the Trump administration’s own projections Tuesday at the daily briefing. Such models are a standard tool in epidemiology, the branch of medicine that deals with how diseases spread and how to control them. These estimates and results vary by what factors the modelers put in. 

Read More: Virus outbreak


This 2018 file photo shows traffic on the Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump's is expected relax Obama-era vehicle mileage standards and raise the ceiling on damaging fossil fuel emissions. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Administration to release final rule on mileage rollback

President Donald Trump is poised to roll back ambitious Obama-era vehicle mileage standards and raise the ceiling on damaging fossil fuel emissions for years to come. The Trump administration is expected to release a final rule Tuesday on mileage standards through 2026 which waters down a tough Obama mileage standard that would have encouraged automakers to ramp up production of electric vehicles and more fuel-efficient gas and diesel vehicles.

Read more: Climate change


In this 2016 file photo, ballots are prepared for counting at Multnomah County election headquarters in Portland, Ore. COVID-19 has knocked presidential primaries back several weeks as officials worry about voters crowding into polling places. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

How will we vote? Outbreak revives debate on mail-in ballots

As the coronavirus pandemic knocks several primary elections off schedule, Democrats argue the outbreak shows the country needs to move toward one of their longtime goals — widespread voting by mail — to protect the November election. But their hopes to expand voting by mail face firm Republican opposition, as well as significant logistical challenges. Democrats tried and failed to insert a broad mandate expanding voting by mail in the stimulus bill.

Read more: Primary elections


Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks to the press during a news conference March 29, 2020, about COVID-19 and the state's response from the State Emergency Operation Center in Johnston, Iowa. (Kelsey Kremer/The Des Moines Register via AP, Pool)

Judges slow abortion bans in Texas, Ohio, Alabama amid virus

Federal judges on Monday temporarily blocked efforts in Texas and Alabama to ban abortions during the pandemic, handing Planned Parenthood and abortion providers a victory. Clinics across the U.S. filed lawsuits to stop states from trying to shutter them during the outbreak. A new Ohio order is unconstitutional if it prevents abortions from being carried out, a separate judge ruled Monday, instructing clinics to determine abortion delays on a case-by-case basis.

Read More: Abortion


A cyclist passes Macy's in Herald Square, March 23, 2020, in New York. Macy's stores nationwide are closed due to the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Macy’s, Kohl’s, Gap to furlough majority of their workers 

Macy’s, Kohl’s and Gap Inc. all said Monday they will stop paying tens of thousands of employees who were thrown out of work when the chains temporarily closed their stores and sales collapsed as a result of the pandemic. Macy’s said the majority of its 125,000 employees will be furloughed this week, Kohl’s said furloughs will apply to 85,000 of its 120,000 employees and at Gap, furloughs affect nearly 80,000 out of 129,000 employees across all brands.

Read More: Business

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