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.
Wisconsin’s primary elections, Congress and the White House aiming for another coronavirus rescue package, a white supremacist group being deemed a terrorist organization, hackers targeting video conference calls and this week’s supermoon make up this week’s five national stories.
Pandemic politics: Wisconsin primary moving forward
Wisconsin is asking hundreds of thousands of voters to ignore a stay-at-home order in the midst of a pandemic to participate in Tuesday’s presidential primary election, becoming a test case for dozens of states struggling to balance public health concerns with a core pillar of democracy. In the wake of a legal battle over whether to conduct the election as scheduled, a court ruling appeared to prevent results from being made public earlier than April 13.
Read More: Primary elections
Congress, White House reach high for next virus bill
Congressional leaders are jolting ahead with another coronavirus rescue package as President Donald Trump indicated that Americans will need more aid during the pandemic and economic shutdown. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said another $1 trillion is needed, beyond the just-passed $2.2 trillion effort. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said in recent days that health care should top the list, signaling his intent to get to work on a new bill.
Read More: Politics
In a first, US slaps sanctions on Russian white supremacists
The Trump administration designated the Russian Imperial Movement a terrorist organization and hit its members with sanctions, the first time a white supremacist group has been named a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” group amid doubts the administration believes extremist organizations of that type merit such sanctions. It wasn’t immediately clear what the practical impact will be as the group is relatively small and does not have major international reach.
Read more: Terrorism
Hackers’ new target during pandemic: video conference calls
As tens of millions of people turn to video conferencing to stay connected during the coronavirus pandemic, many have reported uninvited guests who make threats, interject racist, anti-gay or anti-Semitic messages, or show pornographic images. The attacks have drawn the attention of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. The Zoom video conferencing platform has been subject to an increasingly common form of cyber attack known as “Zoom bombing.”
Read more: Virus outbreak
Catch this week’s supermoon, biggest and brightest of year
A supermoon rises in the sky this week, looking to be the biggest and brightest of the year. Not only will the moon be closer to Earth than usual, it will also be a full moon. Scientists call this cosmic combo a supermoon. The moon will be 221,855 miles away at its fullest Tuesday night, making it appear larger and more brilliant. NASA is encouraging everyone to look skyward, whether it’s outside or through a living room window, while staying safe during the pandemic.
Read More: Science