May 22, 2020

26 May May 22, 2020

Top News

• Senate Adjourns Without Approving Deal to Extend PPP Spending Window. Wall Street Journal
• McConnell: Next coronavirus bill ‘not too far off.’ The Hill
• Senate confirms Ratcliffe as Trump’s intelligence director. Politico
• President Trump Orders Flags To Fly At Half-Staff, As U.S. Mourns Nearly 100,000 Dead. NPR
• The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics. Politico

Energy & Natural Resources

• Return of Car Traffic Fuels Surge in Oil. Wall Street Journal
• Will Wildfire Smoke Worsen the Pandemic? We’re About to Find Out. Wired
• National Parks reopen without release of plan or infection data. Roll Call
• Forget about climate change. The real story is climate speed. The Post and Courier
• Traffic Is Way Down Because Of Lockdown, But Air Pollution? Not So Much. NPR

Indian Affairs

• Interior Department official is the focus of ethics probe over tribal COVID-19 aid. Arizona Central
• Newsom urges California tribal casinos to reconsider opening, citing coronavirus. LA Times
• South Dakota governor asks Trump to intervene in checkpoint dispute with Native American tribes. The Hill
• Interior secretary delays Chaco drilling plan during New Mexico visit. Santa Fe New Mexican

Labor

• U.S. labor market struggles as layoffs spread despite businesses reopening. Reuters
• McConnell vows end to enhanced unemployment benefits. Politico
• Businesses Hoping to Reopen Join the Scramble for PPE. Route Fifty
• Facebook Starts Planning for Permanent Remote Workers. New York Times
• The Covid Surcharge: Companies Confront the Unforgiving Economics of Coronavirus. Wall Street Journal

Taxation & Trade

• White House Looks At ‘Opportunity Zone’ Extension In Wake Of COVID-19. NPR
• White House Open to Loosening Rules for State and Local Aid Funds, Mnuchin Says. Route Fifty
• Trump: US may rethink decision to exit surveillance treaty. Associated Press
• China Pledges to Implement U.S. Trade Deal Amid Rising Tensions. Bloomberg

Technology

• Coronavirus is reshaping urban mobility. Axios
• Poll: 3 in 4 Americans say AV tech ‘not ready for primetime.’ SmartCitiesDive
• Google says it won’t build AI tools for oil and gas drillers. Associated Press

Transportation & Infrastructure

• 3 steps for a gradual return to transit operations: CDC. SmartCitiesDive
• Can U.S. transit workers be kept safe on crowded buses and trains? PBS News Hour
• A huge boost in infrastructure spending is very popular — if rich people pay for it. Vox
• Trump Transportation Nominees Finch Fulton, Diana Furchtgott-Roth Advance to Senate Floor. Transport Topics

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