Security

The Great Grift: More than $200 billion in COVID-19 aid may have been stolen, federal watchdog says More than $200 billion may have been stolen from two large COVID-19 relief initiatives. That's according to new estimates from a federal watchdog investigating federally funded programs designed to help small businesses survive the worst public health crisis in more than a hundred years. AP News

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The Great Grift: How billions in COVID-19 relief aid was stolen or wasted An Associated Press analysis found that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. Combined, the loss represents 10% of the $4.2 trillion the U.S. government has disbursed in COVID relief aid AP NEWS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Much of the theft was brazen, even simple.

As gun violence reaches record levels in the US, an underlying trauma may be building up | CNN As more communities reel from deadly mass shootings -- including Dadeville, Alabama, where four people were killed and 28 injured at a Sweet 16 birthday party over the weekend -- there's evidence that the trauma of gun violence in the United States is taking a collective toll on the nation's mental health. Deidre McPhillips CNN

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House votes to declassify info about origins of COVID-19 WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted unanimously Friday to declassify U.S. intelligence information about the origins of COVID-19, a sweeping show of bipartisan support near the third anniversary of the start of the deadly pandemic. AP NEWS

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The 419-0 vote was final congressional approval of the bill, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk. It’s unclear whether the president will sign the measure into law, and the White House said the matter was under review.

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