National News
National News
![A copy of the Emancipation Proclamation](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ap_21159743395750_wide-f522ef240cad791b700ab0e65d5a9bc4c52e0777-500x500.jpg)
U.S. Senate Unanimously Approves A Bill To Make Juneteenth A Public Holiday
The Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that would make Juneteenth, the date commemorating the end of chattel slavery in the United States, a legal public holiday.
![Memorials hang from the front gate of Greenwood Cemetery during an event and procession organized by Naming the Lost Memorials to remember and celebrate the lives of those killed by the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/gettyimages-1322590538-eda06ee521cdc9769dc257f590387a313159786c-500x500.jpg)
U.S. Hits 600,000 COVID Deaths, More Than Any Other Country
More than 15 months since the first confirmed death due to COVID-19 in the U.S., the coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 600,000 lives across the country.
![The infectious and contagious rabies virus, shown here in a colorized micrograph, can be transmitted to humans through the bite or saliva of an infected animal. Thanks to protective vaccination of pets, rabies was eliminated from the U.S. dog population in 2007, though a bite from infected bats, skunks and raccoons can still transmit the virus. CREDIT: Biophoto Associates/Science Source](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/rabies-virus-f3aeb2f894d74799eded28b4b619df565f351d4c-500x500.jpg)
The U.S. Bans Importing Dogs From 113 Countries After Rise In False Rabies Records
The U.S. is banning the importation of dogs from more than 100 countries for at least a year because of a sharp increase in the number of puppies imported into the country with fraudulent rabies vaccination certificates.
![The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ap_21159839297674-08c330e60f83d4e05edbc3d72fac143e99092a82-500x500.jpg)
The Supreme Court Declines To Expand Sentencing Reforms For Crack Cocaine Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that some crack cocaine offenders sentenced to harsh prison terms more than a decade ago cannot get their sentences reduced under a federal law adopted with the purpose of doing just that.
![A vial of the Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine is seen ready for use in the trial at St. George's University hospital in London Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Novavax Inc. said Thursday Jan. 28, 2021 that its COVID-19 vaccine appears 89% effective based on early findings from a British study and that it also seems to work — though not as well — against new mutated strains of the virus circulating in that country and South Africa. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ap21028822532028_wide-bfe0d2ab6f1b6d6126adcdf41b57339e01b6db36-500x500.jpg)
Novavax Says Its COVID Vaccine Is Extremely Effective, But Has Yet To Be Approved In U.S.
According to Novavax, the vaccine’s manufacturer, it had a 100% efficacy against the original strain of the coronavirus and 93% efficacy against more worrisome variants that have subsequently appeared.
![Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin speaks at an anti-mask protest on the steps of the Idaho Capitol Tuesday. Nik Streng/Idaho Education News](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Janice-McGeachin-Idaho-CRDIT-Nik-Steng-Idaho-Education-News-500x500.jpg)
Extremism Expert Calls Idaho Critical Race Theory Debate A ‘Cynical’ Effort To Rally GOP Voters
A national expert on race and extremism said a recent spate of attacks on “critical race theory” in Idaho are part of a growing effort by conservative Republicans to exploit anxiety and engage voters in upcoming elections.
![An older person sitting at a computer](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/gettyimages-675544889_slide-5129ee463ca3ccd83e1688cba61329991f7a04c6-500x500.jpg)
5 Ways For Seniors To Protect Themselves From Online Misinformation
Seniors are especially at risk. People over 65 were more likely to share false or misleading content on Facebook during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to one study from researchers at Princeton and New York University. Older adults were also exposed to more misinformation on Twitter during that election.
![Picture of the southern ocean around Antarctica, taken from space](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/gettyimages-458847426-1-_custom-b733dac642fd0e74b302b3d7cbb44717e40d211d-500x500.jpg)
Coming Soon To An Atlas Near You: A Fifth Ocean
BY KAREN ZAMORA, JUSTINE KENIN & EMMA BOWMAN Most of us learned about the world’s oceans in elementary school. There’s the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian and the Arctic. Now,
![Apple announced this week at its Worldwide Developer Conference a new feature in its forthcoming operating system, iOS 15, that will digitize state-issued licenses and ID cards. Apple](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/apple-id-pic-10aa5d8228cbb15b920b554f03543a2cbf210f80.png)
Apple iPhones Can Soon Hold Your ID. Privacy Experts Are On Edge
Buying a coffee and grabbing a train is already possible with an iPhone, but Apple wants to replace the physical wallet completely. To that end, earlier this week Apple announced a new feature to let users scan their driver’s licenses and save it to their iPhones to use as a legitimate form of identification.
![Used cars sit on the sales lot at Frank Bent's Wholesale Motors in El Cerrito, Calif., on March 15. Supply chain snarls and pent-up demand are driving up the prices of a lot of things, including new and used cars. CREDIT: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/gettyimages-1307272711-e526e72ae54780c7517a4771a17814ceb189dd2b-500x500.jpg)
Inflation Is Surging. The Price Of A Toyota Pickup Truck Helps Explain Why
BY SCOTT HORSLEY Prices for a lot of things are surging across the U.S., and John McConnell’s recent car-shopping experience helps explain why. McConnell, from Colorado Springs, Colo., was recently
![A storage yard is seen in Montana for pipe that was to be used in the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The developer has now canceled the controversial project. Al Nash/Bureau of Land Management via AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ap20097804100170-69321cdaeba9eebee95c02bd3b71a4797a4275bc-500x500.jpg)
Developer Abandons Keystone XL Pipeline Project, Ending Decade-Long Battle
The company behind the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline said Wednesday it’s officially terminating the project. TC Energy already had suspended construction in January when President Biden revoked a key cross-border presidential permit. The announcement ends a more than decade-long battle that came to signify the debate over whether fossil fuels should be left in the ground to address climate change.
![Cameron Brink #22 of the Stanford Cardinal and Cate Reese #25 of the Arizona Wildcats fight for the opening tipoff during the National Championship game of the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on April 4 in San Antonio, Texas. The Stanford Cardinal defeated the Arizona Wildcats 54-53 to win the national title. CREDIT: Elsa/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/gettyimages-1311197877-edit_custom-52ce0472cbaf124655a70d43b0508835a6e997bf-500x500.jpg)
Congress Urged To Act As States Start Allowing Outside Cash For Student Athletes
College sports are about to change dramatically and Congress needs to act quickly in order to ensure fairness. That was the message Wednesday on Capitol Hill, at a lengthy senate hearing about new state laws that’ll allow college athletes to make money off the use of their name, image and likeness.