National News
National News
![Pope Francis holds a mass to mark 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines, on March 14, 2021 at St. Peter's Basilica in The Vatican. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / POOL / AFP) (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gettyimages-1231703765_wide-3b04a52cb582f426b446e9c43f2d3ddf8d8a810d-500x500.jpg)
Vatican Says Catholic Church Cannot Bless Same-Sex Marriages
The Roman Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex marriages, no matter how stable or positive the couples’ relationships are, the Vatican said on Monday. The message, approved by Pope Francis, came in response to questions about whether the church should reflect the increasing social and legal acceptance of same-sex unions.
![Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., is sworn in before her Senate confirmation hearing to be Interior Secretary last month. Her confirmation makes her the country's first Native American cabinet secretary. CREDIT: Jim Watson/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ap21054540853741-0846d1528d20b368e99b2075e3342e010cbb5066-500x500.jpg)
Deb Haaland Confirmed As U.S. Interior Secretary, First Native American In Any Cabinet Post
The Senate voted 51-40 Monday to confirm the Democratic Congresswoman to lead the Interior Department, an agency that will play a crucial role in the Biden administration’s ambitious efforts to combat climate change and conserve nature.
![The U.S. and U.S. Capitol Police flags were flown at half-staff after the death of officer Brian Sicknick. On Sunday, the FBI arrested two men who are accused of spraying chemicals on Sicknick and others. CREDIT: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gettyimages-1303034695_wide-a4bf4d7b896430d46907c56a37f031ab3339116b-500x500.jpg)
U.S. Arrests 2 Men, Saying They Sprayed Police, Including Brian Sicknick, During Capitol Attack
Two men have been arrested for allegedly spraying a chemical on Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and two other law enforcement officers, during the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. Sicknick died one day later; officials have recently said they’re still determining what factors might have led to his death.
![Sisters Seri Sedlacek, left, and Susan Simpkins look in on their father, Chuck Sedlacek, at the Life Care Center, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Kirkland. Shuksan Healthcare Center in Bellingham is working to avoid what happened at the Kirkland facility. CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Life-Care-Center-Kirkland-coronavirus-CREDIT-Elaine-Thompson-AP-500x500.jpg)
4 Ways Our Understanding Of The Coronavirus Has Changed A Year Into The Pandemic
This month marks one year since the coronavirus pandemic swiftly upended daily life in the United States. In 2020, March brought about emergency declarations and indefinite school closures, followed by record unemployment claims and dozens of stay-at-home orders. By the end of the month, millions of people were either told to stay inside under lockdown or continue carrying out work deemed essential to keep society running.
![Rioters clash with police and security forces as people storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Federal investigators say they expect even more people will be charged in connection with the insurrection. CREDIT: Brent Stirton/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gettyimages-1230733954-1-_custom-63ae2350fcc0e110c8f18cebcd590e426df34db5-500x500.jpg)
DOJ Says At Least 100 More People Could Be Charged Over Capitol Attack
The Justice Department says it expects to charge at least 100 more people in connection with the storming of the Capitol, describing the investigation into the deadly attack as one of the biggest in U.S. history.
![A makeshift memorial in Minneapolis honors George Floyd as jury selection begins in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin. CREDIT: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gettyimages-1231630161-c94b5cc10fb3e7481e3b632bd5850e8a23c97ab8-500x500.jpg)
Minneapolis Reaches $27 Million Settlement With Family Of George Floyd
The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously on Friday to approve the record settlement, which stems from a federal civil rights suit filed in July against the city and four former police officers over Floyd’s fatal arrest.
![A U.S. Border Patrol station in Texas is seen in 2019. Customs and Border Protection is now holding a record number of minors in warehouse-like facilities as the Biden administration struggles with an illegal migration surge. CREDIT: Mario Tama/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gettyimages-1158347192_wide-cb06620a43adb050ecd38d8393ba912e4c8b777f-500x500.jpg)
Children Spend Days In Crude Facilities As U.S. Border Resources Overwhelmed Again
BY FRANCO ORDOÑEZ & JOHN BURNETT A record number of migrant children and teenagers are being held in warehouse-like detention facilities run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection near the
![President Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House Thursday, March 11, 2021. Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gettyimages-1231655151-a70e92285fd59353730b076245a24a4a2a9085de-500x500.jpg)
President Biden Sets Goal Of July 4th To ‘Mark Independence’ From Coronavirus
President Biden is aiming for the country to begin to find a degree of normalcy and begin to move on from the coronavirus pandemic by the July 4th holiday, Biden announced in his first prime-time address Thursday night from the White House on the one-year anniversary of the pandemic.
![New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the subject of new misconduct allegations, after a female aide accused him of groping her. Cuomo is seen here earlier this week, speaking at a vaccination site in New York City. Seth Wenig/Pool / Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cuomo-grope-accusation_wide-05ebb5117a6669ea84a2d14274c634b5ec28e393-500x500.jpg)
Andrew Cuomo Aide Says Governor Groped Her In Executive Mansion
A woman who works as an aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the governor aggressively groped her in the governor’s official residence late last year, making her at least the sixth woman to accuse him of inappropriate sexual conduct.
![Danbury High School sophomore Alanna Smith at the Connecticut State Capitol on Feb, 12, 2020. Smith is among three girls who sued to block a state policy that allows transgender athletes to compete in girls sports. CREDIT: Pat Eaton-Robb/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ap_20043701442741_wide-971965f6ad31a3e3b40f0b56deeaa0a962acf1c4-500x500.jpg)
What Started In Idaho Is Now A National Political Dispute Over Transgender Rights And Youth Sports
This year, state legislators have introduced 35 bills restricting transgender girls and women — that is, girls and women who were not assigned as female at birth — from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams, according to LGBTQ advocacy group Freedom for All Americans. That’s up from 29 bills last year and only 2 in 2019.
![Jeffrey Bossert Clark during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in 2017. Drew Angerer/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gettyimages-802626818-3abc56940a68253a72feee1db3ea5feaddffafa7-500x500.jpg)
Whistleblowers Allege Improper Hiring At Justice Department During Trump’s Last Days
Two whistleblowers assert that a Justice Department official improperly injected politics into the hiring process during his waning days in the Trump administration, according to a new filing obtained by NPR.
![Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic antibiotics were frequently prescribed to seriously ill patients, even though the disease is caused by a virus. CREDIT: Win McNamee/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/covid_icu_md_gettyimages-1222270753-44bfd4a122b4fa055b8935e096431f552edf085e.jpg)
Antibiotic Use Ran High In Early Days Of COVID-19, Despite Viral Cause
Doctors treating COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic often reached for antibiotics. But those drugs were not helpful in most cases, and overuse of antibiotics is a serious concern.