U.S Attorney warns landlords against pressuring tenants for sexual favors
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Southern California warned landlords that any attempt to solicit sexual favors from tenants strapped for cash "will result in an indictment."
Some residents who are unable to make rent have reported that landlords have asked for sexual favors in exchange for delaying rent payments, U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer said in a release Monday. Brewer said it "is not only despicable -- it is illegal" to abuse vulnerable tenants this way.
Brewer's office said it will be using all available resources to investigate sexual harassment in housing.
NBC News reported last month that housing advocates worried such a tactic might be employed against some of the millions of Americans who have lost their ability to pay rent during the pandemic.
"We've already seen that the pandemic is exacerbating a lot of systemic issues and sexual harassment targeted at tenants by landlords is likely to be one of these issues," Renee Williams, a senior staff attorney at the National Housing Law Project, told NBC News in April.
'Virtual prom' lets high school seniors dance the night away
They saved money on limo and tux rentals, and maintaining distance on the dance floor took on a different meaning.
But a "virtual prom" hosted Saturday on Instagram Live gave more than 500 high school seniors a chance to celebrate the class of 2020 and participate in a rite of passage, albeit remotely.
The virtual WE ARE WELL PROM featured music and dancing, along with a digital red carpet complete with celebrity appearances from stars such as Netflix's Logan Allen and actor Max Jenkins; the event was DJed by DJ Jazzy Jeff.
Justice Department backs pastor challenging Va. Gov. Northam's social distancing order
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department is siding with a rural Virginia church that sued the state's governor after the pastor was charged with violating a social distancing order.
The government filed court papers Sunday in support of Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Chincoteague on Virginia's eastern shore, which said the state improperly discriminated by insisting that the church permit no more than 10 people to attend services, while allowing businesses to accommodate larger groups.
"The Commonwealth cannot treat religious gatherings less favorably than other similar secular gatherings," the Justice Department said in its submission.
White House seeks to limit congressional testimony for at least a month
No members of the White House coronavirus task force or their top deputies "may accept hearing invitations" from Congress during the month of May, the White House Office of Legislative Affairs told congressional staff directors in new guidance Monday.
The guidance, a copy of which was provided to NBC News, also seeks to limit the number of coronavirus-related hearings administration officials are called to attend.
“For the month of May, no Task Force members, or key deputies of Task Force members, may accept hearing invitations,” the guidance says, but adds that some exceptions may be made by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
The guidance comes after the White House blocked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert and current member of the task force, from testifying before the Democratic-controlled House on Wednesday. He is being allowed to testify in a hearing before the Republican-controlled Senate on May 12. That testimony before the committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is still scheduled to happen. Committee chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn, said the panel will also hear from other task force members, including the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
"We’ll be doing our oversight responsibilities and we’ll be looking ahead to see what we have to do to keep Americans safe as we go back to work and go back to school,” Alexander said.
The guidance also says that “no more than one COVID-related hearing should be agreed to with the department’s primary House and Senate authorizing committee and appropriations subcommittee in the month of May” involving the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department —a total of "no more than four COVID-related hearings department-wide.”
Fever, fatigue, fear: For some recovering COVID-19 patients, weeks of illness, uncertainty
Kate Porter has had a fever nearly every day for 50 days. She can't shake the extreme exhaustion that hit when she became infected with the coronavirus nearly two months ago.
The longevity of her symptoms are unlike anything she's ever experienced. "I know it sounds crazy," Porter said, "but is this permanent?"
Police seek "loud and disruptive' man who wiped nose on store clerk's shirt
Michigan police were searching for a man who allegedly showed his disdain for a clerk’s request that he don a mask by wiping his nose on her shirt.
The unidentified man was confronted by the clerk shortly after he walked into a Dollar Tree store in the town of Holly around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, local police said.
Instead of complying, the man could be seen on video footage making a rude gesture before burying his face in the clerk’s shoulder.
“Here, I will use this as a mask,” he replied, according to the police.
The man, police said, “continued to be loud and disruptive” inside the store before fleeing.
Los Angeles clinic puts underprivileged community at greater risk of contracting coronavirus, health care workers say
LOS ANGELES — The largest health care provider in South Los Angeles, which serves low-income African Americans and Latinos, is putting some of the city's most vulnerable residents at risk of contracting the coronavirus by having patients come in for routine appointments, according to some medical professionals who work there.
As the coronavirus batters minority communities, some medical professionals said they are concerned that the facility, St. John's Well Child and Family Center, is disregarding a key federal guideline intended to protect people from the contagion, which recommends that medical facilities reschedule nonessential appointments.
Seven medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of losing their jobs, said that they have taken their concerns to the chief administrator of St. John's several times but that the practice has not stopped. Shortly after the professionals spoke with NBC News, two said they were fired.
St. John's CEO Jim Mangia said he could not comment on personnel matters, but said the only reason a provider would be terminated would be for "a malpractice issue or severe behavioral issues."
Sadly, it's time to stop believing — in a Journey summer tour
Journey will not be going on and on with its summer tour, the venerable rockers announced Monday, joining the ever-growing list of acts that have cancelled shows in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
The "Don't Stop Believin' "group, led by founding member and guitarist Neal Schon, sounded an ominous note for even 2021, in its statement saying: "Having seen what the world has endured during the last 45 days, and not knowing what the rest of this year or 2021 will bring, we knew the right thing to do was to make sure our fans' health was not put in jeopardy and to provide immediate access to refund options given the unexpected events caused by this terrible virus."
Taylor Swift, Jon Bon Jovi and Kelly Clarkson are among the many musical acts forced to call off tours or residency performances because of the pandemic.
Tyson expects to keep slowing meat production as coronavirus sickens workers and tanks income
Major meat provider Tyson foods reported a steep decline in income on Monday, raising more fears about America's food-supply chain during the world's fight against coronavirus.
Net income fell 15 percent for the second quarter ending March 28, compared to same period of the previous fiscal year, Arkansas-based Tyson reported.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced the company to close several plants and slow production as hundreds of workers test positive for the virus.
"We have and expect to continue to face slowdowns and temporary idling of production facilities from team member shortages or choices we make to ensure operational safety," Tyson said in a statement.
'We owe you,' Joe Biden tells meat processing, essential workers during a Latino town hall
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, trying to amp up his Latino support, sent a message to essential workers, particularly those in meat processing plants, saying "we owe you" and stressing they deserve additional pay, protective equipment and coronavirus testing priority.
Biden shared screen time with the children of meat processing plant workers who are infected with coronavirus and have brought their infections home from work. The virtual town hall was organized by the League of United Latin American Citizens, known as LULAC, one of the nation's oldest Latino civil rights organizations.
"These stories are heartwrenching," the former vice president said, after the young Latinos told their stories. "There's nothing worse than worrying about a family member whether they're going to make it or not—it's not a whole lot worse than ending up in the morning and knowing your son or daughter is in a war zone," said Biden, whose son Beau, who died of brain center, had served in Iraq. "They basically are in war zones."