
Colorado bill would give children free mental health services during the pandemic
CNN
The Colorado state legislature is working to give children free access to mental health care to help them cope with the mental ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic.
HB21-1258, introduced in the House on April 6, seeks to create a temporary program that would provide minors with three free sessions with a mental health professional. The bipartisan bill allocates $9 million to reimburse providers for these visits, which may be in person or virtual. The bill acknowledges the pandemic put "extraordinary stress" on young Coloradans "who have experienced enormous disruptions to school, social activities, and support networks, resulting in increased isolation and, in many cases, new or exacerbated instability, particularly as a result of a parent's loss of employment or stable housing."
The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement on Saturday, capping more than a quarter-century of torturous negotiations to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world.

Judge restricts federal response to Minnesota protests amid outrage over immigration agents’ tactics
Immigration agents carrying out a sweeping operation in Minnesota can’t deploy certain crowd-control measures against peaceful protesters or arrest them, a federal judge ruled Friday. The order follows widespread outrage over a fatal shooting, reports of US citizens getting detained and Minnesotans getting asked for documents for no clear reason.

The smell of wet grass from the recent atmospheric river rains, mud and gasoline wafts through the warm Southern California air as Alec Derpetrossian works the chainsaw with a foreman, Randy Magaña, who helps him guide where to put the blade. Derpetrossian is still learning how to adequately use the large tool.










