
More than 1.2 million Americans will lose pandemic unemployment benefits early as more Republican states drop relief
CNN
More than 1.2 million jobless Americans are set to lose their pandemic unemployment benefits early, with Georgia becoming the latest Republican-led state to announce it would cease providing $300 payments approved by Congress.
More than a dozen states have announced in the past week that they would terminate the $300 weekly federal boost to state benefits, as well as the federal expansion of jobless benefits to freelancers, independent contractors, certain people affected by the virus and those who have run out of their regular state benefits. "These changes have the potential to drastically scale back assistance to jobless workers far too early in the recovery," said Andrew Stettner, senior fellow at The Century Foundation, who calculated how many people would be affected. "Nationally, there are still 16.8 million workers on one of the unemployment programs, and the nation is still short 8 million-plus jobs from the start of the pandemic."
The Trump administration is preparing to use private military contractors to protect oil and energy assets in Venezuela rather than deploying US troops, according to two sources familiar with the plans, setting up a potential boon for security firms with experience in the region and ties to the administration.

Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, arrives in Washington this week for high-stakes talks with US President Donald Trump on the future of Venezuela following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro. The meeting comes after Trump surprised many by allowing Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to assume control, dashing opposition hopes for a new democratic era.

Most Americans see an immigration officer’s fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Good as an inappropriate use of force, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds. Roughly half view it as a sign of broader issues with the way US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is operating, with less than one-third saying that ICE operations have made cities safer.










