Oct 26, 2017

Pence: U.S. funding for persecuted Christians will no longer flow through U.N.

Photo: Cliff Owen / AP

Vice President Pence announced Wednesday night that the U.S. will no longer route money intended to aid Christians and other minority groups in the Middle East through "ineffective" United Nations programs, but will instead issue the funding directly through USAID.

"We will no longer rely on the United Nations alone to assist persecuted Christians and minorities in the wake of genocide and the atrocities of ISIS. The United States will work hand-in-hand with faith-based groups and private organizations to help those who are persecuted for their faith," he said.

Speaking at an annual dinner held in solidarity with Christians in the Middle East, Pence also announced he will be traveling to Israel and Egypt in late December, per the AP.

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Marisa Fernandez

1 hour ago - Health

Los Angeles and San Diego public schools will be online only this fall

Alhambra Unified School District. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Public schools in Los Angeles and San Diego, the two largest public school districts in California, will not be sending children back to campuses next month and will instead administer online classes due to concerns over the ongoing threat of the coronavirus.

Why it matters: The two districts, which together enroll about 825,000 students, are the largest in the country thus far to announce that they will not return to in-person learning in the fall, even as the Trump administration aggressively pushes for schools to do so.

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Axios

Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 12,984,811 — Total deaths: 570,375 — Total recoveries — 7,154,492 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 3,327,388— Total deaths: 135,379 — Total recoveries: 1,006,326 — Total tested: 40,282,176 — Map.
World: WHO head: There will be no return to the "old normal" for the foreseeable future — Hong Kong Disneyland closing due to surge.
States: Cuomo says New York will use formula to determine if reopening schools is safe.
Politics: Mick Mulvaney: "We still have a testing problem in this country."

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Marisa Fernandez

2 hours ago - Health

Cuomo: New York will use formula to determine if it's safe to reopen schools

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that schools will only reopen if they meet scientific criteria that show the coronavirus is under control in their region, including a daily infection rate of below 5% over a 14-day average. "We're not going to use our children as guinea pigs," he added.

The big picture: Cuomo's insistence that New York will rely on data to decide whether to reopen schools comes as President Trump and his administration continue an aggressive push to get kids back in the classroom as part of their efforts to juice the economy.