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Maine Hospitals Worry About Trump Administration's New Coronavirus Data Collection Policy

As of Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will no longer receive data from hospitals related to COVID-19. The Trump administration has instead directed hospitals to report that data to a private portal on the federal Health and Human Services website. The change is raising concerns about transparency. And though federal officials are touting it as a way to streamline data collection, some Maine hospitals say it's more burdensome.

Maine's 2nd District GOP Primary Could Go To Ranked-Choice Voting Runoff, Despite Concessions

Maine Primary Voters Have Their Say. Now What?

NPR Radio Ratings Collapse As Pandemic Ends Listeners' Commutes

By David Folkenflik • 6 hours ago

Broadcast ratings for nearly all of NPR's radio shows took a steep dive in major markets this spring, as the coronavirus pandemic kept many Americans from commuting to work and school. The network's shows lost roughly a quarter of their audience between the second quarter of 2019 and the same months in 2020.

Pingree H-2B Visa Amendment Adopted

By Mal Leary • 6 hours ago

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st District says she was successful in amending the appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security in a way that could improve the labor supply for Maine tourism businesses.

Maine Joins Coalition Of States Aimed At Increasing Use Of Electric Vehicles

By Fred Bever • 7 hours ago

Maine is joining a coalition of 15 states in setting aggressive new goals to increase the number of electric trucks and buses on the region's roads. The states agreed this week to ensure that within a decade 30 percent of all new medium and heavy-duty vehicles sold in their jurisdictions are electric vehicles, and that 100 percent of those new sales be zero-emission only by the year 2050.

Whether — And How — Maine Schools Will Reopen Remains Uncertain

By Robbie Feinberg • 8 hours ago

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Whether — And How — Maine Schools Will Reopen Remains Uncertain

One of the most difficult decisions facing local and state officials in Maine is whether — and how — to reopen schools this fall. The state Department of Education has released its initial guidelines for reopening, with districts around the state likely to release their local plans over the next month.

White House Strips CDC Of Data Collection Role For COVID-19 Hospitalizations

By Pien Huang & Selena Simmons-Duffin • 9 hours ago

Updated 4:05 p.m. ET

The Trump Administration has mandated that hospitals sidestep the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and send critical information about COVID-19 hospitalizations and equipment to a different federal database.

From the start of the pandemic, the CDC has collected data on COVID-19 hospitalizations, availability of intensive care beds and personal protective equipment. But hospitals must now report that information to the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC.

'He Shouldn't Be Doing That': Trump Weighs In On Navarro Op-Ed Attacking Fauci

By Tamara Keith • 11 hours ago

Updated at 6:12 p.m. ET

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, said recent White House attacks on his record are backfiring, calling the episode "bizarre" in interviews with The Atlantic.