In this March 30, 2020, file photo, Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the Governor's Office of Emergency Services in Rancho Cordova, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the Golden State had managed to secure a monthly supply of 200 million N95 respiratory and surgical masks, opening up the possibility of helping other states struggling to secure protective supplies.
"We decided enough is enough. Let's use the power, the purchasing power of the state of California, as a nation-state," he told Rachel Maddow Tuesday night. "We did just that. And in the next few weeks, we're going to see supplies, at that level, into the state of California and potentially the opportunity to export some of those supplies to states in need."
Instead of competing for supplies against states, the federal government, or other nations, the fifth largest economy in the world decided to secure a supply of masks itself, he explained.
"We're not waiting around any longer and we're no longer interested in the progress that we were seeing in the past," the governor said. "We're not looking at competing against others. We're not looking at gouging, the fraud, and the abuse in this space, competing against other states."
Newsom said the state had inked deals with "a consortium of nonprofits" and a California manufacturer to supply the protective equipment and open the door to help other states as well. He said the masks, most of which will be of the more effective N95 type, will be produced overseas.
Up until now, the state had distributed 41.4 million N95 masks across the state, one million of which were from the federal government. "That's not an indictment. That's not a cheap shot. At the end of the day, they don't have the masks at the national stockpile," Newsom said.
More than $200 billion may have been stolen from two large COVID-19 relief initiatives, according to new estimates from a federal watchdog investigating federally funded programs that helped small businesses survive the worst public health crisis in more than a hundred years.
Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees and undergrowth.
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that state courts can act as a check on their legislatures in redistricting and other issues affecting federal elections, rejecting arguments by North Carolina Republicans that could have transformed contests for Congress and president.
Ron DeSantis asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit from Walt Disney Co. that accused the Florida governor of violating its contract with the state for his recent actions against the company.
Florida Gov. and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis outlined key immigration policies in Texas on Monday, vowing to end birthright citizenship along with mass detention and deportations.
New Zealand acknowledged it has an aging Boeing 757 so prone to breakdowns they had sent an empty backup to ensure Prime Minister Chris Hipkins didn't get stranded in China, where he is leading a trade delegation.
Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride announced Monday she's running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Already the first openly transgender state senator elected in the country, she'd be the first transgender member of Congress if she wins in November.
