As states across the U.S. implement stricter stay-at-home orders to combat the spread of COVID-19, Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp re-opened the state's beaches, despite having issued a statewide shelter-in-place executive order.
Tybee Island, one of Georgia's most popular beaches, voted to close its shores on March 20. The city's Mayor Shirley Sessions, who called the governor's decision "reckless," told Cheddar Monday.
The beaches, according to the order, remain open for exercise purposes only, banning objects like beach towels, coolers, and beach chairs, with violators subject to a fine.
"I felt like it was not the right decision for our community in helping to keep our residents, our city staff, our visitors safe," Sessions said, describing the congestion the municipality's 2.5 miles worth of shoreline faced. The mayor noted that if people were able to keep six feet of social distancing or their groups down to 10 or fewer people, "then that sounds like a great concept, but unfortunately that is not reality."
Governor Kemp's executive order also supersedes local rules regarding the coronavirus including the Tybee Island city's council's decision to ban vacation rental check-ins during the month of April to prevent travelers from staying in the city.
Sessions said locals have noticed more visitors arriving from locations undergoing heavy rates of infection. "We are now seeing more out-of-state tags coming from those hot spot areas, and that is very concerning to our residents," she said.
Despite some of Kemp's exemptions to his stay-at-home order, Sessions revealed that some local businesses were sticking with the city's previous measures. "We are also hearing from our business community who are saying that they too are listening to what our directives were, which formerly we said all nonessential businesses will close. And they adhere to that, and they're staying true to that."
For his part, Gov. Kemp defended his beach exemption on Twitter on Sunday, posting a video that purports to show a largely empty Tybee Island beach.
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern, as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
The Supreme Court is allowing Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.
Rep. John Moolenaar has requested an urgent briefing from the White House after Trump supported a deal giving Americans a majority stake in TikTok.
A new report finds the Department of Government Efficiency’s remaking of the federal workforce has battered the Washington job market and put more households in the metropolitan area in financial distress.
A new poll finds U.S. adults are more likely than they were a year ago to think immigrants in the country legally benefit the economy. That comes as President Donald Trump's administration imposes new restrictions targeting legal pathways into the country. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey finds Americans are more likely than they were in March 2024 to say it’s a “major benefit” that people who come to the U.S. legally contribute to the economy and help American companies get the expertise of skilled workers. At the same time, perceptions of illegal immigration haven’t shifted meaningfully. Americans still see fewer benefits from people who come to the U.S. illegally.
Shares of Tylenol maker Kenvue are bouncing back sharply before the opening bell a day after President Donald Trump promoted unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism. Trump told pregnant women not to use the painkiller around a dozen times during the White House news conference Monday. The drugmaker tumbled 7.5%. Shares have regained most of those losses early Tuesday in premarket trading.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday signaled a cautious approach to future interest rate cuts, in sharp contrast with other Fed officials who have called for a more urgent approach. In remarks in Providence, Rhode Island, Powell noted that there are risks to both of the Fed’s goals of seeking maximum employment and stable prices. His approach is in sharp contrast to some members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee who are pushing for faster cuts.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the American media landscape have led to the suspension of late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
