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WASHINGTON - When U.S. President Barack Obama visits Vietnam later this month, he will find it has been making reforms that have transformed the communist economy, turning the country into one of the world's fastest-growing nations. A report from the International Monetary Fund said Vietnam has achieved "commendable" economic outcomes, with strong growth, low inflation and robust foreign direct investment. “Vietnam is a remarkable development success story. In a short time, the country has charted a course of rapid, inclusive growth, delivering higher living standards for the majority of its people," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said recently in Hanoi. Kim said less government involvement in the economy helped growth. He said Vietnam is relying instead on "markets to allocate resources, and active engagement with the world on trade, investment and knowledge flows." However, many analysts, and Vietnam's government, said more work is needed to cut corruption and improve … [Read more...] about Vietnam Sees Strong Economic Growth Despite Incomplete Reforms

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden headed to Texas Friday on his first trip to a major disaster site since he took office a little over a month ago. The president’s empathy will be on full display as he and his wife, Jill, survey damage caused by severe winter weather and encourage people to get their coronavirus shots. The brutal winter weather across the South over Valentine’s Day weekend battered multiple states, with Texas bearing the brunt of unseasonably frigid conditions that caused widespread power outages and frozen pipes that burst and flooded homes. Millions of residents lost heat and running water. At least 40 people in Texas died as a result of the storm and, although the weather has returned to more normal temperatures, more than 1 million residents were still under orders to boil water before drinking it. Biden plans to meet with local leaders to discuss the storm, relief efforts and progress toward recovery and visit a food bank and meet some volunteers. He is to be … [Read more...] about Biden heads to Texas to see storm damage, visit food bank

The city of Minneapolis plans to pay social media influencers to spread city-approved messages as part of an effort to combat misinformation during the upcoming trials of the four police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd, officials said. Under the program, which the Minneapolis City Council approved Friday, the city will enter into contracts with six social media influencers who will be paid $2,000 each to share “city-generated and approved messages” with the African American, Native American, East African, Hmong and Latino communities, officials said. The program, reported by The Minnesota Reformer on Friday, represents a novel use of social media influencers, who have been paid for years to sell products like cosmetics and beach vacations. In this case, the social media influencers will attempt to fight misinformation online, where rumors can spread quickly, inflaming tensions. It is part of what the city calls a Joint Information System intended to create … [Read more...] about Minneapolis to pay social media influencers to fight misinformation during trial of officers charged with killing George Floyd

Colorado’s courts will face an unprecedented backlog of cases next year with reduced staff and resources because of budget cuts prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. The statewide court system cut 111 employees this summer and eliminated 95 empty positions in order to reduce its general fund budget by about $34 million amid a statewide shortfall, according to information the judicial branch provided to the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee. “It’s going to be bad enough if we were fully staffed, but actually being cut, we’re really worried about how we’re going to do a lot of this,” Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Coats told the committee last week. He’s set to retire in January. In the 20th Judicial District in Boulder County, officials made what appears to be an unprecedented move to eliminate all court reporters. In the 18th Judicial District, which covers Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties, 16 law clerks and three others lost their jobs, according to … [Read more...] about “It’s a double whammy:” Colorado courts facing unprecedented backlog now hobbled by COVID-19 budget cuts

Halfway through a three-week murder trial in Adams County, jurors arrived in the courtroom to hear that someone there had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. “The court became aware that an individual who has been in the courtroom, but who has typically been seated back behind the bar, did have a positive test,” Judge Mark Warner told the jury earlier this month. But, he continued, since everyone in the courtroom had been following public health guidelines — including wearing masks, sanitizing exhibits and keeping six feet of space between people — the trial could continue. The likelihood that anyone else was exposed was low, he said. It was one of several brushes the Colorado’s court system has had with the highly contagious virus as the courts continue to function despite the pandemic. Staff members, prosecutors and attorneys have contracted the virus, at times forcing courts to shut down or limit operations. Judges have declared mistrials because of the pandemic, and … [Read more...] about Colorado courts face growing trial backlog due to COVID delays