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WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week but remained high by historical standards. Applications for benefits declined 111,000 from the previous week to a seasonally adjusted 730,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It is the lowest figure since late November. Still, before the virus erupted in the United States last March, weekly applications for unemployment benefits had never topped 700,000, even during the Great Recession of 2008-2009. The latest figures come as the job market has made scant progress in the past three months. Hiring averaged just 29,000 a month from November through January. Though the unemployment rate was 6.3% in January, a broader measure that includes people who have given up on their job searches is closer to 10%. All told, 19 million people were receiving unemployment aid as of Feb. 6, up from 18.3 million the previous week. About three-quarters of those recipients are receiving checks from federal … [Read more...] about U.S. jobless claims fall to 730,000 but layoffs remain high

Anymore, the Carmelo Anthony trade lives on the periphery. There are still scattered boos at the Pepsi Center when he touches the ball. There remains scant buzz when he is introduced to the crowd. But he’s not a huge draw in Denver, no longer a must see — even if it is just to come to the game to boo. A sparse audience Tuesday night confirmed that. It has been five years since Anthony forced his way out of Denver. The Nuggets beat his team in Denver, 110-94, but such an outcome has been par for the course since he left. Anthony has never won a game in Denver since he left, going 0-for-3. And while any pain inflicted on the court to Anthony mattered significantly to fans early on, it’s barely a blip now. So much has changed. In the Nuggets organization, the trade is hardly ever brought up. Coach Michael Malone wasn’t here for it. General manager Tim Connelly wasn’t here. Only one of the players involved in the trade was even on the court Tuesday night — the centerpiece, … [Read more...] about Carmelo Anthony’s return to Denver doesn’t burn as before; Nuggets beat Knicks

For people, policy and Colorado politics What’s The Spot? You’re reading an installment of our weekly politics newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered straight in your inbox . The Colorado legislature is primed to pass a bill to provide in-state tuition at public colleges and universities to American Indian students whose tribes have ties to this state, even if those students don’t live here. Lawmakers, higher education officials and some Indigenous leaders have hailed this as an overdue step toward undoing historical injustice against Indigenous people. Yet Brett Chapman, a civil rights attorney and member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, isn’t impressed. The bill doesn’t go far enough, he says, and if Colorado really wanted to do something with impact, it would provide free tuition for these students. “It’s just really performative,” Chapman says. “The only thing they’re giving them is the ability to pay tuition same as the white people whose ancestors ran off … [Read more...] about The Spot: Why popular ideas don’t always become law, Twitter’s hold on the 3rd Congressional District and Juneteenth

A group of House Democrats is urging leadership to provide tax relief for recipients of unemployment benefits in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package the House is expected to vote on this week. "As we work to deliver on much-needed support for families, workers, and businesses, we should not be extending benefits with one hand and taxing them with the other," the lawmakers wrote in a letter dated Thursday. Rep. Cindy Axne Cindy Axne Iowa Democrat quarantining after staffer tests positive for COVID-19 On The Money: Biden calls Dems, urges big COVID bill | Biden's SEC pick sidelined as GameStop drama unfolds | Bezos stepping down as Amazon CEO Democrats offer bill to provide tax relief to unemployment recipients MORE (D-Iowa) took the lead on the letter, which was signed by 11 other House Democrats and sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy Pelosi Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Democratic fury with GOP … [Read more...] about Democrats call for relief package to waive taxes on unemployment benefits