On Monday, a judge issued a preliminary decree barring California Governor Gavin Newsom from issuing coronavirus-related directives that may conflict with state law. Sutter County Supreme Court Justice Sarah Heckman ruled that one of Newsom's executive orders went beyond his mandate and was «an unconstitutional exercise of the legislature.» More broadly, it barred him «from exercising any authority under the California Emergency Services Act that amends or modifies existing statutory…

The Inspector General of Small Business Administration (SBA), according to the report, confirmed that the department could have distributed billions of dollars to fraudulent firms claiming financial distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report alleges that the SBA relaxed its vigilance to expedite the loan approval process and did not screen illegal applicants. “To speed up the process, the management“ lowered restrictions ”and relaxed internal controls, which significantly increased…