Woonsocket Radio News Room

A new report claims the Trump administration secretly acquired "Washington Post" journalists' phone records last year. The newspaper says the Justice Department also tried getting email records in connection with reporting during the early part of the Trump White House. The agency sent three letters notifying them of toll records associated with phone numbers between April and July of 2017.        Governor Asa Hutchinson is ending supplemental unemployment assistance for Arkansas residents. He said today he has directed the Division of Workforce Services to stop its participation in the federal assistance plan after June 26th. Hutchinson says while the extra 300 dollars a month helped thousands of residents make it though a tough time, now they're needed back in the workforce as the state continues opening up.       White House COVID coordinator Jeff Zients [[ ZYE-entz ]] says the government is boosting efforts to convince hesitant Americans to get vaccinated, while also improving access to vaccinations. Meantime, White House COVID Advisor Andy Slavitt says one-hundred-ten million Americans are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.       An election bill is headed back to the Texas Senate after being passed by the Texas House. Representatives signed off on the measure this afternoon following hours of debate. Republicans argue the bill brings about more transparency in elections, particularly involving poll watchers.       A political consultant for the Texas Agriculture Commissioner is under arrest for allegedly selling access to the licenses needed to grow hemp in the state. Production was legalized back in 2019, but only 15 licenses would be issued. Todd Smith, who has run the commissioner's political campaigns, was allegedly telling farmers that getting a hemp license would take a total of 150-thousand dollars in contributions.       A professional golfer is facing a dozen charges, accused of sending inappropriate messages to someone he thought was a teenage girl. Daniel Bowling was arrested yesterday. Orlando Police say Bowling was using the messaging platform AdChat to talk with an undercover cop pretending to be a minor and police say it only took a day for the messages to become sexually charged.        

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