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WASHINGTON: Hundreds of billions of dollars in unused funds from a US$2.3 trillion coronavirus aid package could be reallocated to help US households and businesses, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday. About US$200 billion in money allocated to the Treasury to backstop US central bank loans remains uncommitted, Powell and Mnuchin said in a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee. Mnuchin also pointed to the US$130 billion left in the now-expired Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses, funds he said would his first priority to get approval from Congress to tap and send to needy firms. In addition, Powell, in response to a question, said most of the US$75 billion allocated to the Fed's largely untapped Main Street Lending Program remains unused. The focus on reallocating those sums has emerged as Congress has remained deadlocked over providing new fiscal relief that Powell said could make the difference … [Read more...] about Fed’s Powell, Mnuchin see promise in reallocating unused aid

(CNN) Former NBA star Jeremy Lin will not be naming the person who called him "coronavirus" while he was playing basketball. Lin, who plays for the Santa Cruz Warriors, the G League, or minor league, affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, tweeted Saturday that he will not be "naming or shaming anyone" after sharing the racism he experienced. "What good does it do in this situation for someone to be torn down?" Lin said. "It doesn't make my community safer or solve any of our long-term problems with racism." "Instead, if you want to truly help, look for the Asian kid that has no one to speak up for him when he's bullied," he said. "Look for the Asian American groups that are experiencing poverty but getting overlooked." The G League is investigating the incident, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. Read More In a Thursday Facebook post , the guard expressed his anguish for the racism and violence targeting Asian Americans. Communities and … [Read more...] about NBA veteran Jeremy Lin will not name person who called him ‘coronavirus’ on the court

REUTERS: Kenyan long-distance runner Patrick Siele has been banned for three-and-a-half years for fleeing from anti-doping officials who were trying to collect a sample, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Thursday. Siele is the latest in a long line of Kenyan athletes to be sanctioned in recent years, including 2008 Olympic 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop, former Boston and Chicago Marathon winner Rita Jeptoo and 2016 Olympic marathon champion Jemimah Sumgong. Former 1,500 metres world champion Elijah Manangoi, who is also from Kenya, was provisionally suspended in July for missing three tests under the whereabouts rule. The AIU global disciplinary body said in a statement that Siele ran away from anti-doping personnel and an independent witness confirmed he "hurdled a fence to escape from the compound" in Kapsabet in west Kenya on Dec. 18 last year. His sanction has been backdated to March 16, 2020. Siele's ban was initially set for four years but was reduced by six … [Read more...] about Kenyan runner banned for fleeing anti-doping staff

Allison Hope is a writer whose work has been featured by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Slate and elsewhere. The views expressed here are the author's. Read more opinion on CNN. (CNN) You know times are a-changing when a famous toy spud is getting an upgrade—and for a very 21st-century reason. Allison Hope Hasbro has announced it is dropping the gendered honorific "Mr." from the brand name of its popular Potato Head toy. The move, a seemingly innocuous one that follows in the inclusive footsteps of other brands like Mattel and Target , has sparked the fury of the internet mob once again exposing its ugly underbelly of anti-LGBTQ hate. It's a child's toy. It's -- let's get real -- a potato. Why such an overreaction? We all know the answer. But for an additional reminder, we turn to Congress, which is having a slightly elevated, though at times inane, misinformed and Mr. Potato Head-level, debate about whether to extend equal … [Read more...] about Potato Head is getting with the times. So should Congress

LONDON: More than 300 British Olympians have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on the government to prioritise tackling environmental issues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Runner Mo Farah and former rower Steve Redgrave, who have a combined nine Olympic golds between them, were among the 310 past and present athletes to sign on behalf of the 'Champions of the Earth' movement. Johnson has pledged that Britain should lead the way in a 'green recovery' from the damage to the economy caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that forced this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo to be delayed until 2021. "We can sit timidly in the pack, pretending we have no role to play in the unfolding race. Or, like the athletes we would have watched this summer, we can race to win," the letter said. "We urge the government to act consistently with the recognised need for "urgent action" by developing a truly Green approach to recovery from the pandemic." The … [Read more...] about British Olympians call on government to prioritise environment