All U.S. Appeals Courts Embrace Argument Streaming Due to Covid

Here are the day’s top coronavirus stories from the team at Bloomberg Law:

• APPEALS COURT STREAMING: All 13 federal appeals courts now are livestreaming oral arguments compared to four prior to the pandemic, the latest sign of how Covid-19 has made U.S. courts more transparent. The embrace of live audio or video by federal and state courts that’s attracting audiences in cases from Washington to Hawaii has advocates hopeful that increased public access will remain even after the pandemic ends.
• LOBBYING SUCCESS: Companies and trade groups have reported major benefits from provisions in a late-March virus relief package, and their lobbying efforts continued after the law’s enactment. At least 14 banks and 19 retailers, including giants like Macy’s and Nordstrom, have reported benefiting, according to a Bloomberg Tax analysis of public company financial forms.
• RELIEF TALKS RESUME: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin head into another round of negotiations Tuesday on a new virus relief package after talks yielded “a little bit” of progress despite the wide gap that still remains between Republicans and Democrats.

Editor’s Top Picks

Oil-Industry Bankruptcies Spread as Driller Fieldwood Files
Fieldwood Energy Inc., an offshore oil driller, has become the latest energy company to seek bankruptcy protection.

States Start Cutting Slimmer Checks After Jobless Aid Boost End
Many laid-off workers who’ve been drawing weekly jobless benefits will start discovering Tuesday that their direct deposits or mailed checks are $600 lighter.

Apple, Citing Virus, Urges VirnetX Patent Trial Delay in Texas
Apple Inc. urged a Texas federal district court judge to postpone an upcoming jury trial in its long-running patent battle with VirnetX Inc., saying Covid-19 cases are peaking in the state—including in the area around the courthouse.

Virtual Doctors Add Eye Exams, Mental Health Under Trump Order
Increasingly telehealth-reliant doctors and patients are getting a boost from a Trump administration move to permanently expand virtual services.

Another Regional U.S. Airline Falls to the Covid-19 Recession
ExpressJet is the fourth U.S. regional airline to collapse since the Covid-19 pandemic decimated air travel.

Regulators Urge Banks to Extend Covid Relief for Borrowers
Banks should give struggling borrowers more time to repay their mortgages and other loan obligations as statutory forbearance periods expire, federal financial regulators said.

Booking to Cut Thousands of Workers After Covid-19 Travel Hit
Booking Holdings Inc. is the latest online travel giant to eliminate thousands of jobs after the pandemic hammered the industry.

World’s Top Pork Producer Goes on Defensive Over Virus Response
One of America’s food giants is taking to the media to defend its efforts to keep employees safe and supply food to the nation, in the face of criticism that workers at meat plants haven’t been adequately safeguarded against the coronavirus.

Cash-Starved Ambulance Companies Seek $3 Billion in Virus Relief
Ambulance company executives watched as major hospitals got millions in emergency dollars to offset losses when many health facilities shut down in an effort to contain Covid-19. Now, ambulance providers are asking Congress for almost $3 billion in the next virus relief package.

New York Limits Liability Shield for Nursing Home Workers
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed legislation scaling back civil liability protections provided to nursing home and other health-care workers during the pandemic.

Click here for updates on how federal courts are operating during the pandemic.

If a friend forwarded you this email, sign up here.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Flipboard, LinkedIn, Reddit, Facebook, and Telegram. You can tell Alexa to “Play Bloomberg Law news” or add Bloomberg Law to your Flash Briefing.

Editor’s Note: The Bloomberg Law news team has been closely covering the legal, regulatory, business, and tax implications of the coronavirus pandemic. This daily email highlights the top stories of the day, across practice areas. To unsubscribe, please adjust your Bloomberg Law newsletter settings. For assistance, contact our help desk at 888-560-2529 or help@bloomberglaw.com.