Government

Bogus 'tax service specialists' duped business owners in latest Covid relief debacle, IRS says IRS officials say the Employee Retention Tax Credit program has been a magnet for unscrupulous promoters who filed a “tsunami of bad claims.” NBC News

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Congress said the Employee Retention Tax Credit would cost around $55 billion, but new estimates put the cost at $250 billion, and claims are still pouring in...

H5N1 bird flu in U.S. cattle: A wake-up call to action Comparisons to seasonal flu management underestimate the unique challenges posed by H5N1 bird flu. Patrick Skerrett STAT

The recent detection of H5N1 bird flu in U.S. cattle, coupled with reports of a dairy worker contracting the virus, demands a departure from the usual reassurances offered by federal health officials. While they emphasize there’s no cause for alarm and assert diligent monitoring, it’s imperative we break from this familiar script.

Interior Department will give tribal nations $120 million to fight climate-related threats The Interior Department will be allocating more than $120 million to tribal governments to fight the impacts of climate change. AP News

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The funding is designed to help tribal nations adapt to climate threats, including relocating infrastructure.

US respiratory virus activity declines, with few hot spots reported Outpatient visits for flulike illness is below the national baseline for the first time since October. CIDRAP

Activity from the three main respiratory viruses continues to decline in the United States, with one of the main flu markers—outpatient visits for flulike illness—now below the national baseline for the first time since October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest updates for flu, COVID, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).