Source: Matthew Burns, WRAL, 5/18/20

 After hearing from almost a dozen people – some seething, some weeping – describe Monday their often futile efforts to file for unemployment during the coronavirus pandemic, Republican lawmakers pointed the finger of blame at Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper's administration. The state Division of Employment Security has been swamped by 1.2 million claims for jobless benefits since March 15, which division director Lockhart Taylor said is more than it handled during the last six years combined.

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