Tag: COVID-19

Where things stand on COVID-19 relief measure

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Democrats are aiming to move quickly on a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package and give President Biden a legislative accomplishment early in his tenure.

A multitude of House committees advanced portions of the bill last week, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told colleagues on Tuesday that the plan is for the bill to be considered on the House floor next week.

The bigger challenge lies ahead when the work shifts over to the Senate. The legislation will need every Senate Democrat to vote for it to pass if no Republicans back it. Continue reading.

Biden to increase number of vaccine doses to states

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The Biden administration will increase the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses going to states this week.

States will receive 13.6 million doses per week starting this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday. The current shipment is about 11 million doses. 

That marks a 57 percent increase over the amount states were getting when Biden first took office, Psaki said.  Continue reading.

Biden extends foreclosure moratorium, mortgage forbearance through June

This is the second time President Joe Biden has extended the relief since he took office.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is extending the foreclosure moratorium and mortgage forbearance through the end of June as part of his efforts to address the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the White House announced Tuesday.

The administration’s actions continue programs that former President Donald Trump started last year. This is the second time Biden has extended the programs after having signed an executive action on his first day in office that pushed the expiration date to the end of March.

The White House also announced Tuesday that the administration is extending the enrollment window to request a mortgage payment forbearance and will grant six months of additional forbearance for those who enroll on or before June 30. Continue reading.

GOP tries to weaponize pandemic-exhausted parents against Biden

Aware of this emerging voter demo, the White House is hoping its agenda and relief bill will inoculate it against frustrations.

Distraught and exhausted parents are emerging as a new class of voters that could torment President Joe Biden — and the White House is moving quickly to head off the pain.

Nearing a year into the pandemic, Biden’s advisers and allies recognize that they need to respond to the spiraling angst felt by families or risk driving them into the arms of waiting Republicans.

It is a crucial test for Biden and Democrats as they try to consolidate their gains from the 2020 election. The pandemic has disrupted lives and exacerbated inequities and a raft of public and private surveys show clear political potholes and opportunities because of it. The coronavirus is spawning sweeping policy prescriptions from Democrats and Republicans alike, from billions in school reopening funds to the creation of a federal child allowance. And it’s prompting pollsters to loosely coin emerging voter demos like “women in chaos” and “families in crisis.” Continue reading.

‘You’re ruining my country!’ Man has epic public meltdown after gym trainer asks him to wear a mask

A man was caught on camera last week having a public meltdown at an Anytime Fitness gym after a trainer asked him to wear a face mask.

Local news station WISTV reports that Adrian Aguilar, a trainer at the Anytime Fitness located in Edgewater, Illinois, tried to ask 30-year-old Anthony Myers to comply with the gym’s policies regarding face masks to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Myers did not take kindly to his requests, however, and started angrily berating him. Continue reading.

Eroding trust, spreading fear: The historical ties between pandemics and extremism

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Adam Crigler used to feed his YouTube following a politics-free diet of chatter about aliens, movies, skateboarding and video games. Then came the pandemic. Now, he devotes much of his talk show to his assertion that mask mandates are an assault on personal freedom and that Democrats somehow stole the 2020 election from Donald Trump. Result: a much bigger audience.

“The pandemic has made more people want to blame someone else because they’ve lost their jobs or they’re lonely,” Crigler said.

Ian Bayne, for years a campaign professional, had sworn off politics and launched a career in real estate. Then covid hit, and he helped launch No Mask Nevada, organizing a dozen rallies against masking because he said the government was inflating the danger of the coronavirus. Continue reading.

Kamala Harris reveals what the new administration discovered about Trump’s COVID-19 response plan

In an interview with Axios on HBO, Vice President Kamala Harris claimed ‘there was no national strategy or plan for vaccinations’ in the Trump administration’s COVID-19 plan. Harris claims what many in the Biden administration have surmised after taking over governing.

‘We were leaving it to the states and local leaders to try and figure it out,” Harris told reporter Mike Allen. 

President Joe Biden made a similar claim when he announced the next steps for the vaccine plan. Continue reading.

U.K. Virus Variant Is Probably Deadlier, Scientists Say

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New research finds that the British variant is “likely” to be linked to a higher risk of hospitalization and death, laying bare the danger facing countries that ease restrictions.

LONDON — British government scientists are increasingly finding the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain to be linked to a higher risk of death than other versions of the virus, a devastating trend that highlights the serious risks and considerable uncertainties of this new phase of the pandemic.

The scientists said last month that there was a “realistic possibility” that the variant was not only more contagious than others, but also more lethal. Now, they say in a new document that it is “likely” that the variant is linked to an increased risk of hospitalization and death.

The British government did not publicly announce the updated findings, which are based on roughly twice as many studies as its earlier assessment and include more deaths from Covid-19 cases caused by the new variant, known as B.1.1.7. It posted the document on a government website on Friday. Continue reading.

CDC releases guidelines on safely reopening schools

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School reopenings should be contingent on community transmission rates and should be a priority over restaurants and other nonessential businesses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Friday.

Why it matters: America’s educators have been calling on the health agency to issue clear and useful guidance for schools, following mixed signals sent by the Trump administration last year. 

The state of play: K–12 schools should close only after all other mitigation measures in the community have been employed, and the first to reopen when they can do so safely, the guidance says.  Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: February 12, 2021

Governor Walz Orders Flags Flown at Half-Staff to Honor Victims of Buffalo Tragedy

On Wednesday, Governor Tim Walz directed all flags at state and federal buildings in Minnesota to be flown at half-staff, effective immediately, until sunset on Sunday, February 14, 2021 in honor of the victims of the senseless tragedy that resulted in one lost life and four others injured at Allina Clinic Crossroads in Buffalo, Minnesota on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.

“Minnesota flags will fly at half-staff through Sunday to honor the loss of Medical Assistant Lindsay Overbay and those who were injured and the at Allina Clinic in Buffalo,” said Governor Walz. “As we grieve this senseless tragedy, let us also honor their work to keep Minnesotans safe and healthy.”

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: February 12, 2021”