Tag: pandemic

As Crisis Escalates, Right-Wing Figures Still Reject Reality

American life is grinding to a halt during the coronavirus outbreak as people are being urged — or even being ordered by state and local governments — to stay inside as much as possible.

In both New York City and Los Angeles, bars and restaurants have been ordered to close almost completely, with service only for delivery or takeout. Movie theaters in both cities have also been shut down.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has just ordered similar restaurant closures on a statewide basis. And in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered a reduced occupancy of 50 percent in restaurants and is urging people over 65-years-old or with chronic health conditions to stay inside. Continue reading.

Trump to propose $850B stimulus for coronavirus response

The Hill logoThe Trump administration will seek approval of a roughly $850 billion emergency stimulus package from Congress in order to ease the economic impact of the coronavirus, a senior administration official confirmed on Tuesday.

The senior administration official stressed that the proposal is a tax proposal, not a spending stimulus as Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is proposing. The development was first reported by The Washington Post, which said that the stimulus package could include a payroll tax cut and is expected to include about $50 billion to help the airline industry specifically.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, President Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also said they wanted to send checks to Americans as part of the proposal. Trump indicated the administration was still considering a payroll tax cut, but looking at other measures to more quickly send money to Americans. Continue reading.

Never have GOP votes against impeachment seemed more shortsighted

Washington Post logoEvery time Vice President Pence appears for a coronavirus briefing, it is a reminder what the votes of just 20 Republican senators for impeachment might have accomplished for the republic.

Pence is no Franklin D. Roosevelt, but neither is he an obviously outmatched leader like his boss. The vice president is a sycophant but not an incompetent. He possesses the type of qualities one might find in an effective governor facing a hurricane. President Trump possesses the qualities one might expect in a shady businessman trying to shift responsibility for bad debt and mismanagement — which was the main leadership qualification on his pre-presidential résumé.

Never has the phrase “President Pence” had a better ring to it. Never have Republican votes against impeachment seemed more shortsighted and damaging to the country. Continue reading.

On Fox News, suddenly a very different tune about the coronavirus

Washington Post logoFor weeks, some of Fox News’s most popular hosts downplayed the threat of the coronavirus, characterizing it as a conspiracy by media organizations and Democrats to undermine President Trump.

Fox News personalities such as Sean Hannity and Laura In­graham accused the news media of whipping up “mass hysteria” and being “panic pushers.” Fox Business host Trish Regan called the alleged media-Democratic alliance “yet another attempt to impeach the president.”

But that was then.

With Trump’s declaration on Friday that the virus constitutes a national emergency, the tone on Fox News has quickly shifted. Continue reading.

Senate could push through ‘Phase 3’ coronavirus rescue plan this week

Steven Mnuchin will meet with Republican senators to discuss the plan Tuesday.

Even before Congress has finished work on a second stimulus bill to deal with the coronavirus crisis, senators from both parties and the White House are already talking about a third package, which will come with a price tag that runs into the hundreds of billions of dollars.

And few people, from President Donald Trump on down, are complaining about the cost — knowing the country faces a potentially unprecedented economic hit from the pandemic.

But perhaps the most shocking fact is that the normally slow-moving Senate could pass the “Phase 3” bill this week, according to several GOP senators. Continue reading.

SD48 Joint Update from Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) and Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B)

March 17, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

We wanted to write to you today, together, to emphasize the unity that is needed in our community and across the state as we continue to navigate these uncertain and challenging times. Updates are occurring quickly, but here is where things currently stand.

Health Care Response

Early this morning, the Minnesota Legislature passed legislation to provide $200 million in investments for a health care response fund and Minnesota’s public health response contingency account, the latest in our efforts to ensure Minnesota has the resources it needs to remain strong both during and after the COVID-19 epidemic.

$150 million of these funds will go to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to make sure Minnesota’s health care providers can respond to this virus with more treatment beds, testing sites, and the increase and protection of staff. The remaining $50 million goes towards a contingency account that can be used for costs needed on an emergency basis to prepare and respond to this or similar pandemics. Continue reading “SD48 Joint Update from Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, Rep. Laurie Pryor (HD48A) and Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B)”

Coronavirus package hits roadblocks amid GOP opposition

The Hill logoThe House-passed coronavirus package is quickly running into roadblocks, throwing into question the bill’s timeline for reaching President Trump’s desk.

House lawmakers passed the bipartisan deal early Saturday morning after around-the-clock negotiations between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchinand Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and a late endorsement from Trump.

But that’s done little to guarantee its smooth path to the White House as it faces eleventh-hour fixes and opposition from some Republican senators, either of which could complicate and slow the bill’s arrival and passage in the Senate. Continue reading.

House lawmakers indefinitely postpone return to Washington

The Hill logoHouse Democratic leaders will indefinitely postpone their return to Washington as a precautionary measure amid rising anxieties over the fast-moving coronavirus.

The House was scheduled to return to the Capitol on March 23, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told rank-and-file Democrats on a conference call Monday that they’ll postpone that date, according to several aides familiar with the leadership message.

“Hoyer said for sure not Monday, and he will update them about the rest of the week,” one aide said, noting that potential cancellations of domestic flights may also play a role. “This is all pending domestic travel situation too.” Continue reading.

Mar-a-Lago forced to shut down for coronavirus ‘deep cleaning’ after multiple guests test positive

AlterNet logoPresident Donald Trump’s beloved Mar-a-Lago resort won’t be open to the public Monday. The nearly one-hundred year-old Florida mansion and members-only club will be shut down for a deep cleaning after several guests of the President later tested positive for the coronavirus. Among them, several members of the Brazilian president’s administration.

“Members were notified via email that the club will be closed Monday for cleaning,” CNN reports.

But after the deep cleaning, details of which were not made public, is complete, it will be business as usual. Continue reading.

Washington Post free COVID-19 News

The Washington Post is providing free updates on the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic on their website through this crisis.  You can access the posts here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/16/coronavirus-latest-news/?utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere&utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&wpisrc=al_news__alert-politics–alert-national&wpmk=1