Senate Republicans plan to unveil their plan next week, which would continue providing unemployment insurance subsidies, tax incentives for employers to avoid layoffs and encourage rehiring, and a new round of checks and direct payments sent by the IRS.
Additional funds for testing and healthcare are also likely to be included, though Republicans may keep the initial line items low to keep the overall price tag under $1 trillion.
The proposal will resemble much of the historically large aid package passed in March (Public Law 116-136). But it isnt likely to include a new round of direct aid to state and local governments, or the full $600 per week unemployment subsidy provided by that law, according to multiple sources familiar with internal deliberations of Senate Republicans. Also notably absent from the expected proposal is a payroll tax cut.
Democrats have made aid to local governments and unemployment subsidies major priorities for the next stimulus phase.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is a gatekeeper for what ends up in the proposal, and Senate committees and their leaders, such as Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), are providing input. A number of tax relief proposals will be part of the discussion, Finance Committee spokesperson Michael Zona said in a statement yesterday. Read more from Colin Wilhelm.
McConnell wants to give federal courts jurisdiction over liability claims arising from coronavirus infections to limit the legal exposure of businesses, schools and other organizations as they reopen, according to a summary of legislation he plans to offer. McConnell and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) are working on a measure to include in the package.
The proposal, which would extend through 2024, would move to federal courts medical liability claims against caregivers that arise from care provided for the virus by licensed health care facilities and medical workers. Like employers generally, they could only be successfully sued if they engaged in gross negligence and intentional misconduct. Read more from Laura Litvan.
Virus Relief Set to Vanish in Series of Fiscal Cliffs: The U.S. faces an urgent set of decisions on whether to extend historys biggest rescue effort or let parts of it lapse.
The government approved more than $2 trillion of extra spending after the coronavirus brought swaths of industry and commerce to a sudden halt. Some measures targeted those who took the biggest hit, like the unemployed and small business. Others were across-the-board, reaching every corner of the economy.
But these programs are due to run out in the coming weeks and months. Each expiration date will test the still-fragile U.S. recovery unless policy makers opt to keep crisis supports in place. These kind of cutoff dates, when past decisions dictate a big change in net government spending unless further action is taken, are sometimes known as fiscal cliffs. They have a history of roiling markets, as politicians take the debate to the brink. Ben Holland and Laura Davison track some of the looming deadlines, and the numbers involved.
New Lockdowns Threatened: Yesterday public officials across the U.S. warned they will wield lockdowns again if people dont immediately act to halt the resurgent coronavirus. The mayors of Houston, Los Angeles and Miami have floated the prospect, along with a top adviser to the governor of Texas. Yesterday, in the absence of a national strategy, state and local officials kept pushing familiar and thus far ineffective preventive measures, but many said they are running out of soft options.
Texas posted its worst day of fatalities, 129, and recorded more than 10,000 new cases for a third-straight day. Florida posted a record 156 new deaths. Read more from Bloomberg News.
Georgia Governor Sues Atlanta Mayor Over Mask Battle: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) sued the mayor of Atlanta to stop her from enforcing a city mandate that people wear masks in public given a spike in coronavirus infections. Kemp said in a statement yesterday that he filed the lawsuit to force Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to comply with his executive order blocking Atlanta and at least 14 other local governments across the state from requiring residents to wear face coverings. Read more from Robert Burnson.
Childhood Covid-19 Infections Mount: As the school year draws near, children and teens represent a ballooning percentage of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. as the youngest Americans increasingly venture outside their homes and are able to get tested. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long maintained on its website that those younger than 18 make up only 2% of cases, state data paints a much less rosy picture. California and Mississippi, for instance, are recording rates nearing 10% of overall cases. Florida has found that about a third of all children tested there are infected. Read more from Anna Edney.
Meadows Calls Faucis 1918 Comparison Irresponsible: President Donald Trumps chief of staff criticized Anthony Fauci for comparing the current coronavirus outbreak to the 1918 flu pandemic, after reprimanding another top White House adviser for publicly attacking Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert. He suggested that this virus was worse than, or as bad as, the 1918 flu epidemic, Mark Meadows said during a Fox News interview yesterday. I can tell you that not only is that false, its irresponsible to suggest so.
Fauci said Tuesday at an event sponsored by Georgetown University that the coronavirus is a pandemic of historic proportions and when history looks back on it, will be comparable to what we saw in 1918, when influenza killed tens of millions of people worldwide. Covid-19 has so far killed more than 588,000 people worldwide, and more than 138,000 in the U.S., according to statistics compiled by Bloomberg. Read more from Jordan Fabian.
CDC Extends No-Sail Order for Cruises: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended its no-sail order for cruise ships through the end of September, preventing vessels from sailing in U.S. waters out of concerns over Covid-19. The extension is the second for an order that dates back to March 14 and was issued after a series of coronavirus outbreaks on cruises. Read more from Jonathan Levin.
Drug Hoarding Stirs Calls for Accessible Data: Protecting existing patients in the next rush to buy up a promising Covid-19 treatment may require a national database of drug supplies and more reporting standards to stop hoarding. The fractured federal response to the coronavirus has pitted facilities against each other for medications and supplies, according to supply chain specialists, doctors, and policy analysts. Read more from Jacquie Lee.
Democrats Fundraising Continues Flowing: House Democrats running for re-election in the most politically competitive districts intensified their fundraising advantage over Republican challengers in the second quarter, as the pandemic complicated campaign operations for both parties. The 29 Democrats seeking new terms in districts Trump won in 2016 had a median of $3 million in cash on hand on June 30, according to campaign-finance reports filed this week to the Federal Election Commission analyzed by Bloomberg Government. Greg Giroux and Emily Wilkins have more.
Lobbyists Bundle $2.4 Million for Trump: Lobbyists bundled $2.4 million for Trump and the GOP from April through June, bringing the total that they have raised to over $10 million since the start of 2019, according to Federal Election Commission records. That includes money raised for the Republican National Committee and Trump Victory. Trump and his Republican Party pulled in $266 million total through the second quarter, according to the campaign. Megan R. Wilson has more.
Wisconsin GOP Lame Duck Move Survives: Wisconsin Democrats cant revive their challenge to the Republican-controlled legislatures enactment of two laws after the 2018 elections reducing the powers of the governor-elect, a Democrat, as the case raises nonjusticiable political questions, the Seventh Circuit decided. While Gov. Scott Walker (R) was still in office, the legislature passed the two laws stripping Gov.-elect Tony Evers (D) of various authority, and vesting authority in legislative committees that would remain under Republican control. Read more from Brian Flood.
Bolton Asks Judge to Throw Out Profit Suit: Trumps former National Security Adviser John Bolton asked a judge to throw out a government lawsuit seeking to seize profits from the sale of his tell-all memoir on the grounds that it illegally spills classified information.The Justice Department is ignoring core constitutional principles by seeking to punish the former top Trump administration official for publishing speech that is embarrassing to the president, Bolton said in the filing late yesterday in federal court in Washington. Read more from Erik Larson.
Amazon, Apple Hire Prominent Critic: Fiona Scott Morton is widely recognized as a top antitrust expert, known for her warnings that American tech giants are stifling competition and innovation. Yet Scott Morton, a Yale University economist and former Justice Department official, is also advising two of the biggest names in tech Amazon and Apple as they confront federal antitrust investigations. She didnt disclose those relationships in papers she recently co-authored outlining how the U.S. could bring antitrust cases against Google and Facebook. Read more from David McLaughlin.
Twitter Says Hackers Targeted 130 People: Twitter revealed hackers targeted just 130 accounts during the cyber-attack this week that compromised some of the worlds most recognizable people, though no passwords were stolen. The U.S. company said the still-unknown perpetrators had gained control of a subset of those accounts and were able to send tweets. Twitter has blocked data downloads from affected accounts as its investigation continues, it said on its online support page. Read more from Kurt Wagner.
Barr Urged to Ban TikTok: More than 20 House lawmakers wrote to Attorney General William Barr calling for a national ban on the popular social media platform TikTok, saying the app represents a security and privacy threat to anyone who has it on their smartphone. The U.S. should not trust TikTok or any other Chinese-affiliated social media websites or apps to protect Americans data, privacy, or security, the lawmakers said, Victoria Hodges reports.
DOD Service to Match Vendors, Investors: A dating service for the defense industry will be rolled out by the Pentagon in the coming months according to the militarys acquisitions leader, after an earlier attempt to match companies with venture capitalists stumbled last year. The department has been working on a system to connect investors with companies that need cash to build new technologies such as drones since May 2019, when it introduced the Trusted Capital Marketplace. Read more from Travis J. Tritten.
Federal Register Dinged for Printing Rules: The Government Accountability Office has determined the Office of the Federal Register, a sub-agency within the National Archives and Records Administration, violated a spending law in publishing documents during the 2019 partial federal government shutdown. The decision is a rebuke to the Department of Justice, which adopted a policy change midway through the shutdown to get around the Antideficiency Act, a law enacted in 1884 that bars federal agencies from spending in advance of a congressional appropriation. Read more from Cheryl Bolen.
NEPA Changes Imperil Communities of Color: Low-income Black and Latino communities will be pummeled by the Trump administrations changes to the nations permitting rules for U.S. infrastructure projects, environmental justice leaders across the nation said. These communities rely heavily on the National Environmental Policy Act to push back against gas pipelines, highways, power plants, and other projects that have historically polluted communities of color more than affluent White neighborhoods, the leaders argue. Read more from Stpehen Lee, Ellen M. Gilmer and Kellie Lunney.
Solar Projects Relied on Rule Thats Changing: A landmark, decades-old law thats been key to the growth of renewable energy in the U.S. is getting a major overhaul, threatening to cut demand for solar projects. Federal regulators this week imposed new limits on which energy projects fall under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act that helped spur a generation of solar and wind farms across the country. More than 30% of solar facilities online today benefit from the law. Stephen Cunningham and Christopher Martin have more.
To contact the reporters on this story: Zachary Sherwood in Washington at zsherwood@bgov.com; Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com; Loren Duggan at lduggan@bgov.com; Michaela Ross at mross@bgov.com
Go here to read the rest:
- 10 Utopian Intentional Communities with Distinct Values [Last Updated On: June 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 12th, 2016]
- Communities Directory - Find Intentional Communities [Last Updated On: June 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 12th, 2016]
- Intentional Communities | Touchstone Mental Health [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2016]
- Intentional community - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: June 17th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 17th, 2016]
- Welcome to FIC - Fellowship for Intentional Community [Last Updated On: June 17th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 17th, 2016]
- Intentional Communities | Touchstone Mental Health [Last Updated On: June 19th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 19th, 2016]
- Intentional Communities - A Fairer World [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2016]
- Intentional Communities Asheville (Asheville, NC) - Meetup [Last Updated On: June 27th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 27th, 2016]
- What is an Intentional Community? - Meadowdance [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2016]
- Plan B Retirement - Intentional communities [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2016]
- Jewish Intentional Communities Initiative - Hazon [Last Updated On: July 29th, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 29th, 2016]
- Twin Oaks Intentional Community - Twin Oaks Intentional ... [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2016]
- Acorn Community [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2016]
- Map - Fellowship for Intentional Community [Last Updated On: August 21st, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 21st, 2016]
- Home Page - Elder Intentional Communities [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2016]
- NW NJ Ecovillage - Fellowship for Intentional Community [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2016]
- Intentional Eucharistic Communities - Home [Last Updated On: October 31st, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 31st, 2016]
- Intentional Housing Communities | www.hampshire.edu [Last Updated On: November 19th, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 19th, 2016]
- The Camphill Assocation of North America Communities [Last Updated On: November 25th, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 25th, 2016]
- Communes: the pros & cons of intentional community ... [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2016]
- Brooklyn Street | Neighborhood Alliance [Last Updated On: November 30th, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 30th, 2016]
- Cohousing - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: December 11th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 11th, 2016]
- Jewish Intentional Communities Conference - Hazon [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2016]
- As Trump's policies stoke fears, Denver's Muslim community worries about eroding trust in law enforcement - The Denver Post [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Disparities in minority unemployment targeted by Iowa officials - DesMoinesRegister.com [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- ACE program benefits low-income communities - Observer Online [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Coalition Calls Itself The 'Eyes, Ears & Voice' Of Pittsburgh's Black Community - 90.5 WESA [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- 'A community remembers' coming to Hesston - Leavenworth Times [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Take a bow, Sheldon Theatre - Republican Eagle [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Want a happy old age? Get your friends to be your neighbours - Independent Online [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- 'A community remembers' coming to Hesston - News - Butler County ... - Butler County Times Gazette [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Krista Tippett February 01, 2017 - America Magazine [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- To truly serve the public, community stations must apply standards for what's said on-air - Current [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- Pastor: We must build bridges between police and local black communities - Fort Worth Star Telegram (blog) [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- A Business Plan for Healthy Communities - Hospitals & Health Networks [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2017]
- Appalachian's Alternative Service Experience among nation's top 10 ... - Appalachian State University [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2017]
- The Death of the Ski Bum and Intentional Tourism - The Catalyst [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2017]
- Heroin hits home: Highways provide "easy access" for drug trafficking in Franklin County - Herald-Mail Media [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2017]
- How Anarchists and Intentional Communities Are Reacting to ... [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2017]
- Herrick Library: Libraries: The Living Room of our Communities - HollandSentinel.com [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2017]
- Ohio Continues with Next Phase of InsideOut Initiative to Combat Win-at-All Costs Sports Mentality - 13abc Action News [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2017]
- Ohio Continues with Next Phase of InsideOut Initiative to Combat Win-at-All Costs Sports Mentality - Norwalk Reflector [Last Updated On: February 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 14th, 2017]
- Ithaca organization encourages people to participate in National Random Acts of Kindness Week - The Ithaca Voice [Last Updated On: February 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 14th, 2017]
- Portland groups form coalition to eradicate hate - KOIN.com [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Dynamic Communities Announces Eric Pearson, Information Security Expert, As GPUG Amplify 2017 Keynote Speaker - MSDynamicsWorld.com (press release) [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Anson County community meeting to fight poverty planned for Feb. 18 - Ansonrecord [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Nash says 'there's more to be done' on diversity at State of the County address - Gwinnettdailypost.com [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- Spreading the Faith: Moving Coins and Moving Communities - Patheos (blog) [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- If It Walks Like a Duck - ChicagoNow (blog) [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- Renting land to highest bidder a stumbling block for young people ... - AG Week [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- Immigrant Round-ups Stir Fears - Consortium News [Last Updated On: February 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 19th, 2017]
- Pace: What Should I Give Up This Year? - Covington News [Last Updated On: February 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 20th, 2017]
- J Mase III of #BlackTransMagick seeks to redistribute resources - Daily Illini [Last Updated On: February 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 20th, 2017]
- Best approach to panhandlers? Ignore them - Richmond Register [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- South Side getting trauma center, but it'll be far more than just an emergency room - Fox 32 Chicago [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- St. Louis Park cohousing community welcomes home all ages - Minneapolis Star Tribune [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- The Christian Retreat From Public Life - The Atlantic [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- In 'The Unsettlers,' Mark Sundeen looks for lives well lived | Books ... - Missoula Independent [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Column: Community will miss Rev. Irwin's impact - Wicked Local Waltham [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- Cohousing communities gain popularity, including here in Nashville - WKRN.com [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- Better health needs a diverse workforce - Greenville Daily Reflector [Last Updated On: February 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 25th, 2017]
- Cohousing communities gain popularity - WDTN [Last Updated On: February 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 25th, 2017]
- Letters: Dismiss Schimel, others for maps - The Sheboygan Press [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- 12 band members struck by vehicle at Alabama Mardi Gras parade - Chicago Tribune [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Drums, Voices, and Circles - Memphis Democrat [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Family School rebuts report on lack of diversity - Coastal View News [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Food: Four Short Talks brings community to the table - Dailyuw [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- The Wall Street Journal explores trends in Christian community life sort of - GetReligion (blog) [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- Renting land to highest bidder stumbling block for young people looking to start in agriculture - INFORUM [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Transportation/Traveling While Living Off Grid - Mother Earth News [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Reforestation and Civil Disobedience: Aldeia Maracan Urban Indigenous Community Reclaims Olympic Parking - RioOnWatch [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2017]
- Worcester's retiree health costs 'unsustainable' - telegram.com - Worcester Telegram [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- 12 on Tuesday: Leslie Orrantia - WISC - Channel 3000 - Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3 [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- By walking the beat, Kalamazoo officers nurture genuine relationships with community - Michigan Radio [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- Sometimes the Grass Really is Greener - Memphis Democrat [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- Is Clallam opening the door to tiny houses? | Sequim Gazette - Sequim Gazette [Last Updated On: March 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 8th, 2017]
- Healthy communities have engaged members - Centre Daily Times (blog) [Last Updated On: March 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 9th, 2017]
- New St. Paul police program aims to mentor recruits - Minneapolis Star Tribune [Last Updated On: March 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 9th, 2017]
- A New Kind of Homeless Village is Coming to Kenton. It's a Big Deal. - The Portland Mercury (blog) [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2017]
- Why We Need the Benedict Option and How It Doesn't Have to ... - Patheos (blog) [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2017]