WASHINGTON – Advocates of a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage scored a temporary victory last week when the House approved the increase in its vote to advance President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 relief bill.
But it doesn’t appear they’ll be popping champagne as the bill goes to a Senate vote this week.
Then there was a proposal being crafted by Senate Democrats to back-door a minimum wage increase by inserting a provision that penalizes large corporations that did not pay their workers at least $15 an hour. The plan, led by Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., conversely would provide income tax credits to small businesses if they paid their workers higher wages.
But that proposal – Plan B, in effect – has been pulled. Senate Democrats shelved it because of the difficulty of shoehorning such a complex piece of legislation in a bill that needs to move quickly through Congress.
“Basically, the clock ran out,” Wyden told reporters Monday.
Biden and Democratic leaders want to pass the relief package that extends unemployment benefits before the current benefits expire March 14.
That has left Democrats scrambling for a Plan C. Essentially, that would most likely be a stand-alone bill raising the wage or including it in a larger measure – like an infrastructure bill – that could get the Republican support necessary for passage. Both would be longer shots than including it in the COVID-19 relief bill.
“It’s a matter of basic human decency and fairness. And I am very, very optimistic that we will find another path,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Capitol Hill reporters Monday. “We’re going to do the minimum wage at some point. It may not be this week, but it will be.”
Progressives say the relief package is by far the best vehicle to attach the $15 wage increase because the bill is being moved through Congress in a special procedure called reconciliation that allows it to be approved with a simple 51-vote majority rather than the 60 votes needed to overcome a legislative hurdle known as the filibuster.
That would allow Democrats to pass the relief bill without a single Republican senator, since Vice President Kamala Harris could break the tie in the evenly split chamber. That assumes that every Democrat would go along with a relief bill that raises the wage, a step that two Democrats – Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona – have said they oppose.
The California liberal said it was an issue many progressives, including groups representing women of color, believed was a “core priority” for Democrats and the country.
“If we’re going to do it through reconciliation, we might as well do it now,” Khanna said of some Democrats’ suggestion to try passing the minimum wage in another reconciliation bill.
It’s “not a simple decision. It would also require 50 votes,” she said. “The president and the vice president both respect the history of the Senate. They both formerly served in the Senate, and that’s not an action we intend to take.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who is leading the charge for a $15 wage, said last week that the proposal won’t stand much of a chance of passing if it’s not attached to the relief package because no Republican would support it.
“The only way that we are going to raise the minimum wage is through reconciliation or ending the filibuster,” Sanders said.
Congress hasn’t raised the federal minimum wage – now $7.25 an hour – since 2007, even though a recent Pew Research poll shows Americans overwhelmingly favor an increase. Over the past decade, food costs, housing expenses and CEO pay has climbed yet those at the bottom of the economic ladder have not seen similar gains in their wages, progressives contend.
President Barack Obama called on Congress to boost the minimum wage in 2014, but the effort went nowhere. The Democratic-led House voted in 2019 to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, only to see the Republican-controlled Senate kill the proposal.
Currently, 31 states have a minimum wage law that allows at least some workers to be paid less than $10, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. No state has a minimum wage at $15 or above, though the District of Columbia does.
Republicans are united against the $15 proposal, citing opposition by some small businesses andan analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office which estimates it would result in the loss of as many as 1.4 million jobs. The same analysis said it would boost the pay for as many as 27 million Americans and would lift nearly 1 million out of poverty
Higher wages increase the cost to employers of producing goods and services, and those costs are generally passed on to consumers who usually react by purchasing fewer goods and services, according to the CBO. As a consequence, employers faced with having to scale back their output usually cut back their workforce.
The Massachusetts Democrat made the comments in an interview on “Squawk Box,” one day after rolling out a proposal for an annual tax of 2%, or 2 cents, on every dollar of people’s wealth worth above $50 million. Individuals with fortunes worth more than $1 billion would face an annual tax of 3%, or 3 cents, on every dollar above that threshold.
Warren campaigned on a similar wealth-tax idea during her unsuccessful campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Other progressives, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, signed on to Warren’s plan as co-sponsors. During his unsuccessful presidential campaign, Sanders also favored a wealth tax.
“It’s set up now to say we’re not going to collect taxes on any asset worth less than $50,000, so this is not intrusive. It’s not about coming into people’s homes and valuing their Sub Zeros or figuring out what their 4-year-old cars are worth,” Warren said on CNBC.
“But it says if you’ve got a fortune above $50 million, you pay on it. And if your fortune is below $50 million, you don’t. Good for you, either way,” she added. “I think most people would rather be rich and pay 2 cents. This is not very fancy. It really is a tax on fortunes above $50 million.”
The idea of a wealth tax in the U.S. has faced a range of criticisms, including from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who has said it has “very difficult implementation problems.”
Warren said the coronavirus crisis has exacerbated inequality in the U.S. and demonstrated a greater need for a wealth tax to generate more federal revenue, which the proposal calls to be invested in programs for early childhood education and infrastructure.
The senator said her plan would raise $3.75 trillion over the next 10 years.
“We do understand the direction we’ve been going. This pandemic has created more billionaires. The people at the top are not barely hanging on by their fingernails,” Warren said.
‘Hannity’ host Sean Hannity explores Democrats’ double standards regarding past misconduct allegations
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is under fire over allegations of sexual harassment and making inappropriate advances, but “Hannity” host Sean Hannity vowed Monday he will not jump to judge until the Democrat is proven guilty.
“Unlike the media mob, Big Tech, Democrats, we’re not going to rush to judgment on this show,” he said. “We won’t do it.
“We are consistent. We’re independent. We believe in the presumption of innocence and due process and that’s why we end up being right so often.”
Hannity mentioned the sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh prior to his 2018 confirmation, which Democrats used to attempt to derail his nomination.
“Allegations do need to be investigated; due process needs to be afforded,” he said. “It matters in this country. But you know who doesn’t believe in those core principles? Well, Cuomo and [Vice President] Kamala Harris.”
Hannity recalled that Harris, then a senator from California, had wanted Kavanaugh to “walk the plank” for the “uncorroborated lies” against him.
“She was the biggest ‘I believer’ in the entire country,” he said.
“Now, of course, the vice president’s moral cowardice is shared by many of her colleagues … some of the top Democrats that viciously rushed to judgment, smeared and slandered Kavanaugh, they’re all now silent about the Cuomo accusations,” Hannity concluded.
“Many other ‘I believers’ finally have been pressured, after days, [into] now calling for an investigation and due process, and they’re also asking for the presumption of innocence, something they never provided Kavanaugh.”
According to The New York Times, 33-year-old Anna Ruch has claimed that Cuomo asked to kiss her at a wedding in 2019. In an interview Monday, she specified that Cuomo put his hand on her bare lower back.
Ruch said she pulled away and was “so confused and shocked and embarrassed” by the incident. I turned my head away and didn’t have words in that moment,” she reportedly said.
A spokesperson for Cuomo reportedly referred the Times to a more general statement in which Cuomo apologized for things that “have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”
Over the past week, two of Cuomo’s former aides have accused him of sexual harassment — something he has denied.
The latest allegation comes as Attorney General Letitia James announced that the governor’s office sent a letter permitting her office to perform an independent investigation.
However, Democratic politicians within the state have already started calling for Cuomo’s resignation after other accusations surfaced. Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former staffer, claimed Cuomo talked about his willingness to have relationships with women in their 20s.
Prior to Bennett’s allegation surfacing, Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan published a blog post accusing the governor of unwanted touching and kissing.
Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to a request from Fox News for comment.
As the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the economy and disproportionately affects lower-income Americans, the super-rich have seen their wealth increase. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has long called for a wealth tax, unveiled legislation Monday that would tax the super-rich on their net worth.
The proposal, called the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act and released with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Congressman Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, would put a 2% annual tax on households and trusts between $50 million and $1 billion. It would also put a 1% annual surtax on households and trusts over $1 billion. The lawmakers say the move would level the playing field and narrow the racial wealth gap.
“This is a wealth tax that has been needed for a long time. We need it to produce more revenue, to create more opportunity in American,” Warren said. “But it is a wealth tax that we particularly need because of the changes in this country under the pandemic. We have watched the wealth of the billionaire class in America increase by more than a trillion dollars over the last year.”
Warren has been a vocal supporter of a wealth tax for some time — making it one of her signature policy platforms on the campaign trail when she ran for president in 2020. “Two Cents” — referring to the 2-cent tax an ultrawealthy taxpayer would owe on each dollar — even adorned her campaign merchandise and was chanted at rallies. The bill is now one of her first moves as a new member of the Senate Finance Committee.
About 100,000 American families would be liable for the ultra-millionaire Tax, according to an analysis by economists from the University of California-Berkeley. They also estimated it would generate an estimated $3 trillion in revenue over 10 years without raising taxes on 99.95% of American households, which have a net worth below $50 million.
“Today the richest 1% own 75% of the nation’s wealth and the richest 0.1% — that’s zero-point-one percent — own more than 18% of America’s wealth,” said Jayapal. “Then just compare that to the entire bottom half of Americans owning just 1.5% of wealth.” Jayapal also noted the racial wealth gap with White families having an average wealth that is 14 times that of Black families and eight times as much as Hispanic families.
The group of lawmakers argue the wealth tax should be at the “top of the list” to help pay for plans as the United States digs out of the economic crisis from the coronavirus pandemic with funds going toward child care and early education, infrastructure and other priorities.
“I recognize that at some point we are going to have to turn to revenues. Well, here is a fair way to do it,” said Boyle, acknowledging recent COVID relief spending. “This is a hell of a lot better way to get revenue than taxing middle class and poor people in this country.”
This comes as the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan was passed in the House early Saturday and is headed to the Senate. The White House has said it would be the first piece of legislation and would be followed by another with investments in long-term efforts such as infrastructure.
However, President Joe Biden did not support a wealth tax while running for office and his administration has already indicated they are looking at other options to pay for the costs of future investments. Last month, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said a wealth tax has “very difficult implementation problems.” On several occasions, she and other Biden administration officials have instead discussed examining the corporate tax rate and loopholes.
At the same time, passage of a wealth tax would prove difficult in the Senate. The Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act is cosponsored by Democratic Senators Bernie Sanders, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jeff Merkley, Kirsten Gillibrand, Brian Schatz, Ed Markey and Mazie Hirono. But with the chamber split 50-50 along party lines, getting a majority, much less 60 votes, could prove challenge. Warren has called for scrapping the filibuster, stating the procedural mechanism to delay or block a vote gives Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell veto power.
The number of countries with wealth taxes has dropped over the past 30 years. In 1990, 12 European countries had wealth taxes, but by 2018, that number was down to three. Economists note there are multiple challenges associated with estimating the revenues a wealth tax would generate in part because of how assets are valued.
“On the equity ground, on the tax burden ground, it can be very appealing. A large amount of money affecting relatively few taxpayers, all of whom are at the very top of the wealth distribution,” said Janet Holtzblatt, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. “But it can have trickle-down effects in a negative way if it hurts the economy, if it hurts investment, and it may not have as strong an effect as desired by supporters because of ways to avoid and evade a tax.”
The Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act as proposed includes several provisions to block tax evasion, including a $100 billion investment in the Internal Revenue Service, a 30% minimum audit rate for taxpayers subjected to the tax and a 40% so-called exit tax on net worth above $50 million of Americans who renounce their citizenship in an attempt to get out of paying the tax.
“For any good tax, you want it to be able to work without having these super stringent measures to prevent avoidance,” said Tax Foundation economist Daniel Bunn. “If you need that sort of penalty rate to prevent avoidance, then I would say that you’re probably designing the tax wrong to begin with.”
Bunn also notes that a wealth tax could cause foreign investors to replace home-grown billionaires as owners of capital.
“If you reduce the return on wealth for U.S. citizens, and you don’t have something similar for high net worth individuals who are investing in the U.S., you end up changing the ownership structure of U.S. assets,” said Bunn. so instead of U.S. citizens owning a lot of the assets in the U.S — whether that’s housing or equities or other assets — then you are essentially creating a preference for foreign ownership through the tax code.”
But the idea of a wealth tax overall does have broad support in the United States. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last year found nearly two-thirds of Americans strongly or somewhat agree that the very rich should be contributing more.
Among many examples of pro-Trump fervor at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was a gold-painted statue of the former president, clothed in star-spangled shorts, holding a magic wand in one hand and a copy of the U.S. Constitution in the other.
The statue was heavily mocked on Twitter over the weekend, being compared to false idols made of gold in the Old Testament.
The Claim
Users on Twitter circulated an image of the statue surrounded by faith leaders, with some claiming the photo was taken at CPAC 2021.
User @Mocraig13 wrote, “Caption this photo taken today of CPAC’s evangelical leaders. Yes, they are praying to a golden statue of their holy insurrectionist.”
The Facts
On January 3, 2020, then-President Donald Trump held a rally at a church in Miami, Florida, to launch an “Evangelicals for Trump” coalition. On that day, he was surrounded by evangelical leaders who prayed for him. NBC News posted a video of the moment on YouTube.
The leaders included Paula White, a televangelist; Michael Tait, lead singer of the Christian rock group Newsboys; Dr. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr.; and others.
Carl T. Bergstrom, a biologist and professor at University of Washington in Seattle, took responsibility for posting the altered photo. He has since removed the original post.
I posted a photoshop of the golden Trump statue (left) into the famous photo of evangelicals praying over Trump (right).
I thought the reference was clear, but it’s causing confusion. I’ve deleted.
Newsweek reported on February 28 that the fiberglass sculpture, designed by Tommy Zegan, was assembled in Mexico. The 6-foot sculpture is named “Trump and His Magic Wand.”
“I know the biblical definition of an idol. This is not an idol. This is a sculpture,” Zegan said in response to comparisons with Old Testament idolatry.
Exit polling from Edison Research revealed that 76 percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2020. In 2016, that number was 81 percent according to Pew Research.
The Ruling
False.
The photo of evangelical leaders surrounding the gold-painted Trump statue is not real. It is a mashup of a scene from January 2020 and the statue used at CPAC 2021.
The actual photo, showing Trump when he was president, was taken in January 2020 in Miami, Florida.
A golden statue of former President Donald Trump on display at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty
John Marrett, senior analyst at risk consultancy The Economist Intelligence Unit, said Beijing has already made several moves to hold back opposition in Hong Kong.
“It is notable that they’re going much further in proposing these electoral reforms, the details of which we have yet to see,” he told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” on Monday.
“But it does say something about their fears of a later resurgence of political instability, social unrest in the city and it does speak to their lack of concern for international outcry over Hong Kong anymore,” he added.
Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The city is governed under a “one country, two systems” principle that gives it greater autonomy than other mainland Chinese cities, including limited election rights.
In addition, four opposition lawmakers were dismissed from Hong Kong’s Legislative Council in November last year — leading others to resign in protest, reported Reuters.
FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — The owners of Ale Emporium in Fishers have suspended live music indefinitely after the bar had problems with people not wearing masks or social distancing this weekend.
Pictures posted to social media show a crowded bar on a Saturday night with very few people wearing masks. And it is hard to make the argument that social distancing was being practiced.
Tony Kwiatkowski, one of the Ale Emporium owners, told I-Team 8 their policy is to keep people seated, patrons are asked to wear a mask when not eating or drinking and they don’t allow anyone to stand around in groups. He said the band drew a bigger crowd than expected.
On Monday afternoon, inspectors from the city of Fishers were at the Ale Emporium to investigate.
“I just explained to them that it was just an isolated incident where there were some 21st birthday parties. The band called up the birthday and the parties up to the stage to just sing happy birthday to celebrate, so people congregated toward the front where the band was playing,” said Kwiatkowski.
He said looking back, he should have told the band not to call people up to the stage. Ashley Elrod, the communications director for the city, said they started getting complaints on Sunday. This is the first time they have received any complaints about this particular bar.
“It is my understanding there is a violation of not distancing between parties, individuals are supposed to be seated, also no mask-wearing, being involved once you are up from your table, and those are all orders from the governor,” said Elrod.
Elrod said the city doesn’t have a legal mechanism in place to fine business owners for violating the governor’s health order. The health department will review proper procedures with the owners and staff.
The city of Fishers could turn this investigation over to the Indiana Excise Police for further review. I-Team 8 was told the city has not turned any cases involving violations of the governor’s health order over to the Excise Police so far.
With information from the Indiana Department of Health through Feb. 25, 2021, this timeline reflects updated tallies of deaths and positive tests prior to that date.
March 6, 2020: Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) confirms the first case in Indiana. Officials say the Marion County resident had recently traveled to Boston to attend a BioGen conference as a contractor.
March 8: ISDH confirms a second case. An adult in Hendricks County who had also traveled to the BioGen conference was placed in isolation. Noblesville Schools say a parent and that parent’s children will be self-quarantining after attending an out-of-state event where someone else tested positive.
March 9: Avon Community School Corp. says a student on March 8 tested positive.
March 10: ISDH launches an online tracker. Ball State University basketball fans learn the Mid-American Conference tourney will have no fans in the stands. Three businesses operating nursing homes in Indiana announce they will no longer allow visitors.
March 11: The Indianapolis-based NCAA announces the Final Four basketball tournaments will be conducted with essential staff and limited family attendance. The Big Ten announces all sports events, including the men’s basketball tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, will have no fans starting March 12. Ball State University suspends in-person classes the rest of the spring semester. NBA suspends all games, including the Indiana Pacers, until further notice. Butler University and the University of Indianapolis extend spring break, after which they will have virtual classes.
March 12: Gov. Eric Holcomb announces new protections that led to extended public school closings and the cancellation of large events across the state. The NCAA cancels its basketball tournaments. The Big Ten suspends all sporting events through the winter and spring seasons. The league including the Indy Fuel hockey team suspends its season. Indy Eleven says it will reschedule four matches. Indianapolis’ annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade is canceled.
March 13: The Indiana High School Athletic Association postpones the boys basketball tournament. Wayzata Home Products, a Connersville cabinet maker, shuts down and lays off its entire workforce due to market uncertainty. Gov. Holcomb announces actions including the elimination of Medicaid co-pays for COVID-19 testing and the lifting of limits on the number of work hours per day for drivers of commercial vehicles. Franklin College says it will begin online classes March 18 and empty residence halls of students in two days. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis closes indefinitely. The Indianapolis Public Library joins other libraries across Indiana and closes all facilities indefinitely.
March 14: The Indiana Gaming Commission says all licensed gaming and racing operations will close in two days for an indefinite period.
March 15: Indiana had its first death. St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis announces it will suspend all elective, non-urgent surgeries.
March 16: Indiana had its second death. Gov. Holcomb announced the first Hoosier death. He closes bars, restaurants and nightclubs to in-person patrons, but maintains carryout and delivery services.
March 17: Indiana had its third and fourth deaths. ISDH announces Indiana’s second death. Indiana’s Catholic bishops cancel masses indefinitely. Gov. Holcomb activates the National Guard. Purdue, Butler and Indiana State universities cancel May commencement ceremonies.
March 18: Indiana had its fifth death. Eli Lilly and Co. says it will use its labs to speed up testing in Indiana. The 500 Festival suspends all events. Simon Property Group closes all malls and retail properties.
March 19: Gov. Holcomb extends Indiana’s state of emergency into May. Holcomb says he’ll close all K-12 public and nonpublic schools. Standardized testing was canceled. The state’s income-tax and corporate-tax payment deadline was extended to July 15. Holcomb says the state will waive job search requirements for people applying for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. The IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament was canceled. The Marion County Emergency Operations Center upgrades to Level 1 status.
March 20: Indiana’s death toll rose to 9. ISDH announces Indiana’s third death. Gov. Holcomb moves the state’s primary election to June 2. Indiana University says it is postponing May commencement ceremonies on all campuses.
March 21: Indiana’s death toll rises to 14. ISDH announces Indiana’s fourth death. Indiana National Guard says it and the Department of Transportation are distributing medical supplies to hospitals.
March 22: Indiana’s death toll rises to 18. ISDH announces seven deaths.
March 23: Indiana’s death toll rises to 23. Holcomb orders Hoosiers deemed nonessential to “stay at home” from March 24-April 7. Eli Lilly & Co. begins drive-thru testing for the coronavirus for health care workers with a doctor’s order. Ball State University cancels the May commencement.
March 24: Indiana’s death toll rises to 28. Fred Payne of Indiana Workforce Development says any Hoosiers out of work, including temporary layoffs, are eligible to apply for unemployment benefits.
March 25: Indiana’s death toll rises to 33. Indianapolis Motor Speedway announces the Indianapolis 500 is moved to Aug. 23.
March 26: Indiana’s death toll rises to 42.
March 27: Indiana’s death toll rises to 45.
March 28: Indiana’s death toll rises to 58.
March 29: Indiana’s death toll rises to 77.
March 30: Indiana’s death toll rises to 91.
March 31: Indiana’s death toll rises above 100, to 113. Gov. Holcomb extends the limits of bars and restaurants to offer only “to go” and “carryout” through April 6. Indiana health commissioner Dr. Kristina Box, asked about when Indiana will be in a surge of COVID-19 cases, says she thinks the surge is starting.
April 1: Officials extend Marion County’s “stay at home” order through May 1. Marion County health officials say they will start COVID-19 testing services for front-line employees.
April 2: The state announces K-12 schools will be closed for the rest of the school year. The Indiana High School Athletic Association cancels spring sports seasons.
April 3: Gov. Holcomb extends the “stay at home” order through April 20. The state receives a federal Major Disaster Declaration for all 92 counties. The Indiana National Guard says it, the Army Corps of Engineers and state health officials will begin to assess sites for alternate health care facilities.
April 4: Indiana’s death toll rises above 200.
April 6: The state reports a Madison County nursing home has had 11 deaths. Gov. Holcomb extends the “stay at home” order through April 20. He also limits additional businesses to carry-out only.
April 7: Indiana’s death toll rises above 300. Indiana health commissioner Box says four long-term care facilities have 22 deaths that appear to be related to COVID-19.
April 10: ISDH said 24 residents of a long-term care facility in Madison County have died from COVID-related illness.
April 11: Indiana’s death toll rises above 400.
April 14: Indiana’s death toll rises above 500.
April 16: Indiana records more than 10,000 positive coronavirus tests. The governor says he expects Indiana to experience a reopening in early May.
April 17: The governor says that he will extend the “stay at home” order through May 1.
April 20: Gov. Holcomb extends the “stay at home” order to May 1. The governor also says, if the medical supply chain is in good shape, other elective medical procedures can resume April 27.
April 22: The Tyson facility in Logansport voluntarily closes so 2,200 employees can be tested for COVID-19.
April 24: The Indianapolis City-County Council approves $25 million to help small businesses. Fishers City Council creates a city health department with a plan to test every resident.
April 25: ISDH says it will launch an antibody testing study for Hoosiers; thousands of residents were randomly selected to participate in the study.
April 27: Indiana’s death toll rises above 1,000.
April 28: Indiana officials say they will open COVID-19 testing to more Hoosiers, with expanded criteria and new testing services at 20 sites around the state.
April 29: The state says it will spent $43 million on contact tracing.
April 30: Indianapolis extends its stay-at-home order through May 15.
May 3: Indiana records more than 20,000 positive coronavirus tests.
May 4: Indiana enters Stage 2 of its Back on Track plan, which excludes Cass County until May 18, and Lake and Marion counties until May 11.
May 6:The state begins testing for all Hoosiers at 20 sites, with plans to expand the number of sites to 50 in a week. Ivy Tech Community College says it will continue virtual classes when summer courses begin in June.
May 8: Cris Johnston, director of the Office of Budget and Management, says the state missed out on nearly $1 billion in anticipated April revenues; all state agencies will be given budget-cutting goals. Purdue University OKs plans to reopen for the fall semester with social distancing and other safety measures.
May 13: The first phase of a state-sponsored study of the coronavirus estimated about 186,000 Hoosiers had COVID-19 or the antibodies for the novel virus by May 1. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced plans for limited reopenings of worship services, retail establishments, libraries and restaurants.
May 15: Simon Property Group reopens Castleton Square Mall, Circle Centre Mall, and Fashion Mall at Keystone
May 18: Indiana reports its first case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in a child. The Farbest Foods turkey-processing plant in Huntingburg is closed for three days; 91 people had tested positive there.
May 21: Indiana records more than 30,000 positive coronavirus tests.
May 22: Indiana advances to Stage 3 of the Back on Track reopening plan. Indianapolis closes portions of five streets to allow restaurants to reopen with outdoor dining only.
May 26: Indiana’s death toll rises above 2,000.
May 27: Indiana University says the fall semester will have in-person and online courses, plus an adjusted calendar through May 2021. Ball State University says the fall semester will be 13 straight weeks of in-person classes with no day off on Labor Day and no fall break.
May 29: Places of worship in Marion County can begin holding indoor services at 50% capacity with proper social distancing. Jim Schellinger, Indiana secretary of commerce, said the federal Paycheck Protection Program has made 73,430 loans in Indiana totaling $9,379,164,461, the federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan program has made 5,070 loans in Indiana totaling $445,428,500, and the federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans Advance program has made 38,365 grants in Indiana totaling $136,554,000.
June 1: Marion County restaurants begins serving customers indoors and outdoors with 50% capacity. Marion County salons, tattoo parlors reopen by appointment only. Marion County gyms, fitness centers and pools reopen with 50% capacity and no contact sports. However, a Marion County curfew that began the night of May 31 and continued into the morning of June 3 after rioting impacted the reopening of some businesses.
June 3: Phase 2 of statewide testing of random Hoosiers by the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI and the Indiana State Department of Health begins.
June 5: Indiana reports May tax revenues were 20% short of projections made before the coronavirus closings started.
June 8: Indianapolis leaders agree to spend $79 million in coronavirus relief funding on contact tracing, rent relief, personal protective equipment and support for small businesses.
June 12: Indiana, excluding Marion County, advances to Stage 4 of reopening plan.
June 15: Casinos and parimutuel racing reopen in the state. Marion County’s public libraries begin a phased reopening.
June 19: Marion County advances to Stage 4 of state’s reopening plan.
June 24: The governor says the state’s moratorium on the eviction on renters will be extended through July. Indiana announces it will create a rental assistance program July 13. Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon says he has tested positive for COVID-19.
June 27: Indiana hospitalizations for COVID-19 begin to increase, with about 33 new patients a day through July 1.
July 1: The governor pauses Stage 5 final reopening plan, announces Stage 4.5 from July 4-17.
July 4: Indiana’s Stage 4.5 reopening plan begins.
July 9: Indiana records more than 50,000 positive coronavirus tests. Marion County mandates mask-wearing.
July 10: Indianapolis Public Schools announces its reopening plans.
July 11: Indy Eleven resumes 2020 season with victory at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis reopens.
July 13: Indiana begins rental assistance program for all counties but Marion County. Marion County begins its own rental assistance program.
July 15: Indiana announces the Stage 4.5 reopening plan will continue another two weeks. The WNBA season begins.
July 16: Indianapolis suspends applications for its rental assistance program due to overwhelming demand.
July 25: Indiana Fever begins WNBA season after delays.
July 27: Indiana governor’s order to wear face coverings begins. Great Lakes Valley Conference, which including University of Indianapolis, postpones most fall sports, including football, men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball, until spring.
July 30: NBA season resumes.
Aug. 4: Indianapolis Motor Speedway announces the Aug. 23 Indianapolis 500 will be run without fans.
Aug. 5: With more than 1,000 positive tests reported in a single day, Indiana jumps to a total of 70,993 positive coronavirus tests.
Aug. 10: Indiana records more than 75,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Aug. 11: Indiana’s death toll rises above 3,000.
Aug. 17: Indianapolis Public Schools restarts with online-only classes. News 8 learns the 2021 NBA All-Star Game will not happen on Presidents Day weekend in 2021.
Aug. 20: Purdue University suspends 36 students after a party at a co-op.
Aug. 21: Indiana high school football season begins with some teams not playing due to COVID-19 concerns.
Aug. 23: Butler University tells undergraduates that instruction will occur remotely for the first two weeks of the semester, starting Aug. 24, instead of in classrooms.
Aug. 24: Purdue, Indiana, IUPUI and Ball State universities resume in-person classes.
Aug. 25: Reports say a fraternity, a sorority and a cooperative house at Purdue University are under quarantines.
Aug. 26: Gov. Holcomb extends the mask mandate through Sept. 25. Indiana’s rental assistance program will take applications for one last day.
Aug. 27: Indiana University says eight Greek houses are under 14-day quarantines.
Sept. 2: Indiana University tells 30 Greek houses in Bloomington to quarantine.
Sept. 6: Indiana records more than 100,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Sept. 8: Marion County allows bars and nightclubs to reopen with 25% capacity indoors and 50% capacity outdoors.
Sept. 12: The Indianapolis Colts open their season with a loss in a Jacksonville stadium with a limited number of fans.
Sept. 21: The Indianapolis Colts home opener is limited to 2,500 fans.
Sept. 23: Gov. Eric Holcomb extends the mask mandate through Oct. 17.
Sept. 24: The state’s mask mandate is extended through Oct. 17.
Sept. 25: The Mid-American Conference announces it will start a six-game football season Nov. 4, with the championship game Dec. 18 or 19.
Sept. 26: Indiana advances to a revised Stage 5 of Indiana Back on Track plan with relaxed limits on gatherings, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and more. Marion, Monroe and Tippecanoe counties decided to have more restrictive limits, however.
Sept. 27: The Indianapolis Colts second home game is limited to 7,500 fans.
Sept. 28: Purdue University says it’s suspended 14 students, including 13 student-athletes, for violations of a pledge designed to curb the coronavirus pandemic on campus.
Oct. 1: IU’s website shows two additional fraternities and a sorority at the Bloomington campus have been issued “cease and desist” orders.
Oct. 2: Franklin College suspends classes and moves to virtual education and activities through Oct. 9 after a “concerning and unusual” increase in the positivity rate for COVID-19.
Oct. 12: Franklin College returns to in-person classes.
Oct. 13: Indianapolis-based drugmaker Lilly pauses its trial of a combination antibody treatment for coronavirus for safety reasons.
Oct. 14: Indiana health commissioner Dr. Kristina Box announces she has tested positive for COVID-19.
Oct. 15: Gov. Holcomb issues executive order to extend mask mandate and Stage 5 reopening plan.
Oct. 16: Indiana’s death toll rises above 4,000.
Oct. 18: The Indianapolis Colts third home game was limited to 12,500 fans.
Oct. 23: The Big Ten begins its football season.
Oct. 30: Gov. Holcomb extends the public health emergency through Dec. 1.
Nov. 1: Indiana National Guard to begin deploying to long-term care facilities to provide coronavirus assistance.
The Mid-American Conference football teams begins its six-game regular season.
Nov. 5: Indiana records more than 200,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Nov. 8: The Indianapolis Colts fourth home game was limited to 12,500 fans. .
Nov. 11: Indiana’s death toll rises above 5,000.
Nov. 12: Indianapolis calls for schools to go to virtual learning by Nov. 30.
Nov. 15: Indiana adds coronavirus-control restrictions for all businesses and gatherings in counties with the highest number of new cases as part of an update to the statewide COVID-19 pandemic response.
Nov. 16: Indianapolis limits capacity inside bars, private clubs, fraternal organizations and gyms to 25%; inside restaurants, libraries, funeral homes, swimming pools and shopping malls’ food courts to 50%; and inside religious services to 75%. Marion County Health Department requires preregistration for COVID-19 testing after increased demand at three drive-thru locations.
Nov. 22: Indiana records more than 300,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Nov. 23: Indianapolis Public Schools returns to virtual learning through Jan. 18.
Nov. 24: The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball seasons begin; some games had no fans in the stands.
Nov. 25: Indiana’s death toll rises above 6,000.
Nov. 26: Butler University men’s basketball cancels Nov. 29 game against Eastern Illinois after a positive COVID-19 test.
Nov. 28: Butler University men’s basketball team postponed two more games because of a positive COVID-19 test.
Dec. 1: Bankers Life Fieldhouse hosts its first NCAA men’s basketball game, Kansas vs. Kentucky, since the start of the pandemic.
Dec. 2: Indianapolis ends its rental assistance program.
Dec. 5: The men’s basketball game of No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2, Baylor at Bankers Life Fieldhouse is postponed 90 minutes before tipoff after two Bulldogs test positive.
Dec. 7: Indiana’s death toll rises above 7,000.
Dec. 9: Indiana records more than 404,000 positive coronavirus tests. Gov. Holcomb says virus restrictions will now by county based on ratings that show the local virus spread. Indiana and Purdue universities cancel the Old Oaken Bucket football game set for Dec. 12.
Dec. 10: Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston tested positive for COVID-19.
Dec. 11: The Pacers lose to the Cavaliers as the NBA preseason begins. The Carmel Walmart in Westfield closes for nearly two days to sanitize the store.
Dec. 12: Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns tests positive for the coronavirus.
Dec. 14: Health care workers receive the first coronavirus vaccinations in Indiana.
Dec. 15: Vice President Mike Pence holds a roundtable in Bloomington at pharmaceutical maker Catalent on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Indiana and Purdue again cancel the Old Oaken Bucket football game that’d been reset for Dec. 18.
Dec. 17: Indiana’s death toll rises above 8,100.
Dec. 20: The Indianapolis Colts allows up to 10,000 attendees at Lucas Oil Stadium for the team’s game against the Houston Texans.
Dec. 22: NBA starts league’s 75th season, delayed and shortened to a 72-game schedule because of the pandemic.
Dec. 23: In response to the high volume of unemployment claims, Holcomb extends the suspension of certain requirements to expedite the hiring and training of temporary workers to more quickly resolve unemployment issues. Indiana Pacers to host first home game against New York Knicks with no fans present.
Dec. 27: Indiana’s death toll rises above 9,000.
Dec. 28: Indiana records more than 500,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Dec. 31: Indiana’s death toll for 2020 is 9,439 (as recorded through Feb. 25, 2021).
Jan. 1, 2021: Indiana’s death toll rises above 9,500.
Jan. 3: The Indianapolis Colts allow 10,000 attendees at Lucas Oil Stadium for the team’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jan. 4: Grades 1-12 schools in Marion County are allowed reopen to in-person learning. Perry Township Schools is the only district to reopen to in-person learning.
Jan. 5: Purdue and Nebraska postpone a men’s basketball game over health and safety concerns.
Jan. 7: Indiana’s death toll rises above 10,000.
Jan. 8: Hoosiers 80 and older start receiving the coronavirus vaccine.
Jan. 13: Hoosiers 70 and older can get the coronavirus vaccine.
Jan. 18: NFL announces the scouting combine will not happen in Indianapolis in February.
Jan. 20: Indiana records more than 601,000 positive coronavirus tests. Indiana Pacers host up to 1,000 fans at a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for first time since pandemic began.
Jan. 22: Indiana’s death toll rises above 11,000.
Jan. 31: Indiana’s death toll rises above 11,500.
Feb. 1: Hoosiers 65 and older can get the coronavirus vaccine.
Feb. 2:Indiana’s death toll rises above 11,600.
Feb. 4:Indiana records more than 635,000 positive coronavirus tests.More than 1,500 coronavirus deaths were added to the Indiana State Department of Health’s dashboard after an audit found they were not recorded. News 8 learns all games for the Big Ten men’s basketball tourney will move from Chicago to Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.
Feb. 4: Indiana’s death toll rises to 11,700.
Feb. 7: Indiana to change school protocols for classroom quarantine and contact tracing. Indiana records more than 641,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Feb. 8: Indiana’s death toll rises above 11,800.
Feb. 12: Indiana’s death toll rises above 11,900.
Feb. 15: Indiana records more than 650,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Feb. 17: Indiana’s death toll rises above 12,000. Indiana records more than 652,000 positive coronavirus tests. Indiana officials announced plans for a $448 million program to give housing assistance to Hoosiers.
Feb. 19: The NCAA says up to 25% capacity will be allowed for all rounds of the men’s basketball tourney including the Final Four. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announces the May 30 Indianapolis 500 will have fans.
Feb. 23: Hoosiers 60 and older can get the coronavirus vaccine.
Feb. 25: Indiana records more than 660,000 positive coronavirus tests. Capacity limits at bars, restaurants, gyms, and music venues in Marion County were adjusted after a consistent trend in the community’s COVID-19 positivity rate.
Feb. 28: Indiana National Guardsmen to end assistance to long-term care facilities.
March 18: NCAA men’s March Madness games, all of them at venues in Indianapolis, Bloomington and West Lafayette, to start.
March 31: Holcomb’s emergency declaration with county-based restrictions and a mask mandate set to end at 11:59 p.m.
“The next step is economic recovery. And that is ensuring that our neighbors, Mexico and Canada, have similarly managed the pandemic, so that we can open our borders and build back better,” she added.
For the time being, however, “the administration’s focus is on ensuring that every American is vaccinated,” Psaki said. “And once we accomplish that objective, we’re happy to discus further steps beyond that.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas will join Biden for his meeting with López Obrador. The leaders will discuss “a new phase of the U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship,” Psaki said, with a specific emphasis on “migration, recovery from Covid-19, climate change and security.”
WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed Miguel Cardona as President Joe Biden’s education secretary Monday.
Cardona, confirmed in a 64-33 vote, will oversee an Education Department that employs thousands and has an annual budget of more than $60 billion. He would also oversee the agency’s $1.5 trillion student loan portfolio.
He takes the helm of American schooling at a fraught time as many schools have kept their doors closed to in-person teaching as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Debates about reopening K-12 classrooms have pitted teachers, administrators, school boards and parents against each other. Colleges are bleeding money. Student debt is mounting. Learners are struggling to keep up with classes online.
Cardona, the commissioner of education in Connecticut, will lead Biden’s push to reopen the majority of K-8 public schools in the first 100 days of his administration. The administration and congressional Democrats are pushing for $130 billion to help make it happen in the coronavirus relief package making its way through Congress.
At his confirmation hearing Feb. 3, Cardona said schools can reopen safely without all teachers being vaccinated against COVID-19, a sentiment echoed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“There is no substitute for a classroom experience for our students,” Cardona said during the hearing, adding that he’d bring a “mentality of partnership and clear communication to help recover our public education and reopen our schools.”
Cardona, 45, won praise from Republicans and Democrats alike on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions during his confirmation hearings.
Under President Donald Trump, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos emerged as an especially high-profile – and controversial – member of the administration. DeVos, who polled as the least popular member of his Cabinet, supported school choice and guns in school and opposed many proposals for student loan relief.
Cardona has vowed to undo many of the policies DeVos put in place. Those include DeVos’ stricter rules for investigations of sexual misconduct at schools and colleges, plus her looser guidelines benefiting for-profit colleges.
Cardona has emphasized a focus on civil rights and LGBTQ students. He stressed the legal rights of transgender children when pressed during his confirmation hearing.
Education secretaries are limited in their power because of the long history of local control in the U.S. Most of the policies and practices in public schools, where about 90% of children receive an education, are determined by school boards, state lawmakers and state departments of education.
Bennett noted that “it took the Governor 24 hours and significant backlash to allow for a truly independent investigation” after she went public with her allegations Saturday in a New York Times article.
“These are not the actions of someone who simply feels misunderstood; they are the actions of an individual who wields his power to avoid justice,” Bennett said.
Cuomo over the weekend first suggested the allegations by Bennett and Boylan be investigated by a former federal judge who previously worked with the governor’s top advisor.
Cuomo then pivoted, with his office suggesting that James and Chief Judge Judith Kaye, who heads the state’s highest court, jointly oversee the probe.
James refused to share oversight. And the governor’s office, dealing with a growing political backlash to both the allegations and his machinations seeking to control the investigation, agreed to ask the attorney general to handle the probe.
Bennett said that in coming forward with her account “I fully expected to be attacked by those who reflexively question the honesty or motivation of those who report sexual harassment. I am not deterred by these voices.”
She also said that, “Coming forward was an excruciating decision. I decided to share my story because I had faith that I would be supported and believed. This is often not the case.”
“Sharing my experience was only possible because of past survivors who stood up and told their stories. I hope that my story helps other survivors feel like they can stand in their truth.”
CNBC has requested comment from Cuomo’s office.
A referral letter by Cuomo’s office to James on Monday granted her request to have the claims by Bennett and Boylan be investigated by a private attorney or attorneys deputized by the attorney general.
The letter from Cuomo’s special counsel, Beth Garvey, said that the findings of that investigation “will be disclosed in a public report.”
The letter also said that “due to the nature of this review” the governor’s office will not approve or be sent weekly reports which are normally expected under the state law authorizing the attorney general to deputize outside lawyers for such a probe.
“All New York State employees have been directed to cooperate fully with this review,” Garvey wrote in the letter, which James released.
“I will serve as point of contact for any witness interviews or document production for the Executive Chamber and will connect you with appropriate counsel in any other agency or entity for any documents or witnesses necessary for the review,” Garvey wrote.
Bennett, 25, told the Times in an article published Saturday that the 63-year-old Cuomo had asked her questions including whether she “had ever been with an older man,” whether she was monogamous in her relationships and other personal questions that made her feel uncomfortable.
Boylan has said that Cuomo once kissed her without her consent, and jokingly suggested playing strip poker on an official flight.
Cuomo has denied the 36-year-old Boylan’s claims.
But in a statement released Saturday, the governor did not dispute Bennett’s claims of what he had said.
“I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm. I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends,” Cuomo said that day.
“At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way,” the governor said.
“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.”
Cuomo also said, “To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to.”
Students attending school in Santa Clarita, Calif., last week. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that schools that offer in-person learning by the end of March will be eligible for a portion of funds totaling $2 billion.
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Students attending school in Santa Clarita, Calif., last week. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that schools that offer in-person learning by the end of March will be eligible for a portion of funds totaling $2 billion.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
More California students may return to in-person learning after legislators promised $2 billion to public schools that return to campus before the end of the month.
Most of California’s 6.1 million students and 319,000 teachers haven’t set foot in a classroom since the pandemic shut down schools across the state last March. But Gov. Gavin Newsom worked with Senate and Assembly leaders to announce a $6.6 billion aid package Monday.
The majority of those funds come with no strings attached, but $2 billion is dedicated to personal protective equipment, ventilation upgrades and other safety measures required to support in-person instruction, a news release said. Public schools will be required to offer in-person learning to all kindergarten through second grade students, as well as high-needs students in all grades, by the end of the month. Those that don’t meet that standard will lose 1% of eligible funds every day they are not in compliance. The other $4.6 billion will fund learning opportunities such as summer school, tutoring and mental health services to help close learning gaps.
California schools and businesses are currently subject to the state’s color-coded tier system, from widespread infection purple down to, red, orange and yellow. Schools in the red tier or lower will have to offer in-person instruction to all elementary grade students and at least one middle or high school grade to avoid penalties. The guidelines aim to reopen schools as soon as possible to build “trust and confidence” in phased reopenings, the statement said.
“Since the height of the winter surge, we have successfully shifted the conversation from whether to reopen schools to when,” Newsom said. “Now, our collective charge is to build on that momentum and local leadership, and – just as critically – do whatever it takes to meet the mental health and academic needs of our students, including over the summer.”
Getting students back into classrooms has been contentious for some time. One month ago, the city of San Francisco filed suit against its own school district in an effort to get kids back on campus. Since the pandemic began, teachers have often argued they don’t feel safe returning to in-person instruction.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published guidance on how schools should go about reopening campuses, starting with safe practices in the broader community. “Evidence suggests that many k-12 schools that have strictly implemented mitigation strategies have been able to safely open for in-person instruction and remain open,” the CDC said.
Although teachers can and should receive a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, children under 16 remain ineligible to do so. The CDC advised schools to continue mitigation efforts, which include mask mandates and social distancing “for the foreseeable future,” whether teachers and staff have been vaccinated or not.
Georgia voters cast their ballots in Chamblee for runoff elections in early January. Georgia’s Republican lawmakers have proposed a number of changes to cut down on voting options.
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Georgia voters cast their ballots in Chamblee for runoff elections in early January. Georgia’s Republican lawmakers have proposed a number of changes to cut down on voting options.
Virginie Kippelen/AFP via Getty Images
Over objections from Democrats, Georgia House Republicans passed a sweeping elections bill that would enact more restrictions on absentee voting and cut back on weekend early voting hours favored by larger counties, among other changes.
House Bill 531, which passed 97-72 Monday, would also strip the secretary of state of his role as chair of the State Election Board, prevent county elections offices from receiving direct grant funding, shorten Georgia’s runoff election period and require counties to add more staff, equipment or polling places in large precincts with long voter lines.
The bill’s sponsor, GOP Rep. Barry Fleming, who chairs the House Special Committee on Election Integrity, said the 66-page measure “is designed to begin to bring back the confidence of our voters back into our election system” after Republicans lost confidence in the GOP-backed voting system following Democrats’ victories in the November presidential contest and both of Georgia’s U.S. Senate races.
One of the most controversial sections in the bill would mandate that all counties have the same early voting dates and times: three weeks of Monday-through-Friday voting, one mandatory Saturday and then one additional Saturday or Sunday during the first weekend.
“The bill sets more uniform voting times for advanced voting across the state and attempts to bring more uniformity to our state and less confusion,” Fleming said.
But Rep. Calvin Smyre, a Black Democrat from Columbus and the longest-serving member in the chamber, said Fleming’s logic was hypocritical and discriminatory against Black voters who use the second Sunday for “souls to the polls” events.
“It takes away the ability to have uniformity in every county,” he said. “For example, if a county chooses the first Sunday, the situation will be extremely confusing for county residents with voting closed on that Saturday. An avalanche of misinformation will follow regarding when voting happens on weekends. Confusion deters voting, which brings about voter suppression.”
Speaker pro tempore Jan Jones, a Milton Republican, spoke about sections of the bill that would restrict access to secure drop boxes by limiting the number of boxes and requiring them to be inside early voting sites and only available during in-person early voting.
“Drop boxes are the most inconvenient way to vote absentee,” she said. “Were we to eliminate drop boxes, which we are not, not a single absentee voter would be inconvenienced because every voter has a drop box called a mailbox.”
In addition to the drop boxes, Georgia voters can return absentee ballots in person to their county elections office or use the mail, both arguably more inconvenient than a secure 24/7 monitored drop box that minimizes human contact in a pandemic.
Rep. Bee Nguyen, a Democrat from Atlanta, said in a floor speech that Republican lawmakers were passing harmful legislation that helps continue a narrative that led to death threats for elected officials and elections workers and contributed to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January.
“We are legislating on lies … lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories that have gone unchecked by many members of this body, who stayed silent, who signed on to the Texas lawsuit or who encouraged sham hearings in our General Assembly,” she said. “Members of this body aided and abetted a deliberate misinformation campaign to sow seeds of doubt among Georgia voters with absolutely no facts or evidence.”
Minority Leader James Beverly said the bill does not reflect bipartisan efforts to handle election changes and said it “silences the voice of Georgians.”
“In the opening salvo: Line 8 restricts access, Line 15 limits my ability to vote, Line 21 limits my ability to vote, Line 25 limits my ability to vote, Line 30 restricts access, and it goes on and on for 66 pages,” he said. “I stand in opposition to this bill because Democrats weren’t involved in any meaningful conversation before 531 was haphazardly thrown together in committee and passed.”
The bill now heads to the Georgia Senate, which is considering its own omnibus measure that would end no-excuse absentee voting, among other changes.
“To put it succinctly, the prior administration dismantled our nation’s immigration system in its entirety,” he said. “When I started 27 days ago, I learned that we did not have the facilities available or equipped to administer the humanitarian laws that our Congress passed years ago. We did not have the personnel, policies, procedures or training to administer those laws. Quite frankly, the entire system was gutted.”
A slew of Democrats on Capitol Hill — including progressives Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. — on Monday proposed a 3% total annual tax on wealth exceeding $1 billion.
They also called for a lesser, 2% annual wealth tax on the net worth of households and trusts ranging from $50 million to $1 billion.
“The ultra-rich and powerful have rigged the rules in their favor so much that the top 0.1% pay a lower effective tax rate than the bottom 99%, and billionaire wealth is 40% higher than before the Covid crisis began,” Warren said Monday in a statement.
About 100,000 Americans — or, fewer than 1 in 1,000 families — would be subject to a wealth tax in 2023, according to Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, economists at the University of California, Berkeley.
The policy would raise at least $3 trillion over a decade, they found.
Warren called for the tax revenues to be invested in child care and early education, K-12 education and infrastructure.
Aside from Warren and Sanders, other co-sponsors of the legislation include: Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.; Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii; Edward Markey, D-Mass.; and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; and Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., are also co-sponsors.
The bill likely faces significant obstacles in the Senate, where Democrats hold the slimmest of majorities.
ORLANDO – After a brief hibernation, Donald Trump is making clear he is going after his political opponents – many of whom are Republicans.
Trump used his first post-presidential speech Sunday to rip GOP lawmakers who backed his impeachment, and pledge to defeat them in future elections likely to be shadowed by in-fighting that could undermine the party’s chances to win back Congress.
Trump’s list of GOP enemies includes congressional leaders like Liz Cheney and Mitch McConnell, both of whom held him responsible for the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol designed to overturn his election loss to President Joe Biden.
Despite a second impeachment over that incident, polls show that Trump retains enough clout in the Republican Party to threaten establishment members. The question, analysts said, is whether he and allies build a good enough organization to prevail in Republican primaries, particularly against the 10 House Republicans who voted for impeachment.
“Trump has the advantage here,” said Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman and now a conservative critic of the ex-president and his followers. “If they can find ten good candidates, all 10 who voted to impeach should lose. GOP primary voters are with Trump.”
He also said: “But does he have the focus? Who knows?”
Some Republicans said the party is undergoing a natural churn, looking for the best ways to approach the 2022 congressional election and, eventually, the 2024 challenge to Biden.
“Strong speech by President Trump about the winning policies of his administration and what the party needs to unite behind moving forward,” tweeted former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a potential 2024 presidential candidate herself.
“The liberal media wants a GOP civil war,” she added. “Not gonna happen.”
The Anti-Trump 10: House members who voted for impeachment
Trump spent a lot of time attacking Biden during the CPAC speech, but reserved special venom for the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach and are up for re-election next year.
“The RINOs that we’re surrounded with will destroy the Republican Party,” Trump said, employing the acronym that stands for “Republicans In Name Only.”
As CPAC delegates booed, Trump called out the names of the 10 House Republicans: Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, David Valadao of California, John Katko of New York, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, Dan Newhouse of Washington, Fred Upton of Michigan, Peter Meijer of Michigan, Tom Rice of South Carolina, and – last but not least in Trump’s mind – Cheney.
Trump commented at length on Cheney, the Wyoming representative and third-ranking House Republican, calling her “a warmonger, a person that loves seeing our troops fighting.”
Cheney has not backed away from her vote to impeach Trump, saying his lies about a “stolen election” provoked the mob that violently attacked the U.S. Capitol. “I don’t believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country,” Cheney told reporters last week.
Trump and the Senate Republican Seven
Trump also attacked senators who voted to convict him – but only one of them, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, is up for re-election next year.
Two of the other GOP senators who went against Trump have announced their retirements: Richard Burr of North Carolina and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah – who also voted to conviction Trump of his first impeachment, on charges of pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son – isn’t up for re-election until 2024.
The three other Senate Republican impeachers – Susan Collins of Maine, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana – just won re-election in November, and won’t face voters again until 2026.
Trump has spent more of his time attacking a GOP senator who just won re-election: McConnell, the Republican leader who plans to active role in party efforts to retake control of the Senate in next year’s elections.
McConnell voted to acquit Trump in the impeachment trial but, he said, because he didn’t believe the Senate had the authority to try an ex-president. McConnell still condemned Trump’s role in the insurrection, calling him “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.”
Trump did not directly attack during his CPAC speech, instead claiming – questionably – that his endorsement propelled McConnell to victory in the November election.
Trump supporters at CPAC booed the mention of McConnell’s name.
Trump and Republican primaries
It’s never good for a political party when prominent members fight each other in public, especially in election years. Primaries often weaken the eventual winners ahead of general elections, and divide the party involved in terms of voter support and raising money.
Trump’s participation in the 2022 Republican primaries could, in the end, drive anti-Trump voters to switch parties or not vote at all in general elections.
Noting that “you need two sides for a civil war,” political analyst Stuart Rothenberg predicted that Trump “will only push more Republican officeholders and voters away from the party.”
“Yes, that should help the Democrats in 2022 and 2024,” he said, “if only in keeping the 2020 anti-Trump coalition together, with some new reinforcements.”
Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida, said Republican infighting – and Trump’s attacks on the election process – seemed to affect turnout in two Georgia Senate runoffs held on Jan. 5.
“It is a more durable solution if it’s 60 votes,” Coons said on Monday after a couple of “very preliminary” weekend discussions with Republicans on raising the wage.
Republicans “realize it’s got to be raised,” said Sen. Angus King (I-Maine). “There are three principle pieces: The number, the phase-in and the tipped wage. Those are the three things we should work on. We ought to try and have some discussions. That’s the way you’re supposed to legislate.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) proposal would raise the wage to $15 in steps by 2025. It does not have unanimous support among Senate Democrats, and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has suggested a compromise number of $11. But Sanders is insisting that Democrats try to eliminate the filibuster to pass the minimum wage hike and ruled out going lower than $15 hourly, which he said “is a compromise already.”
Several Republicans said Monday they’d be open to going higher than the $10-an-hour GOP bill helmed by Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Tom Cotton of Arkansas. Romney said Monday he has been discussing a possible way forward with Democrats on the wage hike and suggested working with the minority was the most likely path.
“I don’t understand this all-or-nothing approach. Going from $7.25 to 10 dollars an hour … is a substantial and long overdue increase. So why would the progressives to whom Chuck is clearly listening be opposed to that?” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) of Schumer. “It sounds like Chuck wants an issue, not a solution.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he’s studying a proposal from Waffle House that would phase in a wage increase to $15 over six or seven years. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who supports the Cotton-Romney proposal, said she’s open to going above $10 but that Democrats “have to realize it’ll have to be a compromise figure.”
The GOP’s proposal for stricter enforcement of the immigration system known as E-verify could prove to be a sticking point, however. That program confirms employment eligibility for workers, but some Democrats would be wary of discussing any change that could target undocumented workers as a condition for a smaller minimum wage bump.
Rather than deal with the GOP, Democrats could also try and wait for another shot at raising the wage using the protections of budget reconciliation, a tool that allows them to evade the Senate’s supermajority requirement but has arcane rules governing its usage. To make that happen, they’d have to present the parliamentarian with a different argument after trying in vain to force a wage increase into an emergency Covid relief bill.
Senate Democrats have been campaigning on raising the wage since 2014, and some individual senators have been pushing for far longer. The party could be at risk of getting nothing unless it engages with Republicans. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said it’s most likely the Democrats will have to compromise if they want to raise the federal wage above the current, stagnant $7.25 level that last rose in 2009.
“We certainly need enough votes to overcome a filibuster, and that requires 10 more than we have,” Durbin said. “I think that’s the only recourse.”
But some Democrats aren’t ready to make any deal with the other party. Progressives are saying the only way forward is to gut the filibuster and kill its 60-vote requirement on legislation — or at least overrule the parliamentarian’s advice to exclude the wage increase from the bill. Both those options are endorsed by Sanders, who plans to offer a minimum wage amendment when the Covid bill reaches the floor, yet currently lack the votes to advance given opposition from Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said she did not want to wait for either Republicans to get on board or for a second reconciliation bill. Of the GOP’s current bid on the minimum wage, she retorted: “That’s just not a serious proposal. And doesn’t work.” She said getting rid of the filibuster is the answer to most of the party’s procedural problems.
Democrats have one more option on the wage hike: wait. They could also gamble on picking up Senate seats in 2022 to ease their path to gutting the filibuster, but that would stall progress on the issue for at least two years. And Republicans say there’s a deal to be had — if Democrats are willing to engage.
“We’ve got some people that are interested in it,” said Senate Minority Whip John Thune. “The $15 is a non-starter. And I don’t think we have anybody on our side [for that], and there’s some Democrats that are going to be opposed to that too.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that reuniting families was a “moral imperative” for the Biden administration.
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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that reuniting families was a “moral imperative” for the Biden administration.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Updated at 5 p.m. ET
Hundreds of migrant children still separated from their parents by the Trump administration may be allowed to reunite with their families in the United States — and some families may have the opportunity to stay, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced on Monday.
Reuniting the families is one of the Biden administration’s top priorities, something Mayorkas described as a “moral imperative.” During former President Donald Trump’s time in office, more than 5,500 migrant children were separated from their parents when they entered the country, and more than 1,400 parents were ultimately deported without their children.
“We are hoping to reunite the families either here or in the country of origin,” Mayorkas said, explaining the government hopes to give migrants the choice. “And if, in fact, they seek to reunite here in the United States, we will explore lawful pathways for them to remain in the United States and to address the family needs so we are acting as restoratively as possible,” he said, without giving details.
DHS said in a statement that the option of reuniting and staying in the United States would be provided “to the extent permissible under law” but did not provide more elaboration.
Advocates representing families who have been separated applauded the decision, but said they wanted more information.
“Of course, the devil is in the details and Secretary Mayorkas has to shed all the caveats and qualifications around his announcement and follow through with everything that’s necessary to right the wrong,” Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement.
“These separated families suffered unfathomably because of what our government did, and we owe them restitution. This includes a permanent pathway to citizenship, care, and resources to help them,” Romero said.
Mayorkas called the separation of children from their families “the most powerful example of cruelty” by the Trump administration, which had pushed to curb immigration. About 105 families have already been reunited since Biden took office, he said.
It’s one of several Trump-era immigration policies that Biden’s DHS is working to reverse, but Mayorkas warned changes would not happen overnight. “It takes time to build out of the depths of cruelty that the administration before us established,” he said.
Bennett has retained a leading employment discrimination lawyer, Debra Katz, who in her own statement said that Bennett “will cooperate fully with the Attorney General’s investigation.”
“We are confident that no disinterested investigator who reviews this evidence would adopt the Governor’s self-serving characterization of his behavior as mentorship or, at worst, unwanted flirtation,” Katz said. “He was not acting as a mentor and his remarks were not misunderstood by Ms. Bennett.”
“He was abusing his power over her for sex. This is textbook sexual harassment.”
James, in a statement about her authority over the probe, said, “This is not a responsibility we take lightly as allegations of sexual harassment should always be taken seriously.”
Bennett, in her statement, said Cuomo “has refused to acknowledge or take responsibility for his predatory behavior.”
“As we know, abusers – particularly those with tremendous amounts of power – are often repeat offenders who engage in manipulative tactics to diminish allegations, blame victims, deny wrongdoing and escape consequences,” she said.
Bennett noted that “it took the Governor 24 hours and significant backlash to allow for a truly independent investigation” after she went public with her allegations Saturday in a New York Times article.
“These are not the actions of someone who simply feels misunderstood; they are the actions of an individual who wields his power to avoid justice,” Bennett said.
Cuomo over the weekend first suggested the allegations by Bennett and Boylan be investigated by a former federal judge who previously worked with the governor’s top advisor.
Cuomo then pivoted, with his office suggesting that James and Chief Judge Judith Kaye, who heads the state’s highest court, jointly oversee the probe.
James refused to share oversight. And the governor’s office, dealing with a growing political backlash to both the allegations and his machinations seeking to control the investigation, agreed to ask the attorney general to handle the probe.
Bennett said that in coming forward with her account “I fully expected to be attacked by those who reflexively question the honesty or motivation of those who report sexual harassment. I am not deterred by these voices.”
She also said that, “Coming forward was an excruciating decision. I decided to share my story because I had faith that I would be supported and believed. This is often not the case.”
“Sharing my experience was only possible because of past survivors who stood up and told their stories. I hope that my story helps other survivors feel like they can stand in their truth.”
CNBC has requested comment from Cuomo’s office.
A referral letter by Cuomo’s office to James on Monday granted her request to have the claims by Bennett and Boylan be investigated by a private attorney or attorneys deputized by the attorney general.
The letter from Cuomo’s special counsel Beth Garvey said that the findings of that investigation “will be disclosed in a public report.”
The letter also said that “due to the nature of this review” the governor’s office will not approve or be sent weekly reports which are normally expected under the state law authorizing the attorney general to deputize outside lawyers for such a probe.
“All New York State employees have been directed to cooperate fully with this review,” Garvey wrote in the letter, which James released.
“I will serve as point of contact for any witness interviews or document production for the Executive Chamber and will connect you with appropriate counsel in any other agency or entity for any documents or witnesses necessary for the review,” Garvey wrote.
Bennett, 25, told The Times in an article published Saturday that the 63-year-old Cuomo had asked her questions including whether she “had ever been with an older man,” whether she was monogamous in her relationships and other personal questions that made her feel uncomfortable.
Boylan has said that Cuomo once kissed her without her consent, and jokingly suggested playing strip poker on an official flight.
Cuomo has denied the 36-year-old Boylan’s claims.
But in a statement released Saturday, the governor did not dispute Bennett’s claims of what he had said.
“I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm. I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends,” Cuomo said that day.
“At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way,” the governor said.
“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.”
Cuomo also said, “To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to.”
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