7. Relief bill is possible, maybe
- The lack of a coronavirus relief bill has been one of the constant discussion points in America as the country attempts to get through the pandemic and businesses struggle to survive. Now it appears that there is an appetite to move forward on a bill by combining it with other spending.
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) let it be known that any coronavirus relief package will have to be added to a year-end omnibus spending bill: “It will all likely come in one package.” McConnell said this to reporters after holding a call with the Senate GOP conference, which could mean the party is ready to move on the bill. However, it still is unclear what Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will do in House.
6. Mike Rogers likely to be top Republican on Armed Services
- U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-Saks) currently serves as the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, but he has been backed by the United States House GOP Steering Committee to lead as the top Republican of the Committee on Armed Services.
- It will likely be later this week before the GOP Conference will ratify anyone recommended by the steering committee.
5. Huntsville City Schools out for the rest of the week
- The Huntsville City Schools system has decided to dismiss for the remainder of the week due to the ransomware attack that has compromised their system, but some staff will return this week “to prepare materials for students.”
- They’re currently investigating the issue with local and federal authorities, and they’re still working to “determine if any or what information may have been compromised” when the system was attacked.
4. UK approves coronavirus vaccine, health workers will get first shots in the U.S.
- In a sign that the United States will probably approve the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use, the United Kingdom has OKed this vaccine, and 800,000 doses will be available next week
- In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has voted 13-1 to recommend that health care workers and nursing home patients become the first to receive a vaccine once it is approved. The one dissenting vote, Dr. Helen Talbot, an infectious-disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, expressed concern about offering the vaccine to nursing home patients.
3. China knew, Trump knew China knew
- CNN has reported leaked documents from Wuhan, China that show the country seriously mishandled the coronavirus pandemic from the beginning. The documents show that areas were underreporting cases publicly, but they can’t officially prove that they were intentionally trying to mislead people.
- The documents also show that there were issues with testing and how cases were handled within the country. China has publicly defended how they handled the virus repeatedly, despite criticism. These documents were released by a whistleblower, and according to CNN they’ve been verified by six independent experts.
2. No widespread voter fraud
- U.S. Attorney General William Barr had a busy day yesterday; not only did he appoint Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham to continue investigating whether intelligence and law enforcement committed crimes during the 2016 presidential campaign, but Barr also said publicly that there’s no voter “fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election” and that the Justice Department hasn’t uncovered any widespread voter fraud.
- Barr has explained that while the allegations brought forward haven’t been allegations of systematic fraud, “those have been run down; they are being run down. Some have been broad and potentially cover a few thousand votes. They have been followed up on.” He also said that there’s been no evidence the Department of Justice has found to support the claim that voting machines were rigged.
1. Bring back in-person classes
- Governor Kay Ivey has released a statement urging all school systems to “return to in-person instruction as soon as possible” and also said she’ll be working with state leadership and superintendents “to ensure that our kids are back in the classroom in 2021.”
- In her released statement, Ivey notes the drop in enrollment by nearly 10,000 students the state has seen and focused on how the largest drop was in kindergarten enrollment. Ivey said this “will not only result in a critical learning loss for our students today but will also likely lead to an equally negative impact on the readiness of our workforce in years to come.”
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