The Trump administration announced plans Friday to speed up coronavirus testing, introducing an emergency hotline for companies and private laboratories developing quicker tests and seems on a path to a multi-billion-dollar federal plan with Congress amid reports the president will declare a national emergency later today.
"I hope he does it, it's the right thing to do, it will free up states and local communities to act more aggressively," Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif. 7th District) told Cheddar on Friday.
The administration is catching up to warnings health officials have been making for weeks about the United States's lack of preparedness for what is now a pandemic. Bera, a physician himself, said the new measures will allow community health centers taking care of Medicaid patients to be reimbursed for telemedicine.
"If you can manage [sick patients] using technology, using telehealth, telemedicine and they can stay at home, that is actually a good thing, that will help slow the spread," he said.
Though telemedicine may help treat patients without potentially infecting those they come in contact with, a lack of test kits will impede physicians’ ability to track patients.
"What I’ve suggested to the administration is, look, if South Korea can do it, pick up the phone, call the Korean company that’s making these tests and see if you can’t just license those tests and get it sent over here if it’s taking so long for us to do it," he said.
While health workers attempt to slow the spread of the virus, politicians are still at work on a bill, which appeared to hit a roadblock today over disagreements about paid sick leave. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been negotiating the plan, which House Democrats are expected to vote on today.
"We're told that they're pretty close," Bera said. "Workers, families, those hourly wage folks, they're going to be hurt immediately. This is America, we don't let people fall down like that."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that she has tested positive again for COVID-19 and will not accompany President Joe Biden to Europe for meetings on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reshma Saujani, the founder of the nonprofit Girls Who Code, discusses the workplace inequities further exposed by the pandemic and her latest book, "Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It's Different Than You Think).
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States, along with much of the Western world, has imposed economic sanctions on Russia’s economy and its oligarchs. And these measures are costing these oligarchs — billions. So what exactly is an oligarch and what are their ties to Putin and the ongoing invasion? And will sanctioning them work?
Ketanji Brown Jackson is forcefully defending her record as a federal judge, telling senators she will rule “from a position of neutrality” if she is confirmed as the first Black woman on the high court.
Ukraine remains defiant as the Russian invasion is approaching its fourth week. Cheddar News speaks with Former Obama Campaign Foreign Policy Advisor David Tafuri, on Russia’s war efforts so far and how it might shift tactics moving forward.
While investors soured on Fed Chair Jerome Powell's remarks on interest rates Monday, Anthony Saccaro, Founder and President at Providence Financial explains why he is supportive of the Fed's approach on Cheddar News' Closing Bell.
As Russia continues to wage war in Ukraine, 10 million of its citizens have fled their homes according to the UN, with more and more refugees flooding into other European countries. Nancy Dent, senior global communications officer for Europe and Asia at the aid group International Rescue Committee, joined Cheddar News to discuss the deteriorating conditions. “What's really clear from my time at the border today, in particular, is that people really are fleeing for their lives now," she said. "Two million people, 60 percent of the refugee population from Ukraine is now in Poland, and people are arriving with smaller bags really unprepared."
Will Larkins, president and co-founder of Winter Park High School's Queer Student Union and one of the organizers of its
'Say Gay Anyway' walkout, joined Cheddar News to discuss their recent opinion piece for The New York Times titled "Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Will Hurt Teens Like Me."
Russia's military advances in Ukraine appear to have stalled, as heavy casualties, equipment losses, and a lack of progress on the ground take a toll. Despite the horrific damage caused by the attack, Ukraine's military has held up better than many experts predicted. Elliot Ackerman, author and Marine Corps Veteran, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss why Ukraine's defense response been such a surprise, and what a stalemate in the war might look like.
