*By Britt Terrell*
Senate Democrats are seeking to make net neutrality a central issue in November's midterm election by putting Republicans on the record against an issue that most Americans support.
If the Democratic strategy works, it could help them win a Congressional majority, said Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research.
"It's an opportunity for the Democrats to stand up and say 'we're on the side of the consumer,'" Rubin said Thursday in an interview with Cheddar. "Public opinion polls have shown that most Americans favor net neutrality, and this is an opportunity with the midterms coming up to say, 'here's how we voted, and the Republicans did not stand with us.'"
Three Republicans joined all of the Senate's Democrats to [pass a resolution](https://www.cnet.com/news/senate-votes-to-restore-net-neutrality-heres-how-every-senator-voted/) Wednesday to preserve net neutrality rules that ensure internet service providers provide equal access to all content and applications without showing favor to certain products or sites.
It is unlikely the House will pass a similar resolution ahead of the Federal Communication Commission's June 11 deadline for the repeal of net neutrality rules. But President Trump, who in the past has pivoted on resonant issues that could gain him favor with voters, might be convinced to keep net neutrality in place, Rubin said.
It was Trump's chosen FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, who pushed to repeal the net neutrality rules on the grounds that regulation prevents the businesses that build internet's infrastructure from innovating and re-investing.
"He was in support when Chairman Pai first announced the initiative," to get rid of net neutrality, Rubin said of Trump. But if Democrats' strategy to make it a more crucial midterm election issue succeeds, "it might be a chance for a populist appeal," he said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/senate-votes-to-keep-net-neutrality-rules-2).
In a news conference, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he has ordered the state's hospitals to increase their capacity for intake at least by half, if not doubling it., and also revealed that New York had procured more medical supplies in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
While the spread of the coronavirus has caused millions of layoffs across the country, select businesses are on a hiring spree to meet increased demand related to the outbreak.
Stocks are down nearly 5 percent in volatile trading on Wall Street as investors wait for Democrats and Republicans to settle their differences and pass a nearly $2 trillion rescue package for the economy.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first case of COVID-19 in the Senate and raising fears about the further transmission of the virus among Republicans at the Capitol.
In its boldest effort to protect the U.S. economy from the coronavirus, the Federal Reserve says it will buy as much government debt as it deems necessary and will also begin lending to small and large businesses and local governments to help them weather the crisis.
Malls, movie theaters, and retailers across the U.S. have been forced to close down to stem the spread of coronavirus, but cannabis dispensaries and retailers will stay open for business after a number of local governments deemed them “essential.”
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio 13th District) said on Friday that the $1 trillion stimulus package currently being negotiated by lawmakers won't be nearly enough to make Americans whole again.
During the Friday Coronavirus Task Force briefing, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. borders will be closed to nonessential travel with Mexico and Canada, beginning at midnight on Saturday.
The move underscores the pain being inflicted on U.S. oil producers by the abrupt crash in oil prices earlier this month, sparked by the outbreak of a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia and exacerbated by the global response to the coronavirus.
New York is joining California in seriously altering daily operations after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he will sign an executive order mandating that 100 percent of the non-essential workforce stay home. The order will go into effect Sunday night.
