Coronavirus has hit Capitol Hill, as the first members of Congress have tested positive for the virus.
Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ben McAdams (D-Utah) announced diagnoses late Wednesday. Diaz-Balart’s office said he had developed symptoms Saturday evening and was notified Wednesday of a positive test. Both had voted on the House floor as recently as Saturday morning, to pass the coronavirus relief bill.
Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah (Left), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla. (Right)
At least five other members of Congress are quarantining because they had contact with the lawmakers, including Rep. Steve Scalise, the second-highest ranking Republican in the House.
Some lawmakers had been pushing for ways to vote remotely, particularly since congressional members are disproportionately in higher-risk categories for coronavirus complications. Forty-eight senators are over the age of 65, the age at which some states have recommended individuals to stay inside their homes.
Senator Dick Durban (D-Ill.) has said “it’s time for the Senate to wake up to the 21st century and make sure we’re using technology that allows us to communicate with each other without any danger or risk to public health.”
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Apple this week removed a smartphone app called HKmap.live that was used by pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong to track police movements, and Google dropped a smartphone game that lets users role-play as protesters in the city.
Rep. Clarke of New York echoed the words of House Intelligence Committee chair, Adam Schiff, claiming that the move to prevent Ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, from speaking to Congress, is indicative of a crime by itself.
Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets' general manager, tweeted in solidarity with protesters in Hong Kong, which was met with an immediate backlash in China
Leo Simonovich, global head of industrial cyber and digital security for Siemens Gas and Power, spoke with Cheddar about the evolving threat to utilities and other industrial sites.
