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.”
After President Trump issued a thread of xenophobic tweets calling on four Congresswomen of color to "go back" to where they came from, he defended his comments again on Twitter and in remarks to reporters at the White House.
New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is "cautiously optimistic" that the September 11th Victim's Compensation Fund's permanent extension will be passed in the Senate.
President Donald Trump Thursday evening decided to share his negative opinions on cryptocurrencies and Facebook's plans for the Libra currency, drawing a backlash among blockchain proponents.
Mississippi Rep. Robert Foster, currently running for governor of the state, is denying a female reporter from his campaign trip — unless she is accompanied by a male colleague. That Mississippi Today reporter Larrison Campbell joined Cheddar to give her reaction.
Nike announced on Thursday that it is moving forward with its plan to open a Nike Air Manufacturing Innovation facility in Goodyear, Arizona, just a week after the Governor Doug Ducey said the company was not welcome.
On Friday morning, President Donald Trump announced that Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned from his position. The decision follows widespread outrage over Acosta's handling of a 2008 case involving hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein, who had been accused of being a sexual predator.
President Donald Trump abandoned his administration's years-long pursuit to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, but through an executive order demanded that all government agencies compile and disclose existing data on citizenship.
According to the 16-page report obtained by Cheddar, the expected price tag of the Victim's Compensation Fund is expected to be more than $10 billion over the next 10 years.
