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.”
While President Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott continue to claim the recount in three tight Florida races is rampant with abuse, state law enforcement authorities say they have no concrete allegation of voter fraud to investigate. Ana Ceballos, politics reporter for the USA Today Network in Florida, updated Cheddar on the latest.
Not many Californians are pleased with President Trump's weekend Twitter response to the wildfires that are devastating parts of California ー especially not Congressman-elect Harley Rouda. Fresh off a victory in California's 48th Congressional District, the newly-elected House Democrat had some choice words for the president during an interview on Cheddar Monday.
Over the weekend, the NRA criticized doctors for advocating for gun control by telling them to "stay in your lane." That was swiftly met with an online movement of doctors sharing their stories of seeing the aftermath of gun violence up close.
Dr. Ana Maria Lopez, president of the American College of Physicians, told Cheddar that physicians live by a code that requires them to address gun violence as a crisis.
These are the top stories, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
The internet can be a toxic place ー but it doesn't have to be, according to Deepak Chopra. The bestselling author and new age advocate is helping to build a healthier internet through a new Amazon Alexa skill that delivers his daily "intentions." The skill is a result of a partnership with A.I.-provider LivePerson's innovation lab, LivePerson Studios.
Parkland shooting survivor and March for Our Lives co-founder Delaney Tarr worries people will keep dying at the hands of gun violence until "everyone has a story." "It's that mentality of, 'It's not important to vote on because it hasn't happened to us yet.' But, increasingly, every community in this country is affected by gun violence," she told Cheddar Big News on Thursday. "If we don't start voting on it now like it is one of the most important issues ー because it is ー then people are just going to keep dying."
Americans seem to agree on at least one thing: no one likes a traffic jam — and congestion is at its all-time worst. Transportation was a prominent subject of this year's midterm elections. Election Day hosted over 300 transportation and infrastructure initiatives on the ballot, and on both the state and local levels, a number of newly-elected officials are now faced with the task of shaping that legislation and policy.
