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.”
President Trump is expected to submit his Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday.
The three favorites are almost "identical" in policy stances, says Rick Hasen, professor of law and political science at UC-Irvine.
The U.S. tariffs on Chinese products that kicked in on Friday are specifically targeted at high-tech goods, an attempt to crack down on alleged intellectual property theft. But they could end up raising the cost of products like e-cigarettes, e-bikes, and smart home devices that are overwhelmingly used by millennials, says Axios reporter Erica Pandey.
U.S. tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods kicked in early Friday, prompting China to respond in kind and escalating tensions between the two countries into what Beijing describes as "the biggest trade war in economic history."
Scott Pruitt, the former Oklahama Attorney General who sued the agency he was leading, resigned on Thursday after facing a series of accusations of ethical violations. "The Senate confirmed Deputy at EPA, Andrew Wheeler, will on Monday assume duties as the acting Administrator of the EPA," Trump announced in a tweet.
The United States and China are poised to hit goods that cross their respective borders with heavy tariffs. But a trade war would likely hurt the American companies that President Trump is trying to protect and undermine the value of U.S. debt globally, says Sara Hsu, economist and associate professor at SUNY-New Paltz.
Two judges, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Barrett, are widely projected to be the front runners in the race to fill Justice Anthony Kennedy's seat in the Supreme Court. But USA Today's David Jackson tells Cheddar he believes there might be a third candidate on the president's radar -- "a Michigan-based appeals court judge named Raymond Kethledge." All three candidates are expected to support overturning Roe v. Wade.
Business Insider reported that Tesla's CEO Elon Musk asked engineers to halt putting Model 3 vehicles through a standard brake and roll alignment test before leaving the factory floor.
The federal investigation into Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal is expanding. AT&T raising prices on DirecTV Now by $5 a month. Trump’s shortlist for replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy's seat on the Supreme Court.
Seven complaints so far have been filed against the Trump administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum, but it may be years until a ruling comes down. “Even if they do eventually come to a conclusion, Trump might just say, ‘Well, that’s it. That’s the end of the U.S.’s membership in the WTO,’” Megan Cassella, trade reporter at Politico, tells Cheddar.
Russia's shocking win over Spain in the Round of 16 got the team one step closer to its first ever World Cup championship. But while there's still a lot of game left to be played, The Banter's Jeffrey Marcus says, regardless of the outcome, President Vladimir Putin has already achieved his goal.
The Air Force Veteran is running in Texas's 31st Congressional District to unseat Rep. John Carter, who has served in the position since 2003. Her campaign ad, which features the door of the helicopter she was piloting when shot down in Afghanistan, has gone viral with more than 2.5 million views.
