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.”
Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey, who holds a medical marijuana card, says the drug's ability to relieve pain makes it a much more effective way to combat opioid addiction. “Why would we continue, in light of the crisis that we have, to prescribe opioids for pain relief?” Fritchey told Cheddar Tuesday.
The legislator has been vocal about getting his medical marijuana card in hopes of getting rid of the stigma around the drug, he told Cheddar. Fritchey is also pushing to legalize recreational use of the cannabis in Illinois and says it should be uses as a tool to fight the opioid crisis.
The Agriculture Department's proposed Farm Bill will kick millions of people off of benefits and take free breakfast and lunches away from hundreds of thousands of kids, says the Democrat from Massachusetts. The new legislation could go to a vote in May.
Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen is pushing to expand the state's Medicaid plan to include drug-abuse treatment programs, having witnessed her mother deal with opioid addiction for three decades. "There's really no options for people out there," Pettersen said Monday in an interview with Cheddar.
Sam Kass, who served as White House Chef during the Obama administration, is out with a new book on healthy eating. He says it encapsulates many of the concepts he and former first lady Michelle Obama espoused.
Sam Kass served as the White House Chef during the Obama administration. He says parents have to demand politicians enact policies that will encourage healthy eating habits.
The investigation into this week's deadly emergency landing of a Southwest Airlines flight is going strong, but how will regulators determine who's at fault? The Points Guy's Emily McNutt weighs in.
The Root's Michael Harriot discusses the road to legalizing marijuana and whether industry support from people like John Boehner will move the process along.
The former governor of Massachusetts, who joined cannabis production company Acreage Holdings last week with former House Speaker John Boehner, says legalizing marijuana should be up to the states to decide.
