Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey says she has tested positive for COVID-19 and believes she was exposed during protective isolation in the U.S. Capitol building as a result of Wednesday’s rioting.
She was among dozens of lawmakers whisked to a secure location when pro-Donald Trump insurrectionists stormed the Capitol. A press release from her office on Monday notes that “a number of members within the space ignored instructions to wear masks.”
Watson Coleman is isolating at home and awaiting the results of another test. She says, “While I am experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, I remain in good spirits and will continue to work on behalf of my constituents.”
Watson Coleman had received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID19 vaccine, which has been made available to members of Congress.
Some members of Congress huddled for hours in the large room, while others were there for a shorter period.
Amazon is reportedly having second thoughts about setting up in New York, after growing backlash from local politicians. "They haven't changed their mind, but they are thinking of at least holding open the possibility that they might pull out and basically put the jobs somewhere else," Robert McCartney, senior regional correspondent at The Washington Post, told Cheddar Friday.
Gavin de Becker has been operating in elite, high-profile circles for nearly four decades, but very few knew his name before Jeff Bezos mentioned it on Thursday in his explosive allegations that a tabloid publisher attempted to blackmail him over explicit photos. De Becker, Bezos' longtime private security consigliere, has a star-studded pedigree that spans 40 years.
A new bill in Illinois would require potential gun buyers to reveal their public social media accounts to state police. The ACLU is now speaking out against the idea, citing privacy and bias concerns. "The things that social media would show are one's political views, perhaps one's religion, and even in some instances someone's race," Edwin Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at ACLU of Illinois, told Cheddar.
For veteran congresswoman and cancer survivor Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, the issue of healthcare is both political and personal. She discussed President Trump's vow "to protect patients with pre-existing conditions" with Cheddar.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Feb. 8, 2019.
President Trump's economic adviser Larry Kudlow slammed Democratic tax and banking proposals as un-American in an interview with Cheddar's J.D. Durkin on Thursday. "I'm afraid some of my Democratic friends are going back to a war on business," Kudlow said.
It's a topic that has evaded recent political campaigns, but thanks to a superstar representative from New York, tax and bank reform could be one of the biggest campaign issues leading into 2020. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has used her Twitter feed to call out the big banks. Pete Schroeder, who covers finance for Reuters, talked to Cheddar about how the big banks are getting ready.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019.
If there's one issue on which President Trump and Congress can work together, it's infrastructure. That's according to Henry Cisneros, a veteran private equity investor and former HUD Secretary under President Bill Clinton.
President Trump laid out his vision and for the second half of his term and took a victory lap in his annual address to the nation Tuesday night, saying "the state of our union is strong."
