House Speaker Nancy Pelosi repeated a phrase throughout her update this morning on the latest federal response to the coronavirus: "Testing, testing, testing."
The speaker said testing is "so very important, to take inventory, to understand the epidemiological spread of the virus, and also to meet the needs of the people affected."
She confirmed that Democrats and Republicans are working closely to pass a bill today that would provide additional protections, and free testing, following an $8.3 billion aid package last week. "No one will say I can't afford it," she said.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act would ensure free coronavirus testing, paid emergency sick leave, expanded unemployment insurance, increased protections for health care workers on the frontline, and food security initiative for children while schools are closed.
The bill is currently being debated in the House, but the clock is ticking as lawmakers consider whether they should leave the capital out of an abundance of caution.
When asked if House Democrats would stick around if a deal was not made within the next two days, Pelosi insisted lawmakers would get it done.
"We don't need 48 hours. We need to make a decision to help families now," she said.
"If people have to stay home, we have to stay home, but we don't want people to panic," Pelosi added but held off from outlining further plans to address the virus.
"We're here to pass a bill. When we pass a bill, we'll make a judgment about what comes next," she said.
As an addendum to her update on the coronavirus response, the speaker chimed in on the Democratic primary race.
"In case you were going to ask, no, I don't think Bernie Sanders should get out of the race. I'm a grassroots person. I'm chair of the California Democratic Party. I know the enthusiasm of supporters of candidates, and they want to see it play out."
Greg Miller, author of "The Apprentice," told Cheddar that the main objective of his new book was to build a comprehensive look at President Trump's relationship with Vladimir Putin as well as the findings of the special counsel probe.
With the midterm elections now less than a month away, Cheddar's J.D. Durkin went to Las Vegas to gauge what is fast becoming one of the most consequential races in the country. Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen is challenging GOP Sen. Dean Heller for his seat and, according to new polling, has taken a slim lead. For a deeply purple state that went for Hillary Clinton in 2016 but still maintains significant support for Pres. Trump, the race is becoming a bellwether for the national state of play.
A landmark report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Monday warned that there could be irreversible damage caused by climate change in as little as 12 years. Andrew Freedman, science reporter at Axios, said the effects of this could be even hotter heat waves, sea-levels rising that could wipe out coastal cities, food shortages, and more.
Why do we pretend Supreme Court Justices aren't political appointees? Why are they still given lifetime appointments? John Iadarola, co-host of The Young Turks, and Nick Givas, reporter for the Daily Caller, looked at the court landscape after one of the most partisan confirmation battles in history.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
The Maine Republican, a key swing vote in Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation process, said she would support the nominee in the final vote expected Saturday. Collins, along with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) who indicated he too would vote along party lines, could be the deciding factors that give Kavanaugh the votes he needs.
Sharyn Tejani, director of the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, which represents victims of sexual harassment, said the effort in the year since Harvey Weinstein's accusers came forward is unprecedented. "If you had told me at any point in that time that we would have an organization like this one that's focused on low-wage workers and focused on sexual harassment, I would have told you that's simply impossible," she said.
The California Congresswoman sponsored a bill along with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand shortly after the dawn of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements. While some steps have been enacted in the House, Speier says there's been little movement in the Senate. When you watch the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, she said, "you can understand why we're still negotiating on the Senate side."
The Senate had a procedural vote on Friday morning on the Supreme Court nominee and everyone voted along party lines, except two key Senators. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia voted 'Yes' while Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted 'No.' That sets up a final vote to confirm Kavanaugh's nomination as early as Saturday.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
