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."
These are the headlines you Need2Know.
"Use of marijuana is clearly not going to stop," said the Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr. "So, we need to legalize it." Until that happens, the D.A. said his office won't prosecute pot smokers in an effort to remedy the "significant racial disparity" in the laws' application.
After years of spreading incendiary conspiracy theories, the right-wing gadfly Alex Jones was kicked off Facebook, YouTube, Apple, and Spotify because recent lawsuits highlight the "real-life harm" of his rhetoric, says Axios media reporter Sara Fischer, and the tech platforms have established a new standard for acceptable speech online.
Harley Rouda says he was a Republican and an independent before he sought to oust Congressman Dana Rohrabacher in Orange County, Calif., and win back control of Congress for Democrats. "There are a lot of people out there who would like to see this seat flipped," says Rouda, including many Republicans.
President Trump has proposed rolling back his predecessor's fuel efficiency standards. The move is effectively
an attack on states like California that set their own standards, says Dan Becker, director at Safe Climate Campaign.
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi is stepping down after 12 years with the company. She helped push the soda giant into exploring healthier food and beverage options in light of changing preferences. Longtime Pepsi veteran Ramon Laguarta will replace Nooyi.
Disney, Fox, Snap, Dropbox, and others report earnings this week as earnings season winds down. Kristen Scholer and Nora Ali discuss what to expect from these quarterly results.
The trade war between the U.S. and China escalated even further after Chinese state media called out President Trump specifically, accusing him of extortion. Andrew Egger, reporter at The Weekly Standard, joins Cheddar to discuss.
The tech giants' decisions to block content by the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones may encourage other platforms to crackdown on his incendiary rhetoric, says Mashable's Heather Dockray. "The claims he's making have always been dangerous," Dockray says. "But they seem particularly paranoid as of late."
These are the headlines you Need2Know.
The Labor Department reported on Friday that the unemployment rate in the U.S. dropped to 3.9 percent and 157,000 new jobs were added in July. But while average hourly earnings rose 2.7 percent, Bankrate's Mark Hamrick points out that when inflation's factored in, workers are taking home less than a percent more in earnings.
These are the headlines you Need2Know.
