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."
This Changes Things: Advice for the executives and leaders of tomorrow, brought to you by American Express OPEN. On Between Bells: All the president's tweets, Black Panther's box office record, and more. With The Young Turks, The Daily Caller, Hollywood Life, and Fast Company.
Diversity in America: it's a story of slow progress beginning with the Civil Rights Movement that continues to this day. Two events that set these changes into motion were the protests at San Francisco State and Cornell University in the late sixties. The new documentary "Agents of Change" looks at how the strikes have impacted America 50 years later.
President Trump has signaled that he may be open to improvements to the federal background check system following the Stoneman Douglas shooting. The Young Turks' Emma Vigeland and Daily Caller's Nick Givas discuss the likelihood that things change this time around.
The RNC spokeswoman says Republicans are willing to look into tighter regulations and that even politicians who receive donations from the NRA want to "make sure this never happens again."
Saadia Zahidi, author of "Fifty Million Rising", says Saudi Arabia now has about half a million women in the workforce. She says governments need to realize how much market power this group has and what they can do to foster that talent.
CRTV's Nate Madden and Eric Boehm from Reason Magazine discuss the student survivors from the Parkland shooting who emerged this weekend as activists in the fight for gun reform.
Billionaire Tom Steyer is putting his personal fortune behind an effort to get President Trump out of office. Special counsel Robert Mueller has indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for allegedly meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Coinbase users took to social media and Reddit to complain about glitches on the platform. Coinbase says the root of the problem is credit card processing managed by Visa. But, Visa says they didn't cause the problem.
The FBI is admitting that it failed to investigate the shooter who killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida this week. Now, Florida Governor Rick Scott is calling on FBI Director Christopher Wray's resignation. Axios Reporter Stef Kight explains the implications of these findings.
Billionaire Tom Steyer is putting his personal fortune behind an effort to get President Trump out of office. The "Need to Impeach" initiative started with a YouTube video, and now more than 4.7 Million people have signed its petition. Tom Steyer, Founder and President of "Need to Impeach," explains how he is trying to influence the political landscape.
The billionaire and former hedge fund manager questions the president's response to news that Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals. Steyer, who's launched a "Need to Impeach" campaign, wants to know what Trump is hiding.
