Description
Added on the 15/04/2020 18:35:58 - Copyright : France 24 EN
In the third such announcement since Friday, Sen. Ron Johnson on Saturday announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. According to Business Insider, Sen. Johnson is the third Republican senator to announce a positive result for the disease. Johnson's office said the senator returned to Washington, DC, on September 29 and was exposed to COVID-19 'shortly' afterward. Aged 65, the Wisconsin senator is currently symptom-free and is in isolation. He joins two fellow GOP Sens. Mike Lee (R-Ut.) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), who are both members on the Senate Judiciary Committee — and COVID-19 positive.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court received a bomb threat during President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony. "The Court received a bomb threat, the building and grounds were checked out, and the building is not being evacuated," a Supreme Court spokesperson said. There's increased security in Washington, DC, for Biden's inauguration following the Capitol riot on January 6. Business Insider says the court was closed to the public on Wednesday due to COVID-19, and was not evacuated
At least three top Republicans plan to miss President Donald Trump's farewell ceremony. House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Rep. Kevin McCarthy will attend church with Joe Biden. Vice President Mike Pence is unable to make it due to logistical issues, says Business Insider. Many people see this as the final snub to Trump from his once-closest allies. Others may also fail to attend but none so far have been confirmed outside of these three. Joe Biden is set to take office tomorrow and become the 46th President of the United States.
The Pentagon has upped the number of National Guard members it wants present at President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration by 4,000. CNN reports the Pentagon on Friday authorized up to 25,000 National Guard members, marking an increase from the 21,000 troops authorized a day earlier. Law enforcement in Washington, DC, and around the country is bracing for more extremist violence after the deadly insurrection at the Capitol last week. The DOD announced Tuesday that Guardsmen and women will be armed. Law enforcement is monitoring phones and other communications in an all-out effort to track individuals to ensure they do not travel to Washington.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas plans to attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. This comes after weeks of elevating misinformation about the election results. Cruz has faced immense backlash and increasing pressure to resign following his objection. Biden has even criticized the Texas senator and said he should be defeated in 2024. Since November, Cruz has sown doubts into the electoral process, says Business Insider. Cruz's communications director, Lauren Blair Bianchi, also left her job in the wake of the siege.
The English variant, presumably more contagious, accounts for about 1% of positive Covid-19 tests in France, according to the preliminary results of a survey conducted over two days last week, says French's Health Minister Olivier Véran. SOUNDBITE