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Added on the 12/12/2020 20:26:13 - Copyright : Wochit
The B.1.617 Covid-19 variant spreading in India appears to be more contagious and has been classified as being "of concern at the global level", Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's lead on Covid-19, says. SOUNDBITE
Just days before a hotly contested senate runoff election, GOP Sen. David Perdue of Georgia is going into quarantine. CNN reports the Republican senator and his wife have tested negative for COVID-19. However, after coming into close contact with someone who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the pair have chosen to self-quarantine. Perdue is campaigning in a runoff against Democrat Jon Ossoff, who has raised tens of millions of dollars in donations. Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler is also fighting to hold onto her US Senate seat in Georgia against Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock. If Democrats win both seats, they will control the Senate next year. Any 50-50 ties will be broken by incoming Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
US lawmakers are back to square one with respect to the passage of the most recent $900 billion pandemic stimulus package. CNN reports the House of Representatives on Thursday failed to secure an increase of direct payments to Americans from $600 to $2,000. The attempt was a response to one of President Donald Trump's surprise demands he made in a tweeted video late on Tuesday. House Democrats tried to quickly pass the bill by a unanimous consent request Thursday morning, but Republicans rejected the move. GOP lawmakers are now in a difficult spot where they will be forced to decide whether or not they will defy the President.
On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley introduced legislation to send another round of $1,200 stimulus checks for Americans. The legislation is modeled after the ones distributed under the CARES Act. "Families are struggling. Unemployment claims are rising and food lines are growing. It's time Congress finally acts,. Hawley said in a press release. According to Business Insider the latest $908 billion bipartisan stimulus framework omitted checks Relief talks are stalling and may collapse.
Alaska Rep. Don Young is the longest-serving current member of the US Congress. Young has previously called the novel coronavirus COVID-19 the 'beer virus,' and said claims of its severity were exaggerated. Now, Business Insider reports the 87-year-old has tested positive for COVID-19. On Thursday, he tweeted he was feeling 'strong' following his diagnosis. Over the past week, approximately 5% of all COVID-19 tests administered in Alaska have come back positive. There have so far been 22,405 confirmed cases of the disease in Alaska and just under 100 confirmed deaths.
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