Tlaib, Jayapal reintroduce bill to make monthly relief payments to Americans, without raising U.S. debt
March 23rd, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) are re-proposing a way to get monthly COVID-19 relief to Americans without adding to the national debt. The pair have reintroduced the Automatic BOOST to Communities (ABC) Act, which immediately provides a $2,000 payment using BOOST debit cards...
Khamenei says U.S. promises have no credibility for Iran
March 21st, 20210 TEHRAN — Iran does not trust U.S. promises on lifting sanctions and will only return to its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal once Washington fully removes the measures, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday. The administration of President Biden is exploring ways to restore the 2015 nuclear deal that...
Fight for $15 minimum wage not over, but will it be enough?
March 21st, 20210 Progressive members of the Democratic Party are continuing their efforts to raise the national minimum wage to $15 an hour, after the effort failed to pass the U.S. Senate as part of the latest COVID-19 relief package. Those members, like U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), intend to ensure a $15 minimum wage increase is incorporated...
Biden’s China policy likely to be doomed from the start
March 21st, 20210 A much anticipated American foreign policy move under the Biden administration on how to counter China’s unhindered economic growth and political ambitions came in the form of a virtual summit on March 12, linking, aside from the United States, India, Australia and Japan. Although the so-called “Quad” revealed nothing new in...
IRS plans to push U.S. tax deadline to May 17
March 17th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is planning to push its tax filing deadline about one month to May 15 from April 15. Because May 15 falls on a Saturday, the final deadline for filers will likely be the following Monday, May 17. The move will give taxpayers additional time to file their 2020 tax returns and pay...
Survey shows difficulty faced by working parents for online learning, strong support among Republican parents for return to school
March 12th, 20210 A Gallup poll released Thursday shows particularly strong support among parents who identify as Republican to get their children back in classrooms for in-person learning. The poll results are based on self-administered web surveys conducted Feb. 14-21, with a random sample of 860 adults, aged 18 and older, who are parents of students...
What does the new COVID relief law mean for federal unemployment benefits?
March 11th, 20210 Millions of unemployed Americans will see no interruption in their supplemental weekly federal unemployment benefits, after President Biden signed into law the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill on Thursday. The new law means nearly one-third of American households who are currently unemployed or will lose their job this summer will...
Biden: “All American adults will be eligible to get a vaccine no later than May 1”
March 11th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — In his first prime-time address to the American public, President Biden announced on Thursday that he is directing states to make all adults vaccine-eligible by May 1. As vaccine supplies continue to increase, Biden is now confident the enormous goal to vaccinate much of America is possible. The U.S. is...
Minneapolis judge reinstates third degree murder charge in George Floyd’s death; Detroit judge dismisses city’s claims that activists conspired to obstruct police
March 11th, 20210 MINNEAPOLIS/DETROIT — While a judge in Detroit dismissed claims that activists conspired to obstruct police, a judge in Minneapolis reinstated a third degree murder charge against a former Minneapolis police officer in the death of a Black man. Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill reinstated the charge against Derek Chauvin,...
Biden signs sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill into law
March 11th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Biden signed into law his sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief and stimulus package on Thursday, just hours before delivering his first prime-time address since taking office. The signing on Thursday means some Americans could expect their $1,400 stimulus payments to begin arriving in their bank...
Senators seek to make daylight saving time permanent as more states try to end time changes
March 11th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new bill introduce by a group of U.S. senators seeks to end yearly time changes by making daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time. The bill would allow states with areas exempt from daylight saving time choose the standard time for those areas. The bill, known as the “Sunshine Protection Act...
U.S. will double order of J&J COVID vaccine with additional 100 million doses
March 11th, 20210 President Biden will double the U.S. order of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) one-shot vaccine — seeking another 100 million doses — bringing the country’s total vaccine supply to enough for 500 million people. Biden made the announcement during an event at the White House on Wednesday with J&J Chairman and Chief...
“Is this who we are?”: Gitmo is America’s enduring shame
March 10th, 20210 “That’s certainly our goal and our intention.” This was the non-committal answer given by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki when, on February 12, she was asked by a reporter whether the new Joe Biden administration intends to shut down the notorious Guantánamo Bay Prison by the end of the president’s first term in...
Chase Bank to discontinue Chase Pay from merchant apps and websites
March 9th, 20210 Chase Bank is discontinuing its Chase Pay digital wallet service at the end of March, the company announced on its website. The option to pay through Chase Pay will be removed from all merchant apps and websites. JPMorgan Chase & Co says its customers can instead link their Chase credit cards to their preferred shopping sites or...
CDC: Vaccinated people can socialize without masks, distancing
March 8th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced new guidelines that say people who are fully vaccinated — meaning two weeks after they have received the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine — can safely gather with friends or family who are......
$1,400 checks will start to go out this month
March 7th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Biden said on Saturday that the U.S. Senate passage of his $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill means that $1,400 payments to most Americans will start to go out this month and the bill’s provisions will speed up manufacturing and distribution of vaccines. Biden, speaking at the White House after the...
Biden is on the verge of making the same dangerous mistakes as his predecessors
March 7th, 20210 By Frank Giustra and Andrew Bacevich If the escalating tensions between the United States and China aren't causing you concern yet, you've not been paying attention. Any conflict between the two superpowers would result in unimaginable devastation — if not physical, at least economic. And don't forget: Both China and the United...
Study: Michigan car ownership is the most expensive in the nation
March 6th, 20212 A new study reveals that Michigan is the most expensive state in which to own a car. Michigan residents pay $9,304 annually. They spend $2.37 per gallon of gas, drive an average of 14,121 miles a year, spend $5,740 for insurance coverage and $2,005 on car payments and maintenance. You can find the complete state-by-state report here:...
Activist wins defamation suit brought against her by Israeli soldier over FB post
March 5th, 20213 CALIFORNIA — Palestinian activist Suhair Nafal has won a defamation lawsuit brought against her by a former Israeli soldier who claimed Nafal’s Facebook post objecting to Israeli war crimes defamed and slandered her. The former Israeli soldier, Rebecca Rumshiskaya, sued Nafal in September over a viral Facebook post she published......
Delta employee tells man who missed flight he may have been flagged due to his Muslim name
March 5th, 20212 ST. LOUIS, MO — The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported this week an incident involving a Muslim man who says a Delta Air Lines employee told him he may have missed his flight at the city’s airport because he was flagged for his middle name. Abdallah Mohammed Eid, 28, a St. Louis native, posted a video of his interaction with the...
Senate delays debate on Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill while it is read aloud
March 5th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday to take up President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid bill, but put off the start of a contentious debate until the full text of the 628-page bill is read aloud. The party-line vote of 51-50, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie, illustrated that......
Fewer people will receive full $1,400 payments under Senate, Biden deal
March 3rd, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Under a deal struck with President Biden, Senate Democrats plan to give $1,400 direct payments to fewer Americans, as part of the government's latest COVID-19 relief bill. Under the new agreement: Individuals who make up to $75,000 will still get the full $1,400, while the amount will reduce at incomes above...
Biden’s foreign policy: No joy in Mudville
March 3rd, 20210 By Thomas L. Knapp Well, at least he hasn't started any NEW wars! For four years, that was the excuse I got from anti-war Donald Trump supporters every time he escalated one of the several wars he inherited from George W. Bush and Barack Obama. I expect to start hearing it from anti-war Joseph Biden supporters soon. Trump was......
