WASHINGTON – In his nearly 90-minute CPAC speech on Sunday, Donald Trump attacked President Biden on immigration, the Republicans who voted for his impeachment, masking policies and even transgender athletes who play women’s sports.
In addition, he claimed – falsely – that he won the 2020 presidential election. (In fact, he lost the popular vote by 7 million and the electoral vote by a margin of 306-232.)
But surprisingly, Trump made only a passing reference to the $ 1.9 trillion Covid-19 aid package that House Democrats passed early Saturday and which the Senate is about to consider.
“Democrats now say we have to spend their $ 1.9 trillion baubles to open schools, but a small part of it has to do with it,” he said. “You know where this is going – it’s going to rescue largely mismanaged Democratic cities.”
That’s it. In nearly 90 minutes of commentary, Trump devoted only two critical sentences to Biden’s first legislative priority as president.
And it says a lot about the opposition of the Republican Party state to the Covid relief bill, which remains popular in the polls: while House Republicans voted uniformly against him on Saturday, it has not been an encouraging issue for Republicans.
Be for Trump at CPAC yesterday.
Or for other CPAC speakers over the weekend.
Or even for ordinary Republican lawmakers in Washington.
It’s getting worse for Cuomo
“In the face of several allegations of sexual harassment, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday apologized for comments that ‘were misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation’ and, after pressure from other Democrats, agreed to refer the matter to the cabinet. attorney general of the state, ”By NBC News.
“’At work, at times, I think I’m being playful and I make jokes that I think are funny,’ he said, adding: ‘I don’t want to offend and just try to add a little lightness and mockery to what is a very serious business.’”
This year seems to be a miserable year for Democrats in New York, and we can imagine how Andrew Cuomo and his multiple controversies will dominate the race for New York Mayor in 2021.
Data download: the numbers you need to know today
28,706,169: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States, according to the latest data from NBC News and health officials. (This is 192,884 more than on Friday morning.)
515,544: The number of deaths caused by the virus in the United States so far, according to the latest data from NBC News. (That’s 4,784 more than Friday morning.)
47,352: The number of people currently hospitalized with coronavirus in the United States.
354.6 million: The number of coronavirus tests administered in the United States so far, according to researchers at The COVID Tracking Project.
75,236,003: Number of vaccine doses administered in the USA
24,779,920: Fully vaccinated people in the USA
59: The number of days left for Biden to reach his 100-day vaccination goal.
68 percent: The proportion of CPAC voters who said they wanted Trump to run again in 2024.
Tweet of the day
Chat policy with Benjy
Back to the minimum wage drawing board: Democrats are about to pass a $ 1.9 trillion stimulus bill with surprisingly little domestic drama, but a minimum wage increase is off the table thanks to a decision by the Senate congressman and of moderate opposition. Now, your backup plan is also over.
Democratic Senate, led by Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., initially unveiled a “Plan B” to encourage higher wages through the tax code, penalizing large corporations that paid less than $ 15 an hour and providing a $ 10,000 deduction for small businesses that raised wages.
But on Sunday, that plan failed. A source familiar with the talks said it would be too much to negotiate before March 14, when emergency unemployment benefits will expire if no bill is signed. Although the details were never finalized, outside experts also questioned whether large companies would find ways to reorganize themselves to avoid the tax.
So what next? The failure to find an alternative solution to wages has led to further calls for progressives to end the obstruction, but that is an impediment while Senators Joe Manchin, DW. Va. And Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. are still opposed, and the two also advocate a minimum wage below the $ 15 value approved by the House.
Some Republicans are floating alternatives, but they seem unlikely to produce a bipartisan agreement. A group led by Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah and Tom Cotton, R-Ark. want to pair a $ 10 minimum wage (no entry with Democrats) indexed to inflation with new requirements for companies to screen undocumented workers (part of the big bipartisan immigration bill in 2013, not with Democrats here ). Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. proposed to require large corporations to pay workers $ 15 an hour, along with an account to subsidize the wages of workers who earn less than $ 16.50 with tax credits. But his team estimates a price of $ 200 billion and it is unclear whether this has any influence within the GOP.
If Wyden and Sanders are unable to find a viable tax proposal for the next reconciliation bill, Democrats may try to link a pay raise to a larger vehicle elsewhere. That was how the 2007 minimum wage increase became law, attached to a bipartisan Iraq War spending bill. Would Republicans allow, say, a $ 12 minimum wage on a mandatory spending bill to overcome a political issue that favors Democrats?
Senate takes action on two more Biden Cabinet choices
The Senate is preparing to act on at least two of those nominated for President Biden’s office today.
According to the Senate calendar, the candidate for the Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, may have his vote of confirmation later this afternoon, and it is likely to be confirmed by the end of the day. The Senate advanced Cardona’s nomination to the Senate floor last week.
Cardona’s first priority as secretary of education is likely to be the reopening of schools across the country. Biden promised during a city council in February that most schools in the K-8 grades would return to having students learn in person, five days a week by the end of the first 100 days.
“I think we will be close to that at the end of the first 100 days. We had a significant percentage of them being able to be opened. My guess is that they will probably endeavor to open all summer, to continue as if it were a different semester and try to catch up, ”said Biden.
Also on the Senate calendar today is an indication of the appointment of the Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, with a secret ballot, so her vote of confirmation is likely to be this week.
Compressed MTP
Updating Meet the Press? We help you with compressed MTP. Dr. Anthony Fauci joined the program to discuss the newly authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine and says that restrictions on coronavirus are being reduced as cases and deaths decrease. In addition, we had exclusive interviews with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about America’s place in the world under the new leadership, and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) about Biden’s aid package to Covid and the fight for pay Minimum.
ICYMI: What else is happening in the world
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be administered almost immediately.
Here’s what you need to know from Trump’s CPAC speech.
Electoral fraud conspiracy theories had many fans in the CPAC’s confabulation.
What’s next for Wisconsin Republicans?
A delay in Census data is shuffling the primary 2022.
The Washington Post looked at Madison Cawthorn’s rise – and how the falsehoods helped boost her career.
Adam Kinzinger’s allies are launching a super PAC to help Republicans who resisted Trump.
Iran says it is not the right time for an early meeting on the nuclear deal.
The Supreme Court will hear a major voting rights case this week.