So, how can you tell if you qualify for it? The easiest way to think of it is, if you were eligible for the $1,200 stimulus payment earlier this year, you’ll qualify for a payment this time around. But here’s a quick refresher on who qualifies for what:
$600 direct payment checks for every adult earning up to $75,000;
Individuals earning $75,000 to $99,000 would get smaller checks;
The benefit cuts out entirely for individuals earning over $99,000;
$600 for each dependent child.
If you are already set up for direct deposits, Mnuchin says the payments will go straight into your bank account. He said checks will begin going out starting sometime in January. The economic relief package carries a steep price tag: $900 billion. It includes:
$68 billion to purchase and distribute COVID-19 vaccines, as well as more money for increased testing;
An additional $300 per week in federal unemployment benefits through mid-March. Self-employed people and gig workers will also receive extended assistance;
$25 billion to help families pay their rent, and it extends the eviction moratorium now in effect until Jan. 31;
$284 billion for Paycheck Protection Program loans.
The Internal Revenue Service call center is back open. So if you have questions about your economic impact payment, dial 800-919-9835. But the IRS warns that live assistance over the phone is extremely limited at this time.
Outgoing Attorney General William Barr said Monday that he saw no reason for a special counsel to take over the criminal investigation of Hunter Biden, son of President-elect Joe Biden, undercutting President Donald Trump yet again.
“To the extent that there’s an investigation, I think that it’s being handled responsibly and professionally within the department,” Barr said at a news conference, two days before his resignation from the Department of Justice takes effect.
“And to this point I have seen no reason to appoint a special counsel, and I see no reason to do so before I leave,” Barr said.
“If I thought a special counsel was the right tool, I would name one, but I haven’t.”
Barr also said that he hopes the Biden administration will handle the Hunter Biden probe “responsibly.”
Appointing a special counsel is seen as one means to prevent Joe Biden or other officials in his administration from exerting any pressure on the U.S. attorney’s office to go easy on Hunter Biden.
Special counsels are appointed by the attorney general to investigate a person or issue when federal prosecutors or Justice Department divisions have a conflict of interest if they handled the probe.
The incoming acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen last week refused to say whether he would appoint a special counsel for the Hunter Biden investigation.
A second round of stimulus checks will soon be landing in the bank accounts of millions of Americans, thanks to the $900 billion economic relief package that Congressional leaders agreed to on December 20. But there are some significant differences this round, including the amount: $600 per person, half of the $1,200 directed toward most adults in the first round of stimulus checks.
Just days ago, it was unclear whether the stimulus package would even include another round of direct checks. But last-minute negotiations cleared the path for a second stimulus check, which consumer advocates have argued is much-needed as millions of Americans continue to struggle with lost wages and jobs amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic.
Even so, the $600 checks may not be enough to tide over families who have suffered income or job losses since the pandemic shuttered the economy in March and caused unemployment to spike. Almost 6 in 10 consumers say they have suffered a financial hit due to the pandemic as of the end of November, according to a recent study from TransUnion, which also found that 40% of those households had been banking on the prospect of another stimulus check to help them pay their bills.
“While the deal is months late and will likely fall short of what is needed to prevent a rough winter, it’s better than nothing,” wrote Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, in a December 21 research note. “It will help buffer the current economic slowdown and provide increased dynamism to the economy during the initial vaccine rollout phase.”
The stimulus checks could start reaching people’s bank accounts as early as next week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on CNBC on December 21.
However, one group of people will receive more money in the second round of stimulus checks than the first: dependent children, who will receive the same $600 checks as adults, up from the $500 checks that children received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (or CARES Act) in the spring.
The $900 billion package “will provide support for the economy through March,” Raymond James analysts said in a December 20 research note. “The bill is expected to see passage early this week, pending any final legislative hurdles.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, described the bill as “just a first step.”
“This is an emergency, we need a second bill to continue dealing with the emergency and to start stimulating our economy so we get back to where we were and that will be job number one in the new Biden administration,” he said December 20.
Many questions remain about the stimulus checks, but here is what is known so far, based on a summary that was released by lawmakers and published by The Washington Post.
$600 for each adult
Single people earning up to $75,000 will receive $600, while married couples earning up to $150,000 will receive $1,200 — exactly half of the amount paid out earlier this year through the CARES Act.
It’s believed that the second round of checks will have the same type of income phaseouts as in the CARES Act, with the stimulus check payments reduced for earnings above $75,000 per single person or $150,000 per married couple, although the details on the phaseouts haven’t yet been released.
In the CARES Act, the $1,200 checks were phased out entirely for single people earning over $99,000 and for couples earning over $198,000.
$600 for each dependent child
Aside from the smaller stimulus checks for adults, the other major change is the amount provided for dependent children: $600 for each child, up from $500 in the CARES Act.
However, the summary released by lawmakers says the $600 will be directed toward each “child dependent,” which suggests that adults who are nevertheless claimed as dependents — such as college students — may not qualify for the checks.
Another question is whether adult dependents, such as seniors who are claimed as dependents on their adult children’s tax returns, would qualify for the checks.
A family of two parents with two child dependents could receive up to $2,400 under the provision, lawmakers said.
“Mixed-status” households
Couples who include an immigrant without a Green Card would also qualify for the checks, a provision that is retroactive to the CARES Act, the summary said.
This is important to many families because the first round of stimulus checks only went to American citizens or immigrants with resident alien status, also known as a Green Card. Legal immigrants without a Green Card, as well as undocumented immigrants, were excluded — and American citizens married to immigrants without a Green Card were also excluded, as well as their children.
Denying checks to U.S. citizens due to their spousal or parental relationship to an immigrant prompted lawsuits earlier this year over what plaintiffs claimed was an unconstitutional action.
But the latest stimulus package “successfully pushed for a provision, which is retroactive to the CARES Act, to expand these direct payments to mixed-status households, importantly providing immigrant families across the country with access to this financial relief,” according to the summary.
How soon could you get a stimulus check?
Checks could land in bank accounts starting early next week, Mnuchin told CNBC on Monday morning.
“The good news is this is a very, very fast way of getting money into the economy. Let me emphasize: People are going to see this money at the beginning of next week,” Mnuchin said.
That would mark a much faster rollout than the first round of checks, which began landing in bank accounts in mid-April, or a few weeks after the CARES Act was signed into law. Many people didn’t receive their checks until May, June and even later in the year.
Additional stimulus benefits:
$300 a week in extra unemployment aid
Aside from the $600 stimulus checks, the stimulus bill also includes an extra $300 a week in unemployment aid. That means that jobless workers will receive their regular state unemployment payments, plus $300 on top of that through March 14, 2021.
The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which covers gig workers and self-employed workers, will also be extended, as will the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which provides additional weeks of jobless aid to those who have run out of their regular state unemployment benefits.
PPP loans for small businesses
The Paycheck Protection Program will be extended with another $284 billion of forgivable loans. Some of the funding will be set aside for very small businesses through lenders such as Minority Depository Institutions, following criticisms that the first round of PPP loans overlooked many minority- and woman-owned businesses.
The PPP program will also expand eligibility for nonprofits and local newspapers, TV and radio broadcasters, the summary noted.
Another $20 billion in Economic Injury Disaster Loans will be set aside for businesses in low-income communities, while $15 billion will be directed toward live venues, independent movie theaters and cultural institutions, which have been forced to cut back or shutter operations due to the pandemic.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal on a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them.
The package, expected to draw votes in Congress on Monday, would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit and a $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.
It came together Sunday after months of battling and posturing, but the negotiating dynamic changed in Republicans’ favor after the election and as the end of the congressional session neared. President-elect Joe Biden was eager for a deal to deliver long-awaited help to suffering people and a boost to the economy, even though it was less than half the size that Democrats wanted this fall.
Biden praised the bipartisan spirit that produced the measure, which he called “just the beginning.”
“This is a model for the challenging work ahead for our nation,” Biden said Sunday in a statement.
House leaders informed lawmakers that they would vote on the legislation on Monday, and the Senate was likely to vote on Monday, too. Lawmakers were eager to leave Washington and close out a tumultuous year.
“There will be another major rescue package for the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in announcing the agreement for the relief bill. “It is packed with targeted policies to help struggling Americans who have already waited too long.”
Democrats acknowledged it wasn’t as robust a relief package as they initially sought — or, they say, the country needs. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi vowed more to come once President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
“It is a first step,” she said. “We have to do more.”
A fight over Federal Reserve emergency powers was resolved Saturday night by the Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, and conservative Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. That breakthrough led to a final round of negotiations Sunday.
Still, delays in finalizing the agreement prompted the House to pass a one-day stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown at midnight Sunday. The Senate was likely to pass the measure Sunday night as well.
The final agreement would be the largest spending measure yet. It combined $900 billion for COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion government-wide funding plan and lots of other unrelated measures on taxes, health, infrastructure and education. The government-wide funding would keep the government open through September.
Passage neared as coronavirus cases and deaths spiked and evidence piled up that the economy was struggling. The legislation had been held up by months of dysfunction, posturing and bad faith. But talks turned serious in recent days as lawmakers on both sides finally faced the deadline of acting before leaving Washington for Christmas.
“This bill is a good bill. Tonight is a good night. But it is not the end of the story, it is not the end of the job,” Schumer told reporters. “Anyone who thinks this bill is enough does not know what’s going on in America.”
The $300 per week bonus jobless benefit was one half the supplemental federal unemployment benefit provided under the $1.8 billion CARES Act in March and would be limited to 11 weeks instead of 16 weeks. The direct $600 stimulus payment to most people would also be half the March payment, subject to the same income limits in which an individual’s payment began to phase out after $75,000.
The CARES Act was credited with keeping the economy from falling off a cliff amid widespread lockdowns this spring, but Republicans controlling the Senate cited debt concerns in pushing against Democratic demands. Republican politicians, starting with President Donald Trump, focused more on reopening the economy and less on taxpayer-financed steps like supplemental jobless benefits.
Progress came after a bipartisan group of pragmatists and moderates devised a $908 billion plan that built a middle ground position that the top four leaders of Congress — the GOP and Democratic leaders of both the House and Senate — used as the basis for their talks. The lawmakers urged leaders on both sides to back off of hard-line positions.
“We put our heads down and worked around the clock for nearly a month to produce a bipartisan, bicameral bill to address the emergency needs of our country,” the bipartisan group of about a dozen lawmakers said in a statement. “Our consensus bill was the foundation of this final package.”
Republicans were most intent on reviving the Paycheck Protection Program with $284 billion, which would cover a second round of PPP grants to especially hard-hit businesses. Democrats won set-asides for low-income and minority communities.
Late-breaking decisions would limit $300 per week bonus jobless benefits — one half the supplemental federal unemployment benefit provided under the CARES Act in March — to 11 weeks instead of 16 weeks as before. The direct $600 stimulus payment to most people would be half the March payment, subject to the same income limits in which an individual’s payment begins to phase out after $75,000.
After the announcement, Schumer and Pelosi, D-Calif., announced additional details, including $25 billion in rental assistance, $15 billion for theaters and other live venues, $82 billion for local schools, colleges and universities, and $10 billion for child care.
The governmentwide appropriations bill would fund agencies through next September. That measure was likely to provide a last $1.4 billion installment for Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall as a condition of winning his signature.
The bill was an engine to carry much of Capitol Hill’s unfinished business, including an almost 400-page water resources bill that targets $10 billion for 46 Army Corps of Engineers flood control, environmental and coastal protection projects. Another addition would extend a batch of soon-to-expire tax breaks, including one for craft brewers, wineries and distillers.
It also would carry numerous clean energy provisions, $7 billion to increase access to broadband, $4 billion to help other nations vaccinate their people, $14 billion for cash-starved transit systems, Amtrak and airports.
Democrats failed in a monthslong battle to deliver direct fiscal relief to states and local governments, but they successfully pressed for $22 billion would help states and local governments with COVID-19-related health expenses like testing and vaccines.
The end-of-session rush also promised relief for victims of shockingly steep surprise medical bills, a phenomenon that often occurs when providers drop out of insurance company networks.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 dropped 2.9% by mid-afternoon, with banks falling 4.4% to lead losses. All sectors and major bourses slid into negative territory.
Traders are nervously watching the new Covid mutation in the U.K., which has resulted in a tough lockdown in London and other parts of southeast England and a U-turn on the mixing of households over the Christmas break.
The variant is thought to be up to 70% more transmissible than the original strain of the disease. The World Health Organization said it has so far been identified in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia.
President-elect Joe Biden, seen here during an event Saturday, will begin his course of COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday.
Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images
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Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images
President-elect Joe Biden, seen here during an event Saturday, will begin his course of COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday.
Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images
President-elect Joe Biden and incoming first lady Jill Biden will both publicly receive their first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in Delaware on Monday, as the death toll from the disease nears 320,000 in the United States.
The president-elect has set a goal of distributing 100 million vaccine shots in the first 100 days of his administration.
Biden and his wife will join a growing list of political leaders who are sharing videos or photos of themselves getting vaccinated in an effort to boost public trust in the efficacy and safety of the vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use. The federal government has allotted vaccine doses to officials according to continuity of government protocols.
Vice President Pence, second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams were administered their initial vaccination shots during an on-camera event on Friday.
“Vaccines are how we beat this virus,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, tweeted on Friday, after receiving his first shot.
Just received the safe, effective COVID vaccine following continuity-of-government protocols. Vaccines are how we beat this virus.
Now back to continue fighting for a rescue package including a lot more money for distribution so more Americans can receive it as fast as possible. pic.twitter.com/kSBhI3EzzM
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also shared photos of her vaccination, reminding the public to continue to follow social distancing guidelines and to wear masks as the vaccine is being distributed over the next several months.
Biden is 78, an age that puts him at higher risk of severe symptoms, should he catch the disease.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel on Sunday recommended that people over 75 be among the group prioritized next for a vaccine, following health care workers and residents and workers at long-term care facilities.
Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, who will lead Biden’s Office of Public Engagement, tested positive for the coronavirus last week. He did not have close contact with the president-elect prior to the positive test, an aide said.
According to a December NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey, 61% of Americans say they will take a vaccine when they are able to, up from 49% in September.
Among those most reluctant to get the vaccine are supporters of President Trump, people who live in rural areas and people without college degrees.
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The White House has not said when Trump or first lady Melania Trump, both of whom were infected with the virus earlier this year, would receive the vaccine.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is expected to begin her course of vaccination next week.
The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has erupted.
The eruption began late on Sunday in the Halema’uma’u crater, according to the US Geological Survey. Kilauea is in the Hawaii Volcanoes national park.
A magnitude-4.4 earthquake hit about an hour after the volcano began to erupt. The USGS said it had received more than 500 reports of people who felt the earthquake but significant damage to buildings or structures was not expected.
The national weather service in Honolulu issued an advisory about falling ash. Excessive exposure to volcanic ash was an eye and respiratory irritant, it said.
Kilauea last erupted in 2018, destroying more than 700 homes and spewing enough lava to fill 320,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The lava flowed over four months, leaving deposits up to 80ft (24 metres) thick in some areas.
Moscow (CNN)A Russian agent sent to tail opposition leader Alexey Navalny has revealed how he was poisoned in August — with the lethal nerve agent Novichok planted in his underpants.
Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.
LOS ANGELES– Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Democrat, will begin a 10-day quarantine period after a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus, a spokesperson from his office told Fox News early Monday.
California has been hit hard by the virus in recent weeks. As of Saturday, there were 17,400 people hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections. The Associated Press reported that a state model showed that that number could hit 75,000 by mid-January.
There were also 3,600 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in intensive care units throughout the state. There were 272 fatalities reported on Saturday bringing the total from last week to about 1,600.
The spokesperson from Newsom’s office said no other members of the staff were diagnosed with the virus and the health of his staff is a top priority.
Congress Sunday night could have passed a bill to send nearly $1 trillion of COVID-19 relief to American families and small businesses. However, a late vote by the U.S. Senate provided stop-gap funding, allowing the stimulus vote to take place Monday, just beyond Sunday’s midnight deadline.
Republicans on Sunday indicated a deal had been struck on the floor, but John Cornyn—the No. 2 Republican senator—said he doubted the bill would pass before midnight. This was before Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said a deal had been struck.
Then, as the hours and minutes ticked toward midnight, Congress passed a last-ditch effort to keep the economy afloat, according to NBC News producer Frank Thorp V.
“Senate PASSES one-day stop-gap govt funding bill by voice vote. The bill, which passed in the House earlier this evening, now goes to the President’s desk for his signature,” Thorp tweeted. “One day more for Congress to pass the COVID relief deal that was just struck.”
Senate PASSES one-day stop-gap govt funding bill by voice vote. The bill, which passed in the House earlier this evening, now goes to the President’s desk for his signature.
One day more for Congress to pass the COVID relief deal that was just struck.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Sunday said a deal might not pass as she wants House members to have time to review the verbiage—and dollar amounts.
“I think we’re close, we’re very close,” Pelosi said. “But we want to have members have enough time to review it all.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) heads back to his office after a press conference with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Capitol Hill on December 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate finally came to an agreement on the coronavirus relief bill and a vote is expected on Monday. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
McConnell earlier on Sunday said both Democrats and Republicans have worked around the clock to reach a deal for COVID-19 relief.
“I think both sides agree: Our around-the-clock negotiations on COVID relief are hours away from completion. Our citizens need this waiting to end. Thousands of Americans are being robbed of their lives every day. Working families are hurting. Let’s finally get this done today,” McConnell stated.
What’s at stake for Americans? How about much-needed relief as the pandemic steams along through its 11th month. Here’s what’s included in the package:
$600 direct payments to individuals
$300 per week in extra unemployment benefits
$25 billion in rental assistance
Small Business aid
Money for schools
McConnell (R-KY) also said the deal was close, but added that his chamber should not expect praise for merely doing its job.
“When we get this done, Congress will not deserve any special praise,” McConnell said Sunday. “When we finalize this measure and pass it, Congress will only have done our job. We will have finally done our duty in getting more relief to those who need it most.”
Congress worked furiously on Sunday to pass a stimulus bill for Americans, but Republican senators have sent mixed signals on whether or not it would get done with just four days until Christmas.
Republican John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, on Sunday tweeted that “Texans are suffering,” and “this is not time for politics or delay for delay’s sake and we can’t add the stress of another government shutdown to a raging pandemic.”
However, in a Reuters story—also on Sunday—Cornyn was quoted, “I think it’s doubtful, would be my guess,” of a deal struck by midnight.
Congressional leaders have hashed out a massive, year-end catchall bill that combines $900 billion in COVID-19 aid with a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill and reams of other unfinished legislation on taxes, energy, education and health care. The huge, still-unreleased bill is slated for votes on Monday — with lawmakers having only a few hours to read it before casting their votes.
Highlights of the measure with overall funding amounts and specific amounts for some but not necessarily all initiatives; some amounts are not yet available and some aspects of the catchall bill do not involve spending.
DIRECT ECONOMIC RELIEF ($286 billion)
Unemployment insurance ($120 billion). Revives supplemental federal pandemic unemployment benefits but at $300 per week — through March 14 — instead of the $600 per week benefit that expired in July. Extends special pandemic benefits for “gig” workers and extends the maximum period for state-paid jobless benefits to 50 weeks.
Direct payments ($166 billion). Provides $600 direct payments to individuals making up to $75,000 per year and couples making $150,000 per year — with payments phased out for higher incomes —- with $600 additional payments per dependent child.
___
SMALL BUSINESS ($325 billion)
Paycheck Protection Program ($284 billion). Revives the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable loans to qualified businesses. Especially hard-hit businesses that received PPP grants would be eligible for a second round. Ensures that PPP subsidies are not taxed.
___
VACCINE, TESTING, HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS ($69 billion)
Delivers more than $30 billion for procurement of vaccines and treatments, distribution funds for states, and a strategic stockpile. Adds $22 billion for testing, tracing and mitigation, $9 billion for health care providers, and $4.5 billion for mental health.
___
SCHOOLS ($82 billion)
Delivers $54 billion to public K-12 schools affected by the pandemic and $23 billion for colleges and universities; $4 billion would be awarded to a Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund; nearly $1 billion for Native American schools.
___
RENTAL ASSISTANCE ($25 billion)
Provides money for a first-ever federal rental assistance program; funds to be distributed by state and local governments to help people who have fallen behind on their rent and may be facing eviction.
___
FOOD/FARM AID ($26 billion)
Increases food stamp benefits by 15% and provides funding to food banks, Meals on Wheels and other food aid. Provides an equal amount ($13 billion) in aid to farmers and ranchers.
___
CHILD CARE ($10 billion)
Provides $10 billion to the Child Care Development Block Grant to help families with child care costs and help providers cover increased operating costs.
___
POSTAL SERVICE ($10 billion)
Forgives a $10 billion loan to the Postal Service provided in earlier relief legislation.
___
SURPRISE MEDICAL BILLS
Contains bipartisan legislation to protect consumers from huge surprise medical bills after receiving treatment from out-of-network providers.
___
TAX ‘EXTENDERS’
Extends a variety of expiring tax breaks, including lower excise taxes of crafter brewers and distillers. Renewable energy sources would see tax breaks extended, as would motorsport facilities, and people making charitable contributions. Business meals would be 100% deductible through 2022.
___
WATER PROJECTS
Includes an almost 400-page water resources bill that targets $10 billion for 46 Army Corps of Engineers flood control, environmental and coastal protection projects.
A rocket attack hit the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, causing minor damage to the facility.
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A rocket attack hit the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, causing minor damage to the facility.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters/Landov
Rocket attacks by “Iran-backed militias” into an area housing the U.S. embassy in Iraq killed at least one local civilian and damaged the embassy compound, according to U.S. diplomatic sources.
Eight small rockets launched by Iranian forces specifically targeted the International Zone in Baghdad, also called the “Green Zone,” according to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. He strongly condemned the attack in a statement released Sunday.
No embassy personnel were injured, but the rocket did damage some residential property surrounding the Green Zone, according to Pompeo.
It also caused minor damage to the U.S. Embassy itself. The facility’s missile defense system was activated to deflect the attack, the embassy said.
News of the attack comes ahead of the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike on Jan. 3 in Baghdad. Media reports indicate the U.S. withdrew staff from the Baghdad embassy earlier this month out of concern for a potential retaliatory strike ahead of that anniversary.
Pompeo called Iranian-backed militias “the most serious impediment to helping Iraq return to peace and prosperity.”
The U.S. Embassy confirms rockets targeting the International Zone resulted in the engagement of Embassy defensive systems. There was some minor damage on the Embassy compound but no injuries or casualties. 1/
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said in a statement confirming the incident that attacks on diplomatic facilities “are a violation of international law.” It is also an assault on the “sovereignty of the Iraqi government,” the embassy said.
It went on to say, “We call on all Iraqi political and governmental leaders to take steps to prevent such attacks and hold accountable those responsible.”
Toomey initially demanded that a stimulus package prohibit the expiring lending programs, or anything “similar” to them, from being re-created in the future. Toomey said he was wary that the programs could transform the Fed into a lender of “first resort” instead of “last resort,” depending on how they are used. Speaking on the Senate floor on Saturday, Toomey said Democrats could, for example, use the programs to bail out local governments or significantly broaden the scope of the Main Street lending program, which provides loans to midsize businesses.
Published: 04:19 EST, 21 December 2020 | Updated: 05:22 EST, 21 December 2020
A volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has erupted and is set to spew ash on to its 186,000 islanders.
The US Geological Survey said the Kilauea volcano erupted late on Sunday within the Halema’uma’u crater.
The active volcano is located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
A volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has erupted and is set to spew ash on to its 186,000 islanders
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has also been reported in the area shortly after the eruption began
An advisory was issued by the National Weather Service in Honolulu, warning of fallen ash from the volcano.
Excessive exposure to ash is an eye and respiratory irritant, it said.
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has also been reported in the area shortly after the eruption began.
The Geological Survey said it received more than 500 reports of people who felt tremors but buildings and structures are not expected to suffer serious damage.
The volcano is located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and is the most active in the island
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Lawmakers struck a nearly $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus deal Sunday that includes another round of stimulus checks and badly needed jobless benefits for struggling Americans, ending a long standoff in Washington with one of the biggest rescue bills in U.S. history.
After months of impasse, negotiations came down to the wire as 12 million people are set to lose unemployment benefits the day after Christmas. The deal includes restarting a $300 boost to the federal unemployment insurance benefit, extending eviction moratoriums for renters for an unspecified amount of time and a $600 direct payment to most Americans.
Even though lawmakers reached a deal, some jobless Americans could see their unemployment benefits lapse since it may take weeks for aid to reach them due to outdated state systems, experts say.
The measure will be tied to a $1.4 trillion must-pass spending bill that will fund federal agencies and programs through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.
Congress passed a one-day extension of government funding late Sunday to give lawmakers one more day to review the deal to avert a partial government shutdown deadline.
For the bill to become law, both the House and Senate must pass the legislation, and President Donald Trump will need to sign it. Both chambers are expected to debate and vote on the package Monday.
Here’s what is in the stimulus package:
Will I get another stimulus check?
The measure contains an up to $600 direct payment to most Americans, and $600 per child, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. That is less than the $1,200 checks approved in the spring.
The size of the benefit would be reduced for those earning more than $75,000 in 2019, similar to the last round of stimulus checks, according to The Washington Post.
The bill would extend all pandemic unemployment programs set to expire at the end of December. It’s unclear for how long.
Those benefits would likely be extended for 11 weeks of unemployment, according to The Washington Post. They aren’t retroactive.
The deal came down to the wire as two unemployment programs are set to end on Dec. 26: the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which provides aid to self-employed, temporary workers and gig workers; and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which provides an additional 13 weeks of benefits beyond the typical 26 weeks that states provide to jobless workers.
Are there enhanced unemployment benefits?
The measure would provide a federal unemployment benefit of $300 a week for roughly 10 weeks, less than the $600 provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act passed in March.
The bill also would give an additional federal benefit of $100 weekly to those who earned at least $5,000 a year in self-employment income, but are disqualified from receiving a more generous Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefit because they are eligible for state jobless aid, according to The New York Times.
Is paid sick leave included?
The agreement provides a tax credit to support employers offering paid sick leave, based on the framework of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, enacted in March, according to Pelosi and Schumer’s statement.
Families First required many employers to provide workers with two weeks of sick leave related to COVID-19 at full pay, and up to 12 weeks of family and medical leave to care for family members at two-thirds pay.
As many as 87 million workers could lose access to emergency paid leave at the end of the month. If those benefits aren’t extended, it would limit workers’ ability to stay home to quarantine after COVID-19 exposure, or care for a child whose school or daycare is closed.
It’s unclear whether the new measure would still require companies to offer paid sick leave to workers who have COVID-19, or those caring for children following school closures.
Are eviction moratoriums extended?
Yes. It would offer $25 billion in emergency rental assistance and provide an extension of eviction moratoriums. It’s unclear for how long based on Pelosi and Schumer’s statement.
The latest legislation extended the moratorium through Jan. 31, The New York Times said.
The loss in jobless aid and other stimulus relief would have put 30 to 40 million people at risk of eviction as moratoriums were set to expire in January, according to the Aspen Institute, a think tank.
What else is in the package?
The package includes an extension of the small business Paycheck Protection Program, which expanded eligibility to local newspapers, broadcasters and nonprofits. It will direct another $20 billion to small business grants and $15 billion to live event venues.
The measure increased funding for vaccine distribution and coronavirus testing.
It also provided $13 billion in increased benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
The next coronavirus relief bill will include $600 stimulus payments to eligible U.S. adults, Wyoming Republican Senator John Barrasso said Sunday.
The Senate Republican Conference chair provided updates about lawmakers’ stimulus negotiations during an interview with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, as partisan discussions near an expected conclusion after months in limbo.
“This gets done today. No more delays. We’re not leaving until we have relief for the American people,” Barrasso told Wallace of the legislation, which aims to provide economic support to state and local governments, small businesses and individuals. It will allocate roughly $900 billion in federal funds to various initiatives that endeavor to do this more directly, including unemployment benefits plans and the Paycheck Protection Program.
“People are hurting, people need help, and there are two things we need to do to write this final chapter on coronavirus,” Barrasso continued. “And the one is to get people vaccinated…but we need to provide help for the American people who have been struggling until we get enough people vaccinated that we can fully get the economy back on track.”
Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer additionally confirmed lawmakers’ intentions to vote on a COVID-19 relief proposal before the end of Sunday evening. In a statement detailing the afternoon’s meeting schedule for members of the House, his office noted that “votes are expected in the House today related to government funding and further Coronavirus relief legislation.”
Republican Congressman John Barrasso confirmed the next COVID-19 relief bill will include $600 direct payments to eligible U.S. adults. The Wyoming senator speaks during a news conference following the weekly meeting with the Senate Republican caucus at the U.S. Capitol on December 15 in Washington, D.C. Rod Lamkey/Pool/Getty Images
Congressional leaders have struggled to reach agreements on several of the bill’s key terms, causing a standstill that persisted through the latter half of the year. Public inquiries about the legislation continued to circulate on whether it would include another round of direct payments.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a bipartisan bill passed shortly after the COVID-19 outbreak began in March, offered an initial round of stimulus checks to U.S. adults who qualified. Those payments totaled as much as $1,200 per individual, with additional sums allocated to caretakers with dependents of a certain age.
Many have argued that $600 stimulus payments are not substantial enough to provide Americans with necessary support, especially given the ongoing unemployment rate and severe financial consequences to local businesses. Last week, more than 750,000 Twitter users responded a survey posted by Democratic New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressing frustration over the insufficient funding amount.
Newsweek reached out to Barrasso’s office for further comment but did not receive a reply in time for publication.
WASHINGTON — Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal Sunday on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them.
The agreement, announced by congressional leaders, would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit and a $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.
It came after months of battling and posturing, but the negotiating dynamic changed in Republicans’ favor after the election and as the end of the congressional session neared. President-elect Joe Biden was eager for a deal to deliver long-awaited help to suffering people and a boost to the economy, even though it was less than half the size that Democrats wanted this fall.
House leaders informed lawmakers that they would vote on the legislation on Monday, and the Senate was likely to vote on Monday, too. Lawmakers were eager to leave Washington and close out a tumultuous year.
“There will be another major rescue package for the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in announcing the agreement for a relief bill that would total almost $900 billion. “It is packed with targeted policies to help struggling Americans who have already waited too long.”
A fight over Federal Reserve emergency powers was resolved Saturday night by the Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, and conservative Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. That breakthrough led to a final round of negotiations Sunday.
Still, delays in finalizing the agreement prompted the House to pass a one-day stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown at midnight Sunday. The Senate was likely to pass the measure Sunday night as well.
The final agreement would be the largest spending measure yet. It combined COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion government-wide funding plan and lots of other unrelated measures on taxes, health, infrastructure and education. The government-wide funding would keep the government open through September.
Passage neared as coronavirus cases and deaths spiked and evidence piled up that the economy was struggling. The legislation had been held up by months of dysfunction, posturing and bad faith. But talks turned serious in recent days as lawmakers on both sides finally faced the deadline of acting before leaving Washington for Christmas.
“This bill is a good bill. Tonight is a good night. But it is not the end of the story, it is not the end of the job,” Schumer told reporters. “Anyone who thinks this bill is enough does not know what’s going on in America.”
The $300 per week bonus jobless benefit was one half the supplemental federal unemployment benefit provided under the $1.8 billion CARES Act in March and would be limited to 11 weeks instead of 16 weeks. The direct $600 stimulus payment to most people would also be half the March payment, subject to the same income limits in which an individual’s payment began to phase out after $75,000.
The CARES Act was credited with keeping the economy from falling off a cliff amid widespread lockdowns this spring, but Republicans controlling the Senate cited debt concerns in pushing against Democratic demands. Republican politicians, starting with President Donald Trump, focused more on reopening the economy and less on taxpayer-financed steps like supplemental jobless benefits.
Lawmakers had hoped to pass the bill this weekend and avoid the need for a stopgap spending bill, but progress slowed Saturday as Toomey pressed for the inclusion of a provision to close down the Fed’s lending facilities. Democrats and the White House said it was too broadly worded and would have tied the hands of the incoming Biden administration, but Republicans rallied to Toomey’s position.
Late-breaking decisions would limit $300 per week bonus jobless benefits — one half the supplemental federal unemployment benefit provided under the CARES Act in March — to 10 weeks instead of 16 weeks as before. The direct $600 stimulus payment to most people would be half the March payment, subject to the same income limits in which an individual’s payment begins to phase out after $75,000.
After the announcement, Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced additional details, including $25 billion in rental assistance, $15 billion for theaters and other live venues, $82 billion for local schools, colleges and universities, and $10 billion for child care.
Still, Democrats wanted more. Pelosi, in a letter to colleagues, called the package an initial step. “In 31 days, when Joe Biden enters the White House, more help will be on the way,” Pelosi said.
The governmentwide appropriations bill would fund agencies through next September. That measure was likely to provide a last $1.4 billion installment for Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall as a condition of winning his signature.
The bill was an engine to carry much of Capitol Hill’s unfinished business, including an almost 400-page water resources bill that targets $10 billion for 46 Army Corps of Engineers flood control, environmental and coastal protection projects. Another addition would extend a batch of soon-to-expire tax breaks, including one for craft brewers, wineries and distillers.
It also would carry numerous clean energy provisions, $7 billion to increase access to broadband, $4 billion to help other nations vaccinate their people, and $27 billion for highways, cash-starved transit systems, Amtrak and airports.
Democrats failed in a monthslong battle to deliver direct fiscal relief to states and local governments, but they successfully pressed for $22 billion would help states and local governments with COVID-19-related health expenses.
The end-of-session rush also promised relief for victims of shockingly steep surprise medical bills, a phenomenon that often occurs when providers drop out of insurance company networks.
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