The White House and its GOP allies appear to be retreating from their opposition to a USD 600-per-week supplemental unemployment benefit that has propped up the economy and family budgets but expired Friday.
President Donald Trump is eager to extend the benefit, undercutting his GOP allies on Capitol Hill who have spent considerable effort devising an alternative that could unite Republicans.
The unemployment insurance is a principal element as talks continue on a COVID-19 relief bill, which is expected to grow considerably from a 1 trillion-plus GOP draft released this week.
Top Democrats announced a meeting with administration representatives for Saturday morning after Thursday night talks at the Capitol failed to produce a breakthrough.
The two sides took their case to the media Friday morning, with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows speaking to reporters on short notice at the exact moment House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared at her weekly news conference.
Meadows accused Democrats of refusing to negotiate, saying Trump has instructed him to be aggressive and forward-leaning in trying to extend the supplemental jobless benefit.
Democrats have made zero offers over the last three days, said Meadows, an inexperienced negotiator and former tea party lawmaker. He said Democrats are willing to play politics” and are acting like they hold all the cards.
The White House on Thursday offered a one-week extension of the 600 weekly unemployment benefit, top Democrats said, but Pelosi rejected it, saying it needs to be addressed as part of a far more sweeping bill that would deliver aid to state and local governments, help for the poor and funding for schools and colleges to address the pandemic.
Without action, the unemployment benefit ran out Friday and both the House and Senate have left Washington.
“Clearly they did not understand the gravity of the situation, Pelosi said. She said a short-term extension only makes sense if the two sides are close to a deal.
Why don’t we just get the job done? she asked.
An aide familiar with the talks said Pelosi rejected an administration offer of a four-month extension of the benefit at 400 per week, combined with additional provisions for particularly hard-hit businesses and a shield against lawsuits for businesses, schools and other entities that reopen as the pandemic continues to rage.
The aide wasn’t supposed to divulge contents of the talks and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Pelosi, brimming with confidence, offered a tutorial on negotiating Friday.
There are two things to remember. One is the person you’re negotiating with has to want something for the American people, Pelosi said. And they have to know you will walk if you don’t get a good enough agreement.
Republicans in the Senate had been fighting to trim back the 600 jobless benefit in the next coronavirus package, but their resolve weakened as the expiration of the popular benefit neared and as Trump undercut their position by signaling he wants to keep the full 600 benefit for now.
We want a temporary extension of enhanced unemployment benefits,” Trump said at the White House on Thursday. This will provide a critical bridge for Americans who lost their jobs to the pandemic through no fault of their own.
On Friday, Trump took to Twitter to explicitly endorse extending the 600 payment and to criticize top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer.
Very disappointed in @SenSchumer for blocking the temporary extension of the 600 unemployment benefits. The Do Nothing Democrats are more interested in playing politics than in helping our deserving people, Trump tweeted.
There continues to be agreement among Washington’s top power players that Congress must pass further relief in the coming days and weeks.
Do we want to continue to come to an agreement? Absolutely,” Schumer said.
But it’s got to meet the gravity of the problem. Democrats hold a strong negotiating hand exploiting GOP divisions over whether more aid is even needed and they are expected to deliver a necessary trove of votes.
Both sides say the talks have not produced much progress, but they could be nearing a critical phase over the weekend and into next week. The pending COVID-19 rescue bill, the fifth since the pandemic has struck, is likely the last one before the November election.
Republicans controlling the Senate have kept the relief measure on pause in a strategy aimed at reducing its price tag. But as the pandemic has worsened in past weeks and as fractures inside the GOP have eroded the party’s negotiating position Republicans have displayed some greater flexibility.
The Democrats are playing for Nov. 3, and we’re playing for the good of the people. It is a disgrace that they are not negotiating, Trump said Friday.
I think it’s a bad political game. I think it hurts them. Also at issue in the negotiations is an almost 1 trillion Democratic demand for funding for state and local governments, a second 1,200 direct payment to most American adults, more than 100 billion to help schools reopen and a liability shield measure that is essential to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that he deplored attempts to question the efficiency of the Mumbai Police in handling the probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
He said the state police were capable of probing the case, an assertion which comes in the backdrop of growing clamour for a CBI probe in the actor’s death here in June.
Speaking on Friday, Thackeray lashed out at Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, saying the BJP politician had doubted the credibility of the Mumbai police in handling the case despite being a chief minister for five years.
“The opposition can even bring Interpol or followers of the Namaste Trump event into the inquiry. Devendra Fadnavis should understand that it is the same police whom he has worked with in the last five years,” Thackeray said at an event organised by a Marathi news channel.
Earlier in the day, Fadnavis said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) should register an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in connection with the money laundering angle in death case of Rajput.
There is a “huge public sentiment” about handing over the case to the CBI, but the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state has been reluctant to do so, the former BJP chief minister said.
Thackeray said the Mumbai police have been “corona warriors” and many personnel in the force have died due to the infection.
To question their efficiency is an insult to them and “I condemn this,” he added.
Thackeray said if anyone has any proof related to the case, he/she can bring it to the Mumbai police.
“We will interrogate and punish the guilty. However, please don’t use this case as a Maharashtra versus Bihar issue. This is the most deplorable thing to do,” he said.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had recently said that the Mumbai Police are capable of handling the matter and that there was no need for a CBI probe into the case.
The Mumbai police have recorded the statements of Bollywood personalities, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali, film critic Rajeev Masand, actress Sanjana Sanghi, the actor’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, casting director Shanoo Sharma, filmmaker Mukesh Chhabra, and Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films.
The police have so far recorded statements of around 40 people, including those of Rajput’s family and his cook.
Rajput, 34, was found hanging at his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14.
A Bihar police team is probing a separate ‘abetment to suicide’ case on the basis of a complaint filed by the late actor’s father in Patna.
Speaking at the event, the CM said he wasn’t bothered about the stability of his government as long as he enjoys support of the people of the state and Shiv Sainiks.
“The BJP says our government is against the mandate.
Then is destabilising democratically-elected governments a mandate?” he asked.
Thackeray, who is also the Shiv Sena president, said his party and the BJP have “divorced” now so the national party need not bother about what his outfit does.
“We were in a relationship with the BJP for 30 years, but they did not trust us. But those with whom we had political differences for 30 years trusted us,” Thackeray said, referring to the NCP and the Congress, who are part of the Shiv Sena-led government.
Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner and her husband, musician Joe Jonas, have become parents to their first child together.
According to TMZ, Turner gave birth to the baby girl last Wednesday at a hospital in Los Angeles.
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are delighted to announce the birth of their baby, a representative of the couple said in a statement.
They have named their daughter Willa.
Jonas, 30, and Turner, 24 got married in Las Vegas in May 2019, having a second bigger ceremony in France later in the year. News of Turner’s pregnancy broke in February.
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said his country’s hard-won nuclear weapons were a solid security guarantee and a reliable, effective deterrent that could prevent a second Korean War, state media reported Tuesday.
Kim’s comments before war veterans marking the 67th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War again show he has no intention of abandoning his weapons as prospects dim for resuming diplomacy with the United States.
North Korea has previously ratcheted up fiery rhetoric or conducted weapons tests to wrest outside concessions. But some experts say Pyongyang will likely avoid serious talks with Washington before the US presidential elections in November as there is a chance for a US leadership change.
Kim said in his speech Monday his country has tried to become a nuclear state with an absolute might to prevent another war and that it has now built such a deterrent, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Now, we’ve changed to a country which can defend itself reliably and unwaveringly against high-intensity pressures and military threats and blackmailing by imperialistic reactionaries and hostile forces, Kim said.
There won’t any war on this land again and our national security and future will be guaranteed firmly and permanently because of our reliable, effective self-defensive nuclear deterrent, Kim said.
Kim’s speech followed recent remarks by both North Korean and U.S. officials suggesting they were reluctant to engage in a new round of diplomacy on the North’s nuclear program anytime soon.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said President Donald Trump would only want to engage with Kim if there were real prospects of progress. Kim’s sister and senior ruling party official, Kim Yo Jong, said a new summit would be unpractical for North Korea and that Pyongyang won’t gift Trump a high-level meeting that he can boast as a foreign policy achievement.
Kim Jong Un and Trump met three times since Kim in 2018 abruptly reached out to Washington and Seoul for talks after expressing his intent to deal away his advancing nuclear arsenals.
Many experts were skeptical of Kim’s disarmament commitment and said he only aimed to weaken US-led sanctions and perfect his nuclear program.
The nuclear diplomacy remains largely stalled since a second Kim-Trump meeting in February 2019 in Vietnam collapsed without reaching any agreement because Trump Kim rejected Kim’s proposal to get extensive sanctions relief in return for a limited denuclearization step.
Kim entered this year with a vow to bolster his nuclear program and threatened to unveil a new strategic weapon.
He also said he would no longer be bound by a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests. Kim hasn’t performed such high-profile weapons tests, which some analysts say could completely derail diplomacy with the United States. PTI
The Uttar Pradesh government told the Supreme Court Tuesday it would file a status report detailing the steps taken by the authorities on encounter killings of gangster Vikas Dubey and his associates.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said it may consider appointing a committee headed by a former judge to probe the encounters of Dubey and his aides as also the killing of eight Uttar Pradesh policemen by the gangster.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Uttar Pradesh, told the bench that he would file the status report by July 16.
The apex court said it would hear on July 20 the pleas seeking court-monitored probe into the encounters of Dubey and his associates.
Eight policemen, including DSP Devendra Mishra, were ambushed in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur when they were going to arrest Dubey and fell to bullets fired from rooftops shortly after midnight on July 3.
Dubey was killed in an encounter on the morning of July 10 when a police vehicle carrying him from Ujjain to Kanpur met with an accident and he tried to escape from the spot in Bhauti area, the police had said.
Vuln!! Path it now!!
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sought a detailed analytical report from the Delhi government’s health secretary on factors responsible for COVID-19 deaths in the city in the last fortnight, officials said.
Delhi reported 736 deaths in the last two weeks, with 397 people succumbing to the disease in the first week of July.
Officials said the objective of seeking the report is to take all possible measures to reduce coronavirus deaths in the national capital.
A total of 3,165 COVID-19 deaths have occurred in Delhi so far.PTI
OBC leaders and ministers of Mahavikas Aghadi should not show love of aunty for OBC community, show love of mother OBC leader, – Anil Mahajan slammed OBC ministers in power.
Mahajoti Sanstha Mahavikas Aghadi, established by the previous Devendra Fadnavis government for the OBC community, should be started immediately.
State President of OBC Jankranti Parishad and Maharashtra Mali Samaj Mahasangh, OBC leaders and Anilbhau Mahajan have written letters to the Chief Minister and the Minister to convey the sentiments of the OBC community to the government. He has written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. In this letter, he has given this copy to the Chief Minister and Backward Classes Minister Vijay Vadettiwar and Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. The letter requested the government to set up an organization called Mahajoti with the following five demands.
(01) An IAS officer should be appointed as MD at Mahajoti
(02) The office of Mahajoti Sanstha should be located in the center of Pune.
(03) Give a fund of 1000 crores to this Mahajoti Sanstha.
(04) The departmental work of this organization should be started all over the state.
(05) All the original OBC officers should be appointed in this Mahajoti Sanstha.
Devendra Fadnavis The BJP government has set up an organization called Mahajoti for the development of the OBC community. Such is the legal ruling. Its head office was at Pune. It is understood that the Mahavikas Alliance government has shifted it to Nagpur in Vidarbha. The leader of each community sees how his community will progress. So which Ganpati did the OBC leader of the ruling party go to drown? Such a question has arisen. Such a toll was imposed by Mahajan.
Three security force personnel were injured in an encounter with militants in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, police said.
A police official said that a militant was believed to have been killed during the encounter as he was shot at when he tried to jump from a house. However, the body of the militant is yet to be retrieved.
On a tip off about presence of militants in Goosu village of Pulwama, security forces launched a cordon and search operation, the official said.
He said the search operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire towards security forces positions.
Three security force personnel sustained injuries in the initial firefight. They have been evacuated to a hospital here, the official said.
The operation was going on till last reports came in.PTI
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss this weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The 44-year-old Johnson is the first driver in any NASCAR series to test positive and the news Friday evening cast a shadow over the historic NASCAR-IndyCar doubleheader races coming up Saturday and Sunday. There was no indication any races would be affected.
Hendrick Motorsports said Johnson will not return until he is cleared by a physician. He was tested earlier Friday after his wife, Chani, tested positive after experiencing allergy-like symptoms.
Johnson is asymptomatic.
“My first priority is the health and safety of my loved ones and my teammates,” Johnson said.
“I’ve never missed a race in my Cup career, but I know it’s going to be very hard to watch from the sidelines when I’m supposed to be out there competing. Although this situation is extremely disappointing, I’m going to come back ready to win races and put ourselves in playoff contention.”
Johnson earlier Friday held a Zoom session with reporters to discuss Sunday’s race and an upcoming test of an Indy car on the road course at the fabled venue. He will now miss that test, as well as what was supposed to be his final Brickyard 400. Justin Allgaier will replace him in the No. 48 Chevrolet.
“Jimmie has handled this situation like the champion he is,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports.
“We’re relieved he isn’t showing symptoms and that Chani is doing great, and we know he’ll be back and ready to go very soon. It’s going to be difficult for him to be out of the car and away from his team, but it’s the right thing to do for Jimmie and everyone involved.”
Hendrick Motorsports said it has implemented detailed procedures to protect the health of its team members. They include daily COVID-19 screenings at the team facilities; the separation of facility operations and traveling personnel; split work schedules; stringent face covering and social distancing requirements; and an increased level of disinfecting and sanitization of all work areas.
Johnson is scheduled to retire from full-time NASCAR competition at the end of the season and was trying to tie Jeff Gordon and Michael Schumacher as the only five-time winners at Indianapolis.
Johnson has made 663 conscutive Cup Series starts the longest streak among active drivers and is currently 12th in the standings, 63 points inside the playoff picture. NASCAR’s rules state a driver must be symptom free and have two negative coronavirus tests in a 24-hour span to return.
NASCAR said it has granted Johnson a playoff waiver.
“Jimmie is a true battle-tested champion, and we wish him well in his recovery,” the series said.
Johnson could potentially also miss the Cup race at Kentucky and the All-Star race at Bristol. Next week’s test of the road course at Indy in Scott Dixon’s car has also been scrapped.
NASCAR was one of the first sports to resume competition from the pandemic shutdown and has completed 11 Cup races since its May 17 return. The sanctioning body does not test for coronavirus but participants are required to do a temperature check as they enter the facility.
Drivers have been told to isolate at the track and there is very little interaction beyond radio conversation between the competitor and his crew.
Although Stewart-Haas Racing and Team Penske both said they’ve had positive tests from shop-based team members, Johnson is the first driver. Earlier Friday, Brazilian sports car driver Felipe Nasr said he had tested positive and will miss Saturday’s IMSA event at Daytona International Speedway.
Johnson earlier Friday discussed the Indy car test scheduled with Chip Ganassi Racing, which he said was the first step in determine if actual races are in his future. If he’s any good, he said, he would be open to racing all 12 street and road course events on the IndyCar schedule.
Johnson has long said safety concerns would keep him from racing on IndyCar oval tracks, but Friday he offered a surprisingly softer stance about the Indy 500.
IndyCar this year unveiled its aeroscreen windshield designed to protect the drivers from debris as they sit in the open-air cockpits. Saturday will mark just the second race with the device, but it appeared problem-free last month on the oval at high-speed Texas Motor Speedway.
“Their safety on ovals has dramatically increased this year with the windscreen. So, I’ll keep a close eye on things there and see how the safety level looks,” Johnson said.
“I’ve always wanted to race the Indy 500. I’d have to do a lot of selling to my wife to get that pass, but my true desire right now is to just run the road courses.”
Johnson has his eye on the street course race in Long Beach, California, a race that was canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic but is one of the most storied events on the IndyCar calendar at a track just a couple hours from his native El Cajon.
“When I was a kid growing up, the closest IndyCar racing for me was at Long Beach so one of my hopes is that I am able to race at Long Beach,” Johnson said.
“I hung on the fence a lot as a kid watching and dreaming. …. There’s a lot of sentimental value with that race and I hope to race there.”
He is stuck in a three-year losing streak but Hendrick Motorsports has been dramatically improved this season and Johnson has been competitive. He has also been actively prepping for a whirl in an Indy car and had been scheduled to test with the McLaren team before the pandemic.
“It’s a test, it’s a tryout and it’s a two-way street. Two-way tryout for the team to look at me and for myself to look at a team,” he said.
“If I’m about four seconds off the pace, then that’s probably a quick sign that I don’t need to be in one of these cars. If I’m within a certain amount of time and I have a good feel of the car, then for me, I feel like that’s an important first step that I need to know that I can be competitive.
“I do not want to go race in any series and not be competitive,” he said.PTI
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