buzzfeed--2020-12-23--The 13 Biggest Lessons We've Learned About The Coronavirus So Far

`` It ’ s an extraordinary virus , the likes of which I ’ ve never , ever seen , and I ’ ve been doing this now for almost 40 years , ” Anthony Fauci told BuzzFeed News .
No one was prepared for the coronavirus pandemic .
The public certainly wasn ’ t .
The US government wasn ’ t .
Even the public health experts who had spent their entire careers anxiously preparing for a pandemic weren ’ t , in part because the basic mechanics of the coronavirus now known as SARS-CoV-2 defied expectations .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts thought it would .
And COVID-19 looked wildly different in different people , making it difficult to spot .
`` It ’ s an extraordinary virus , the likes of which I ’ ve never , ever seen , and I ’ ve been doing this now for almost 40 years , ” Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , told BuzzFeed News .
“ I ’ ve never seen a virus that on the one hand has no symptoms in one person but on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for another person .
That is really quite unprecedented . ''
Doctors and scientists raced to understand the basic nature of the coronavirus and how to treat severe infections .
Meanwhile , the general public has craved answers , often turning to a panoply of imperfect sources : anecdotes , preliminary studies , officials , and the internet .
The swirl of misinformation , conspiracies , and conflicting official guidance , a problem exacerbated by President Donald Trump , made the situation even more confusing .
Trump routinely dismissed and played down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and interfered with guidance from his own public health experts ; and touted unproven treatments .
The result was a deadlier pandemic , one that has already claimed more than 320,000 lives in the US .
But a year after the virus first appeared , there ’ s reason for hope : Two vaccines are already in distribution .
An explosion of studies has deepened our understanding of the virus , and doctors and nurses , with months of experience under their belts , are better able to identify and treat infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at what we ’ ve learned : In the early months of the pandemic , doctors , and nurses looked for three key symptoms to best identify people potentially sick with COVID-19 : fever , cough , and shortness of breath .
But as more people got infected , it became clear the virus could attack different parts of the body , causing a wider range of symptoms .
Today , the CDC warns of 11 main symptoms to watch for : fever or chills , cough , shortness of breath or difficulty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aches , headache , new loss of taste or smell , sore throat , congestion or runny nose , nausea or vomiting , and diarrhea .
There ’ s no set order in which they appear .
Moreover , there ’ s an ever-growing list of other potential impacts too , from swollen toes , dubbed “ COVID toes , ” to neurological injuries .
If a doctor checks a symptomatic patient in person for the virus , they aren ’ t just looking at the lungs anymore , according to Megan Ranney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Brown University .
“ We know to also look for markers of inflammation , markers of blood clots , ” she said , adding : “ We look at the heart , the brain , the kidneys , liver function — those can all be signs of COVID 19.
” Another quirk of this disease is that it can severely impact some people while leaving others unscathed .
An estimated 20 % to 30 % of people infected with the coronavirus develop no symptoms at all .
Meanwhile , many people can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms that can last for weeks or months .
A German study from July found that 78 out of 100 COVID-19 patients had heart complications two months later , while an Italian study the same month found that 87 % of patients who were sick enough to be hospitalized still had symptoms after two months .
3 .
People can be infectious even if they don ’ t have symptoms .
One of the sneaky things about this disease is that people can have no symptoms but still spread the virus to others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence that we have , Ranney explains , suggests that someone can spread the virus in the two days or so before developing symptoms ( called presymptomatic spread ) , while asymptomatic people who never develop symptoms can also still infect others .
The CDC warns that more than 50 % of transmission is occurring by people that are either presymptomatic or asymptomatic .
The public health community was slow to understand and accept this .
Early on , the flawed assumption was that sick people were overwhelmingly spreading the disease within their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ informed by experience with other respiratory viruses , such as the flu .
Health screens popped up everywhere , from airports to hotels , checking people ’ s temperatures and surveying for other symptoms in search of the ill and infectious , without much benefit .
The California Department of Public Health reported that travel screenings of 11,000 people in that state , from February to March , turned up only three sick people .
“ The lack of those symptoms is not a guarantee you are not infected , nor is it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on to others , ” Ranney said .
“ That ’ s something that took us all by surprise.
” A small percentage of people are responsible for most coronavirus infections , study after study has shown .
This sharply contrasts with the initial thinking , based on China ’ s experience , that the virus was mainly spreading in households .
For example , one study using contract tracing data determined about 20 % of cases in Hong Kong were responsible for 80 % of total cases .
Another one focused on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh regions drove 80 % of cases .
Because indoor gatherings pose a higher risk of infection , so-called superspreader events ended up grabbing headlines throughout the year .
Prominent examples include when one person with COVID-19 symptoms ended up spreading the virus to 87 % of the people in attendance at an indoor choir practice in Washington state ; when dozens of people got infected and sick at large indoor weddings in Ohio and Maine ; and when the 11th floor of a South Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Researchers still don ’ t know why some people are superspreaders of the virus and others aren ’ t .
And while this is not how the flu is usually spread , clustering or superspreader events were responsible for the spread of other infectious coronaviruses , such as SARS and MERS .
China ’ s crowded hospitals , filled with patients on ventilators , sent the early message that these breathing machines would be vital in treating people with the deadly disease , who in severe cases can struggle intensely to breathe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered crucial , but better understanding of how COVID-19 kills many patients has lessened the crush for the machines .
Quickly putting coronavirus patients on ventilators was premised on two early ideas about SARS-CoV-2 : One was that critical patients were going into “ acute respiratory distress syndrome , ” seen in pneumonia cases where a ventilator gives patients time for their immune systems to fight off an infection .
The other was that patients were highly infectious late in their infections , like in the 2004 SARS outbreak , and that early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coughing on healthcare workers at the most transmissible moments of their case .
But it turned out that ’ s not how COVID-19 works .
Instead , the patient 's own immune system can turn out to be the most dangerous enemy , attacking the lungs in the late stages of the most serious infections .
For this reason , the steroid dexamethasone , which tamps down the immune response , has become the go-to response for severe cases , shown to cut mortality by a third in patients on ventilators .
Likewise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most infectious around the time they first develop symptoms rather than days later when they are hospitalized .
ICUs have turned to just supplying patients oxygen and “ proning ” them , or turning them onto their stomachs , which allows more air to enter their lungs , rather than sedating them and damaging their already-inflamed lungs with a ventilator .
The death rate for hospitalized COVID-19 patients seems to have declined since April , when many of these lessons about treating patients were first learned .
An October Journal of Hospital Medicine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggested that proning , less time on ventilators , and treatment starting sooner due to earlier testing , helped explain their death rate falling from 26 % in April to 8 % in August .
One interesting , but still unproven , theory is that more widespread wearing of masks means that people are now , more often , getting a lower initial dose of the virus .
The immune system can battle fewer viruses more easily , leading to less severe cases and fewer deaths .
8 .
COVID-19 is worse if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or cancer .
Old age appeared the key risk factor for dying from the novel coronavirus in the first reports of the outbreak from China .
A February report on 72,000 Chinese patients for example found a death rate of 8 % for patients in their seventies , and 15 % for those older .
A more complicated picture emerged over the next few months , however , with illness that often came along with age — diabetes , heart disease , cancer — emerging as the crucial risk factor for patients .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness , ” said a November update on COVID-19 risks from the CDC .
That changed picture came from deeper looks at the critical cases in China , Europe , and New York as the pandemic spread .
Since COVID-19 attacks many organs in the body , people with kidneys , hearts , or other organs already burdened by illness or obesity face higher risks of dying or of severe illness .
Because older adults have high-risk conditions at very high rates , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has recommended those over 75 get shots ahead of others .
The CDC ’ s early guidance suggested that pregnant people and fetuses didn ’ t have an elevated risk in response to COVID-19 infections .
Now we know that , if you are pregnant , COVID-19 poses a serious risk .
“ Based on what we know at this time , pregnant people are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people , ” the CDC now warns .
“ Additionally , pregnant people with COVID-19 might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outcomes , such as preterm birth.
” Data collected over the last year showed that infected pregnant people are more likely to be admitted into an intensive care unit , need a ventilator , and die compared to people who are not pregnant .
To date , more than 42,000 pregnant people in the US have tested positive for COVID-19 , more than 8,000 of them have been hospitalized , and at least 55 have died , according to data collected by the CDC .
Pregnant Latinx and Black people are more likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There are still a lot of unknowns .
“ The majority of this data is from [ people in their ] third trimesters , ” said Rahul Gupta , chief medical and health officer at March of Dimes , an advocacy and research group focused on maternal and baby health .
It ’ s still unclear how infected people earlier in their pregnancies are faring , as well as their babies .
And while limited studies suggest parents are not transmitting the virus to their children through the placenta or breast milk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to collect more data .
The early observations out of China suggested kids only rarely got infected with COVID-19 , and even then generally had mild cases .
This initial picture wasn ’ t that far off : While it ’ s now clear children do get infected , and some seriously so , they are more often asymptomatic or mildly impacted .
But it is still not well understood why this is the case .
Another open question is how much kids spread the disease .
“ The data right now strongly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spread the virus than older teens and young adults ... and that young adults spread it at the same rate as full adults , ” explained Ranney .
But , she added , “ there are a lot of contradictions in the data.
” An additional puzzle facing the medical community is why a small but growing number of kids of different ages , from toddlers up to teenagers , have been hospitalized for a coronavirus-linked syndrome , called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children , or MIS-C. “ Nobody read about this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is completely new , ” Jane Burns , one of the researchers studying this syndrome , told BuzzFeed News in May .
The scientific questions around whether children faced risks from COVID-19 — and whether they were “ silent carriers ” — became deeply politicized amid fights about whether to reopen schools .
While the Trump administration urged reopenings and threatened to withhold pandemic aid if states did not comply , Democrats raised concerns about schools turning into hot spots for infection .
So far , research suggests that schools are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that opening schools is a priority and the risk of infection can be kept low through strict adherence to social distancing and other hygiene measures , the CDC this week prioritized teachers to be among the next group to receive COVID-19 vaccines .
11 .
We still don ’ t know how long immunity lasts , but there is reason to be hopeful .
An ongoing mystery surrounding the coronavirus is how long immunity to the bug lasts , either after recovering from an infection or getting a vaccine .
Immunity to four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanes within a year or two .
Since the coronavirus has been loose in humanity for only a year , we don ’ t know whether it lasts longer than that .
Reports of reinfections have shown that , for some people , immunity doesn ’ t last .
But only a few hundred reinfections have been reported worldwide .
Because 95 % of people produce antibodies to infection , some kind of long-lasting immunity is expected among the 17 million COVID-19 cases counted , so far , in the US .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : How long do antibodies last in the body ?
And do immune “ memory ” cells last for the years needed for long-term immunity to the virus ?
The answer to the first question is that , for most people , the antibodies do seem to linger for five to seven months after an infection , leveling off but staying at a moderate level in the bloodstream , with higher levels seen after more severe cases .
As for memory cells , their duration in numbers strong enough to deter an infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the length of time people have been getting sick with this virus .
But there is reason to be hopeful : A study has shown that memory cells aimed against SARS , a closely related coronavirus , last for at least 17 years , while SARS antibodies seem to last for two .
And studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection does generate these memory cells , which rally antibodies when a virus tries to return .
This also has implications for COVID-19 vaccines , since it will be important to know how long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Moderna to the FDA for emergency authorization showed evidence that its vaccine led to a bounty of memory cells , seen at least two months after vaccination .
Moderna , Pfizer , and others are promising to track the antibody response generated by their shots for two years , gauging to see if they generate an immune response stronger or weaker than people who have recovered from an infection .
That data could help us figure out how soon people may need booster shots for a COVID-19 vaccine .
On Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kingdom , where a new , possibly more transmissible strain of the coronavirus has taken hold since September .
This is not the first case of a new “ variant ” of the coronavirus emerging : As early as March , scientists observed that people in the US were infected with a virus that had mutations seen in cases in Europe , not China , suggesting that the virus had mutated at some point before taking hold in the US .
Whether these are truly new “ strains ” of the virus that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that have taken over because of superspreader events — genetic lottery winners — is unclear .
But it is known that the coronavirus steadily picks up small mutations as it infects people around the world .
About one change in the virus ’ s genetic code crops up in a chain of infected people every 10 days , Trevor Bedford of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center estimated in March .
And there have been a lot of chains of infection since then , with more than 75 million cases reported worldwide so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported more than 5,700 variants of the original Wuhan , China , virus were in circulation .
Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the virus as changing “ its method of attack ” to infect people even more readily , but whether this “ B.1.1.7 ” variant of the coronavirus is truly more transmissible is hotly contested .
The UK ’ s chief science adviser suggested on Saturday that the variant was 70 % more transmissible than others .
However , in response , virologist Christian Drosten of Berlin ’ s Charité University Hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too many unknowns to say something like that.
” New influenza strains , functionally different versions of the same virus , do appear every year and necessitate seasonal changes in flu shots .
The worry is that coronavirus will do the same thing , driving a need for changes in the COVID-19 vaccines just now becoming available .
In particular , mutations to the “ spike ” protein of the coronavirus , the part that initiates infections of cells , are a concern , because COVID-19 vaccines by and large train the body @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus .
Coronaviruses actually mutate much more slowly than the notoriously sloppy flu , however , and with most of humanity still naive to the bug , there should be little evolutionary pressure to truly change its mode of attack .
The B.1.1.7 variant , which has more than a dozen changes to its genetic code , is hypothesized to have emerged from a single , chronically infected patient who may have been treated with antibodies to the virus , encouraging it to develop more significant mutations .
Scientists are adding new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watch carefully at this stage .
Operation Warp Speed chief scientist Moncef Slaoui said on Monday that most likely the vaccines are just as effective against the UK variant as any other , but it will take weeks of studies to be certain .
“ There is no evidence this variant is more pathogenic , ” he added .
“ We are all in this together , ” President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence said in the March news conference unveiling the national response to the just-declared pandemic .
But it hasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black , Latinx , and Native American people have died in outsize numbers , at rates 2.6 to 2.8 times higher than white Americans .
In an October look at 114,000 deaths from COVID-19 this summer , CDC and New York City health officials found that 51 % were white , 24 % were Hispanic , and 19 % were Black .
Poverty , which can lead to living in multigenerational homes and doing essential work at higher risk for exposures , and higher frequency of diabetes , heart disease , and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to dying from the coronavirus among minorities , that report concluded .
Perhaps the saddest finding is that minority children are likewise bearing a disproportionate burden as well .
A September study of COVID-19 deaths in people 21 and younger nationwide found 75 % of the deaths were among Black , Latinx , and Native Americans , even though they were just 41 % of that population .
Asthma and obesity were preexisting conditions most strongly tied to the deaths .
“ COVID-19 has become the herald event that now fully exposes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities , ” Northwestern University ’ s Clyde Yancy wrote in a JAMA editorial in April .
“ This is a moment of ethical reckoning .
The scourge of COVID-19 will end , but health care disparities will persist.
” ●

On Monday, Europe began banning travel from the United Kingdom, where a new, possibly more transmissible strain of the coronavirus has taken hold since September. This is not the first case of a new “variant” of the coronavirus emerging: As early as March, scientists observed that people in the US were infected with a virus that had mutations seen in cases in Europe, not China, suggesting that the virus had mutated at some point before taking hold in the US.
Whether these are truly new “strains” of the virus that are actually more dangerous or just ones that have taken over because of superspreader events — genetic lottery winners — is unclear. But it is known that the coronavirus steadily picks up small mutations as it infects people around the world. About one change in the virus’s genetic code crops up in a chain of infected people every 10 days, Trevor Bedford of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center estimated in March. And there have been a lot of chains of infection since then, with more than 75 million cases reported worldwide so far. Even by February, scientists reported more than 5,700 variants of the original Wuhan, China, virus were in circulation.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the virus as changing “its method of attack” to infect people even more readily, but whether this “B.1.1.7” variant of the coronavirus is truly more transmissible is hotly contested. The UK’s chief science adviser suggested on Saturday that the variant was 70% more transmissible than others. However, in response, virologist Christian Drosten of Berlin’s Charité University Hospital told Science magazine, “There are too many unknowns to say something like that.”
New influenza strains, functionally different versions of the same virus, do appear every year and necessitate seasonal changes in flu shots. The worry is that coronavirus will do the same thing, driving a need for changes in the COVID-19 vaccines just now becoming available. In particular, mutations to the “spike” protein of the coronavirus, the part that initiates infections of cells, are a concern, because COVID-19 vaccines by and large train the body to recognize and attack that part of the virus.
Coronaviruses actually mutate much more slowly than the notoriously sloppy flu, however, and with most of humanity still naive to the bug, there should be little evolutionary pressure to truly change its mode of attack. The B.1.1.7 variant, which has more than a dozen changes to its genetic code, is hypothesized to have emerged from a single, chronically infected patient who may have been treated with antibodies to the virus, encouraging it to develop more significant mutations.
Scientists are adding new variants to the list of things to watch carefully at this stage. Operation Warp Speed chief scientist Moncef Slaoui said on Monday that most likely the vaccines are just as effective against the UK variant as any other, but it will take weeks of studies to be certain. “There is no evidence this variant is more pathogenic,” he added.


buzzfeed--2020-12-23--I Got My 12-Year-Old IUD Taken Out To Get A New One Put In, And Here’s What Happened

If you 've ever read any of my past articles , you may be thinking , Wait a minute , @ @ @ @ @ who got pregnant with an IUD ?
!
Well , lol , yeah that 's @ @ @ @ @ pregnancy ended up being ectopic ( or in my Fallopian tube ) .
I decided @ @ @ @ @ removed during surgery because my odds of getting pregnant would still be the same — @ @ @ @ @ any other form of birth control .
IUDs are one of the most effective forms @ @ @ @ @ over 99 % effectiveness .
TBH , though , the main reason I kept it @ @ @ @ @ the only hormone-free , long-term form of birth control on the market — and I @ @ @ @ @ hormones .

If I had any advice for people who are thinking of getting one, I would suggest talking to your doctor before your procedure and asking questions — like, do they administer anesthesia or offer medicine to help with the pain, as well as anything else you are nervous about, so that you know what to expect. Lastly, I would like to remind everyone again that I have had a baby and my body has also been used to having an IUD for many years. So take that into consideration after reading about my experience. If you've have an IUD inserted, tell us what your experience was like in the comments!


buzzfeed--2020-12-23--A Video About Not Knowing How To Shave Your Butthole Is Going Viral, So People Are Sharing Their Bes

A Video About Not Knowing How To Shave Your Butthole Is Going Viral, So People Are Sharing Their Best Butthole-Shaving Tips

`` Anal bleaching also seems to be on the rise lately as well .
There are a lot of questions @ @ @ @ @ of this treatment .
There is nothing wrong or dangerous with the dark color of @ @ @ @ @ utilizes a variety of acids or other lightening agents to strip away some of the @ @ @ @ @ Think of these agents as removing the 'stained ' skin .
The problem is that @ @ @ @ @ are quite harsh on the skin .
Remember , the skin of the genitals is @ @ @ @ @ most delicate on the body .
I would urge extreme caution before putting a potentially @ @ @ @ @ anus .
That being said , most bleaching agents are not permanent .
The durability @ @ @ @ @ person to person , but may last up to six months .
You should talk @ @ @ @ @ methods and definitely consult a dermatologist before bleaching , '' Dr. Charles added .

In addition, Dr. Charles said that often times people are over-aggressive when shaving sensitive areas, like the anus. "Over-aggressive shaving, either too often or incorrectly done, can lead to irritation and acne-like bumps in that area," he said. So, be gentle!!!
Remember, shaving is a risk for infection, bleeding, scarring. Dr. Charles said, "Folliculitis is a small collection of infections and are one of the risks of shaving your butt. Another risk is hemorrhage. The skin of the anus and butt is extremely vascular. A sharp object can do a tremendous amount of damage to that area. Similarly, if bleeding is a risk, so is scarring. Any time that the skin is injured and the wound is deep enough, you run the risk of causing a scar to form. And all of these risks are increased if you can’t see what you are doing, so use a mirror!"


buzzfeed--2020-12-23--Surprise Medical Billing Is Finally Coming To An End After Congress Reached A Last-Minute Deal

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Incoming .
WASHINGTON — Hospitals will no longer be able to hit patients with surprise medical bills under a new law passed by Congress to address the coronavirus pandemic on Monday .
Surprise billing happens when someone goes to a hospital covered by their insurance network only to be hit with unforeseeable bills because the doctor or specialist who treated them is out of network @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ending the practice , but even two weeks ago it seemed clear that a bill to end surprise medical billing was dead in the water yet again , as more than 115,000 people are currently in US hospitals with COVID-19 , according to the COVID Tracking Project .
But in a turnaround that stunned observers , Congress finally acted to end the exploitive practice .
The coronavirus aid bill contained legislation to end surprise medical billing , almost exactly one year after the first major push to fix the issue collapsed at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed into law , doctors will no longer be able to charge emergency room patients unexpected , exorbitant fees that must be paid out of pocket .
Insurance companies will now be forced to cover those bills .
If there is a disagreement on cost between the insurer and healthcare providers — the doctors , specialists , or hospitals issuing the bills — then the price will be decided by an independent arbiter .
The deal only came together after some last-minute changes were made to appease doctor and hospital groups .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leader Mitch McConnell , is that arbitrators are not able to consider Medicare or Medicaid rates — which are much lower than private market rates — when ruling on the cost .
“ Without question the big winners here are patients , who will be protected from surprise bills .
Patients have effectively been held hostage to a fight between insurers and healthcare providers , ” said Larry Levitt , executive vice president of health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation .
Levitt said the pandemic shifted the balance of power away from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to push for the final bill to lean more in their favor .
Still , patient advocates see the bill ’ s passage as a major win , if an imperfect one .
“ It ’ s less than ideal to prohibit the arbiter from considering Medicare/Medicaid payment rates because they often better represent the true costs , ” said Jen Taylor , director of government relations for Families USA .
“ Above all else , it protects consumers , which was always our number one goal.
” While all sides believed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical bills , insurers did not want to pick up all the slack and providers did not want to lose their ability to charge higher prices than in-network rates .
These industries battled publicly and privately to avoid having to absorb the cost of a fix .
What started as a gap in the system was turned into a profit driver for private equity firms .
Two private equity giants , Blackstone Group and KKR & Co. , bought up the largest physician staffing firms which led to more doctors going out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These private equity firms then created a dark money front group called Doctor Patient Unity and spent tens of millions of dollars successfully opposing legislation to end private billing , denouncing it as “ government rate setting.
” If you 're someone who is seeing the impact of the coronavirus firsthand , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
Two weeks ago , all signs pointed to a surprise billing fix being doomed .
There had long been agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee .
But Rep. Richard Neal , the Democratic chair of the Ways Committee , had asserted his jurisdiction and blocked the deal .
Neal was the biggest barrier to a fix over the past year as he pushed for a more provider-friendly alternative .
According to multiple Hill sources , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got involved the week before last , holding multiple talks with Neal on the issue .
Pelosi ’ s involvement sparked a last-minute round of negotiations wherein Neal succeeded in tilting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ providers , then ultimately agreed to support it .
The initial plan hatched between the House and the Senate was to force insurance companies to cover all emergency room bills and allow health providers to charge only the median in-network costs for fees .
Providers fiercely opposed this “ benchmarking ” plan .
Negotiators agreed to adopt Neal ’ s preferred arbitration system over benchmarks , but Neal would still not drop his objections , according to Congressional sources .
The tipping point , according to one House aide , was agreeing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involving preliminary payments made by insurers .
That got Neal on board but McConnell remained an obstacle .
McConnell ’ s views on surprise billing had long been mercurial .
He had not publicly come out for or against any plan .
But there was speculation that McConnell wanted to grant a legacy item to his friend , Senate Health Committee Chair Lamar Alexander , who is retiring in January and coauthored the original bipartisan legislation to end surprise billing .
McConnell ended up supporting the plan , but only after demanding one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Medicaid prices in arbitration .
These late changes softened opposition from providers and raised concerns that doctors and hospitals will be able to continue to inflate prices .
The Department of Health and Human Services will oversee the crafting of the arbitration system and a provider-friendly administration in the future could stack the deck in their favor .
But Loren Adler , a health policy analyst at the Brookings Institute , said those fears are overblown .
The arbitration process also excludes consideration of the unnegotiated prices that providers were previously charging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimate result will be prices falling back to within in-network norms .
“ I don ’ t think [ arbiters ] were going to consider Medicare rates to begin with , ” said Adler .
“ It ’ s a win .
Consumers no longer have to fear surprise bills .
...
I would have written a somewhat different law if I was writing it myself , but politics exists , so .
”

WASHINGTON — Hospitals will no longer be able to hit patients with surprise medical bills under a new law passed by Congress to address the coronavirus pandemic on Monday.
Surprise billing happens when someone goes to a hospital covered by their insurance network only to be hit with unforeseeable bills because the doctor or specialist who treated them is out of network. Congress has for years talked about ending the practice, but even two weeks ago it seemed clear that a bill to end surprise medical billing was dead in the water yet again, as more than 115,000 people are currently in US hospitals with COVID-19, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
But in a turnaround that stunned observers, Congress finally acted to end the exploitive practice.
The coronavirus aid bill contained legislation to end surprise medical billing, almost exactly one year after the first major push to fix the issue collapsed at the last minute. Once the legislation is signed into law, doctors will no longer be able to charge emergency room patients unexpected, exorbitant fees that must be paid out of pocket.
Insurance companies will now be forced to cover those bills. If there is a disagreement on cost between the insurer and healthcare providers — the doctors, specialists, or hospitals issuing the bills — then the price will be decided by an independent arbiter.
The deal only came together after some last-minute changes were made to appease doctor and hospital groups. The final concession, demanded by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is that arbitrators are not able to consider Medicare or Medicaid rates — which are much lower than private market rates — when ruling on the cost.
“Without question the big winners here are patients, who will be protected from surprise bills. Patients have effectively been held hostage to a fight between insurers and healthcare providers,” said Larry Levitt, executive vice president of health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Levitt said the pandemic shifted the balance of power away from insurance companies and toward providers, allowing them to push for the final bill to lean more in their favor. Still, patient advocates see the bill’s passage as a major win, if an imperfect one.
“It’s less than ideal to prohibit the arbiter from considering Medicare/Medicaid payment rates because they often better represent the true costs,” said Jen Taylor, director of government relations for Families USA. “Above all else, it protects consumers, which was always our number one goal.”
While all sides believed patients should not be hit with surprise medical bills, insurers did not want to pick up all the slack and providers did not want to lose their ability to charge higher prices than in-network rates. These industries battled publicly and privately to avoid having to absorb the cost of a fix.
What started as a gap in the system was turned into a profit driver for private equity firms. Two private equity giants, Blackstone Group and KKR & Co., bought up the largest physician staffing firms which led to more doctors going out of network and charging exorbitant surprise bills.
These private equity firms then created a dark money front group called Doctor Patient Unity and spent tens of millions of dollars successfully opposing legislation to end private billing, denouncing it as “government rate setting.”
If you're someone who is seeing the impact of the coronavirus firsthand, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
Two weeks ago, all signs pointed to a surprise billing fix being doomed. There had long been agreement on a fix between the Senate Health Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. But Rep. Richard Neal, the Democratic chair of the Ways Committee, had asserted his jurisdiction and blocked the deal. Neal was the biggest barrier to a fix over the past year as he pushed for a more provider-friendly alternative.
According to multiple Hill sources, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got involved the week before last, holding multiple talks with Neal on the issue. Pelosi’s involvement sparked a last-minute round of negotiations wherein Neal succeeded in tilting the bill slightly further in favor or providers, then ultimately agreed to support it.
The initial plan hatched between the House and the Senate was to force insurance companies to cover all emergency room bills and allow health providers to charge only the median in-network costs for fees. Providers fiercely opposed this “benchmarking” plan.
Negotiators agreed to adopt Neal’s preferred arbitration system over benchmarks, but Neal would still not drop his objections, according to Congressional sources. The tipping point, according to one House aide, was agreeing to remove even a peripheral reference to benchmarks involving preliminary payments made by insurers.
That got Neal on board but McConnell remained an obstacle. McConnell’s views on surprise billing had long been mercurial. He had not publicly come out for or against any plan. But there was speculation that McConnell wanted to grant a legacy item to his friend, Senate Health Committee Chair Lamar Alexander, who is retiring in January and coauthored the original bipartisan legislation to end surprise billing. McConnell ended up supporting the plan, but only after demanding one more change that banned consideration of Medicare and Medicaid prices in arbitration.
These late changes softened opposition from providers and raised concerns that doctors and hospitals will be able to continue to inflate prices. The Department of Health and Human Services will oversee the crafting of the arbitration system and a provider-friendly administration in the future could stack the deck in their favor.
But Loren Adler, a health policy analyst at the Brookings Institute, said those fears are overblown. The arbitration process also excludes consideration of the unnegotiated prices that providers were previously charging, and Adler said he thinks the ultimate result will be prices falling back to within in-network norms.
“I don’t think [arbiters] were going to consider Medicare rates to begin with,” said Adler. “It’s a win. Consumers no longer have to fear surprise bills. ... I would have written a somewhat different law if I was writing it myself, but politics exists, so.”


buzzfeed--2020-12-23--Republicans Are Facing Very Real Legal Consequences From Trump’s Voter Fraud Lies

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and his conservative allies are facing the prospect of very real legal consequences after weeks of pushing false claims of widespread voter fraud .
On Tuesday , a voting rights group filed a lawsuit that accuses Trump and the Republican National Committee of conspiring to violate the rights of Black voters .
The lawsuit doesn ’ t just ask the judge to stop Trump and the GOP from taking any more steps to overturn or undermine the election results this year ; the challengers are also asking for an order that could force the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before demanding recounts or participating in other “ post-election activities ” in the future .
The new court action comes just a few years after a federal judge in New Jersey in January 2018 lifted a decades old court-monitored settlement that barred the RNC from engaging in “ ballot security ” activities based on the “ racial or ethnic composition ” of a particular community .
The RNC signed the agreement in 1982 to settle claims that it had tried to intimidate , threaten , and disenfranchise voters through voter roll purges and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites in predominantly Black and Latino areas under the guise of preventing election fraud .
The new lawsuit — which is an expanded version of a case that the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund ( LDF ) filed last month in federal court in Washington , DC , against Trump and his campaign alone — accused the president and Republican Party officials of deliberately focusing their postelection challenges on cities with large Black populations , such as Detroit , Milwaukee , Philadelphia , and Atlanta .
The latest iteration of the lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act .
“ It is quite disturbing that just a couple of years after that order expired , there is this troubling evidence emerging about how the Trump campaign , which worked throughout this process very hand in hand with the RNC , was engaging in similar improper conduct that was based on this false premise that votes cast predominantly in communities of color were somehow invalid or fraudulent , ” said Sam Spital , director of litigation for the NAACP LDF .
BuzzFeed News has journalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
Trump ’ s campaign isn ’ t backing down so far , at least not in public , despite losing cases at every level of the US legal system .
Trump has continued to push lies about the election , tweeting in all caps on Tuesday that Democrats had “ dumped ” ballots in swing states and that the election was “ rigged.
” In response to the NAACP LDF ’ s expanded lawsuit , campaign senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement that the challengers were “ baselessly attacking the Trump Campaign ’ s efforts to protect the integrity of the ballot for every American.
” Behind the scenes , though , there are signs that the campaign and conservative media outlets , which have provided a platform for Trump and his supporters to promote conspiracies of fraud , are starting to reckon with their long-term legal exposure .
The main risk that Trump , his supporters , and media outlets face for spreading false information is a defamation lawsuit .
Dominion Voting Systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electronic voting equipment used in US elections , sent letters this month to Trump-allied attorney Sidney Powell — who has been driving the narrative of fraud in and out of court — and conservative media outlets .
Lawyers for the companies , threatening defamation claims , demanded retractions of baseless claims that they were involved in efforts to rig the election .
“ Fox News allowed its reporters , anchors , and on-air guests to make these false and defamatory statements time and time again .
This pattern of behavior qualifies as either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reckless disregard for the truth , ” Smartmatic ’ s lawyer wrote in a Dec. 10 letter to the conservative news network .
The company sent similar letters to Newsmax and One America News Network .
The letters prompted quick responses and 180-degree turns .
The following weekend , programs on Fox News , Fox Business Network , and Newsmax ran fact-checking segments walking back allegations against Smartmatic that they ’ d given oxygen to for weeks .
“ Newsmax would like to clarify its news coverage and note it has not reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies , ” the media outlet said in a statement posted on its website on Sunday .
“ No evidence has been offered that Dominion or Smartmatic used software or reprogrammed software that manipulated votes in the 2020 election.
” Dominion sent a retraction demand to Powell on Dec. 16 and mentioned that the Trump campaign could face legal fallout , too .
CNN reported that the Trump campaign had notified staffers to preserve documents in case it got hit with a lawsuit .
Dominion is represented by Tom Clare , a prominent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have included the University of Virginia associate dean who sued Rolling Stone magazine over a now-retracted article about an alleged gang rape on campus ; Rolling Stone settled the case after Clare won a million-dollar jury verdict .
In a statement , Clare said that Dominion ’ s lawyers were focused on Powell for now but they would “ certainly be taking a close look at others who have participated directly in the defamatory campaign — as well as those who have recklessly provided a platform for these discredited allegations.
” If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
Powell , Trump campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani , and other lawyers involved in Republicans ’ postelection legal fights are facing personal exposure too .
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Tuesday that her office planned to file bar complaints against Powell and other lawyers involved in unsuccessful lawsuits against state and local election officials and would seek sanctions in court , according to Bridge Michigan .
Rep. Bill Pascrell , a New Jersey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d filed bar complaints against Giuliani and other lawyers representing Trump and Republicans .
In federal courts , where Powell filed her four failed election challenges to date in Michigan , Georgia , Wisconsin , and Arizona , judges can sanction lawyers who file cases “ for any improper purpose , such as to harass ” or who press “ frivolous ” claims .
Judges have repeatedly called out Powell for failing to follow court rules and have rejected her efforts to invalidate Biden ’ s wins in those states .
Over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where to draw the line between sanctionable conduct and aggressive advocacy on behalf of a client .
Attorneys ’ ethics rules include similar language prohibiting lawyers from abusing the legal system and bringing frivolous claims .
State bar investigations generally don ’ t become public unless they actually lead to disciplinary action against a lawyer , however , so there ’ s no way to immediately know how the complaints against Giuliani and other lawyers are playing out .

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and his conservative allies are facing the prospect of very real legal consequences after weeks of pushing false claims of widespread voter fraud.
On Tuesday, a voting rights group filed a lawsuit that accuses Trump and the Republican National Committee of conspiring to violate the rights of Black voters. The lawsuit doesn’t just ask the judge to stop Trump and the GOP from taking any more steps to overturn or undermine the election results this year; the challengers are also asking for an order that could force the president and the RNC to get court approval before demanding recounts or participating in other “post-election activities” in the future.
The new court action comes just a few years after a federal judge in New Jersey in January 2018 lifted a decades old court-monitored settlement that barred the RNC from engaging in “ballot security” activities based on the “racial or ethnic composition” of a particular community. The RNC signed the agreement in 1982 to settle claims that it had tried to intimidate, threaten, and disenfranchise voters through voter roll purges and by paying police officers to patrol polling sites in predominantly Black and Latino areas under the guise of preventing election fraud.
The new lawsuit — which is an expanded version of a case that the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) filed last month in federal court in Washington, DC, against Trump and his campaign alone — accused the president and Republican Party officials of deliberately focusing their postelection challenges on cities with large Black populations, such as Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. The latest iteration of the lawsuit brings claims under the federal Voting Rights Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act.
“It is quite disturbing that just a couple of years after that order expired, there is this troubling evidence emerging about how the Trump campaign, which worked throughout this process very hand in hand with the RNC, was engaging in similar improper conduct that was based on this false premise that votes cast predominantly in communities of color were somehow invalid or fraudulent,” said Sam Spital, director of litigation for the NAACP LDF.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
Trump’s campaign isn’t backing down so far, at least not in public, despite losing cases at every level of the US legal system. Trump has continued to push lies about the election, tweeting in all caps on Tuesday that Democrats had “dumped” ballots in swing states and that the election was “rigged.” In response to the NAACP LDF’s expanded lawsuit, campaign senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis said in a statement that the challengers were “baselessly attacking the Trump Campaign’s efforts to protect the integrity of the ballot for every American.”
Behind the scenes, though, there are signs that the campaign and conservative media outlets, which have provided a platform for Trump and his supporters to promote conspiracies of fraud, are starting to reckon with their long-term legal exposure.
The main risk that Trump, his supporters, and media outlets face for spreading false information is a defamation lawsuit. Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, two companies that make electronic voting equipment used in US elections, sent letters this month to Trump-allied attorney Sidney Powell — who has been driving the narrative of fraud in and out of court — and conservative media outlets. Lawyers for the companies, threatening defamation claims, demanded retractions of baseless claims that they were involved in efforts to rig the election.
“Fox News allowed its reporters, anchors, and on-air guests to make these false and defamatory statements time and time again. This pattern of behavior qualifies as either knowingly publishing factually inaccurate information or a reckless disregard for the truth,” Smartmatic’s lawyer wrote in a Dec. 10 letter to the conservative news network. The company sent similar letters to Newsmax and One America News Network.
The letters prompted quick responses and 180-degree turns. The following weekend, programs on Fox News, Fox Business Network, and Newsmax ran fact-checking segments walking back allegations against Smartmatic that they’d given oxygen to for weeks.
“Newsmax would like to clarify its news coverage and note it has not reported as true certain claims made about these companies,” the media outlet said in a statement posted on its website on Sunday. “No evidence has been offered that Dominion or Smartmatic used software or reprogrammed software that manipulated votes in the 2020 election.”
Dominion sent a retraction demand to Powell on Dec. 16 and mentioned that the Trump campaign could face legal fallout, too. CNN reported that the Trump campaign had notified staffers to preserve documents in case it got hit with a lawsuit.
Dominion is represented by Tom Clare, a prominent lawyer in the defamation arena whose clients have included the University of Virginia associate dean who sued Rolling Stone magazine over a now-retracted article about an alleged gang rape on campus; Rolling Stone settled the case after Clare won a million-dollar jury verdict. In a statement, Clare said that Dominion’s lawyers were focused on Powell for now but they would “certainly be taking a close look at others who have participated directly in the defamatory campaign — as well as those who have recklessly provided a platform for these discredited allegations.”
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
Powell, Trump campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and other lawyers involved in Republicans’ postelection legal fights are facing personal exposure too. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Tuesday that her office planned to file bar complaints against Powell and other lawyers involved in unsuccessful lawsuits against state and local election officials and would seek sanctions in court, according to Bridge Michigan. Rep. Bill Pascrell, a New Jersey Democrat, announced last month that he’d filed bar complaints against Giuliani and other lawyers representing Trump and Republicans.
In federal courts, where Powell filed her four failed election challenges to date in Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Arizona, judges can sanction lawyers who file cases “for any improper purpose, such as to harass” or who press “frivolous” claims. Judges have repeatedly called out Powell for failing to follow court rules and have rejected her efforts to invalidate Biden’s wins in those states. Over the years, courts have grappled with where to draw the line between sanctionable conduct and aggressive advocacy on behalf of a client.
Attorneys’ ethics rules include similar language prohibiting lawyers from abusing the legal system and bringing frivolous claims. State bar investigations generally don’t become public unless they actually lead to disciplinary action against a lawyer, however, so there’s no way to immediately know how the complaints against Giuliani and other lawyers are playing out.


buzzfeed--2020-12-22--Progressives Are Finalizing Their Strategies To Move Biden To The Left Once He’s In The White House

Progressives hope two races in Georgia will give Democrats the Senate and increase their influence over the new administration .
But if that doesn ’ t happen , they have a backup plan .
WASHINGTON — Progressive leaders in Congress are currently strategizing about how they ’ ll pull President-elect Joe Biden to the left and make their demands — including policies like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal — unavoidable once he ’ s sitting in the Oval Office .
The plan , described to BuzzFeed News by progressive members of Congress , is being developed whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate after January ’ s two runoff races in Georgia .
The tactics will involve high-profile and social media–ready grillings of members of Biden ’ s administration , the same way they have for Trump officials , partnering with activist groups to hold Biden to his campaign promises and push him to use executive orders enact progressive policies , and , less realistically , championing bipartisan legislation on issues Republicans might support , like transportation .
Rep. Katie Porter ’ s plan for pulling Biden to the left looks , in some ways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration , one that has repeatedly made her go viral for , well , the last reason you ’ d expect someone to go viral : aggressive government oversight .
“ When I think about what progressives need to accomplish going forward , yes , it 's about passing legislation , yes , it 's about working with the administration , but progressives also need to embrace oversight , ” Porter , who was recently elected as the Congressional Progressive Caucus deputy chair , said .
Soon , many of the Cabinet secretaries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on camera will be out of their jobs as Biden takes office .
But Porter — who has a T-shirt that proclaims “ I < 3 oversight , ” and she ’ s gifted matching ones to some of her colleagues — isn ’ t going to back down on that work in the new administration .
“ We need to be the sort of movement of transparency , of oversight , of stewards of taxpayer dollars , because we 're saying this money would make a difference , and then we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We should increase funding to this program [ and ] we need to make sure that increased funding is actually helping people on the ground , ” she said .
” I continue to think that oversight is as important as ever , despite a Biden administration.
” On Twitter , it feels like every few weeks , a video of Porter dismantling various officials , such as pharmaceutical executives , the postmaster general , the secretary of housing and urban development — the list goes on and on — blows up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear questions during Oversight Committee hearings seems to consistently baffle people who should definitely know the answers .
Porter sees this as a central part of the progressive mission , and one that will not cease just because a member of her own party is in the White House .
“ Do you know what an REO is ?
” she asked Housing Secretary Ben Carson last year .
“ An Oreo ?
” he responded before trying again with “ real estate e-organization.
” ( Also incorrect .
REO stands for “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ General Louis DeJoy in August simply by asking him if he knew what it costs to send a postcard and how many people voted by mail in the last presidential election .
“ There 's a lot riding on those two Georgia Senate seats , ” said Rep. Mark Pocan , who currently serves as CPC cochair , during an interview with BuzzFeed News .
“ It 's huge , ” he added , “ but at the same time , you know , we really are relying on Georgians to be making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not going to campaign there.
” ( Pocan 's office clarified that they would not be campaigning in the state due to the coronavirus ) .
But activist groups have been using the Georgia runoffs to push Democrats at all levels of government to embrace progressive policies .
In a Dec. 10 memo shared with reporters , Justice Democrats , a progressive group , outlined a plan it described as “ a winning issue on a silver platter.
” Biden , the group argued , should promise to pass a stand-alone bill that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief in his first week in office if Congress does not do so before he ’ s inaugurated .
( This week , Congress agreed to a deal that included $ 600 relief checks for people making less than $ 75,000 per year . )
Additionally , in Georgia , Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock should campaign on that and make it clear that Democrats will deliver relief if voters deliver them to the Senate .
This strategy , the group argued in the memo , would “ give Democrats something they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a clear message about something tangible that Democrats will do for you.
” Pocan said he believes working with outside organizations to pressure the Biden administration will be one of the most successful tactics available to progressives .
He has experience serving on the Oversight Committee during a Democratic presidency ; he sat on the panel after he was first elected in 2012 , during the Obama administration .
It ’ s a distinct experience with your own party in the White House , he said .
“ You 're not going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had for the last four years , ” he said .
“ It was a different committee than it was in the last four years.
” Instead , Pocan said , he ’ s been focusing on working with activist groups on issues important to him , including labor rights and defense spending , and preparing for either outcome in the January elections in Georgia .
And if Democrats don ’ t control the Senate , he said , working with outside organizations to pressure the Biden administration will be , “ in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to get some things done.
” “ We can have the most beautifully crafted legislation , but if you do n't have a Senate… ” Pocan said , trailing off .
“ You know , you can put it out there if it 's an organizing tool … But ultimately , if you want to get something done , we have to have an executive agency , executive branch strategy .
And the good news is most groups are thinking in that way , so they 've got parallel track plans going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already in full swing , as activist groups and congressional progressives have been pushing the Biden transition team for progressive Cabinet picks , with mixed results , and plan to employ similar tactics to push the president-elect on issues like healthcare and climate change once he takes office .
Late last month , in an interview with NBC News , Biden was asked about nominating Sens .
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders , his former primary rivals , to his administration .
“ We already have significant representation among progressives in our administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ but there is nothing really off the table.
” In a text message to BuzzFeed News , Waleed Shahid , a spokesperson for Justice Democrats , the group that helped elect Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez two years ago , linked to a tweet with a clip from the interview and wrote , “ Who is he talking about ?
” He added a laughing-crying face emoji .
In the weeks since , Biden has appointed many of his more moderate allies to his Cabinet .
But some progressives have cheered the announcement that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secretary , and activist groups launched a full-scale campaign for the appointment of New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary .
As Reuters reported earlier this month , many progressives sent letters to the Biden transition team pushing for Haaland ’ s nomination and publicly called for her appointment on social media , using the hashtag # DebForInterior .
The campaign was ultimately successful , and Haaland ’ s historic appointment as the first Native American Cabinet secretary last week thrilled progressives .
As Julian NoiseCat , who works with Data for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polling outlet , wrote on Twitter on Thursday , “ We fought and prayed hard for this one.
” Ahead of the official announcement , Pocan said he was hoping for a Haaland pick too .
He praised Biden ’ s choice of Alejandro Mayorkas for homeland security secretary and Xavier Becerra to head the Health and Human Services Department .
“ What we 're not seeing are some of the picks that we were afraid of , right ?
People coming from the old Democratic Leadership Council or , you know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goodies , ” Pocan said .
“ Really , I think he ’ s going to pick the people he feels closest to.
” Porter , however , said she hoped to see more generational diversity in the coming Cabinet picks .
“ A lot of his appointments so far have been people that he worked with in the past , ” she said .
“ Many of those people are going to be tremendous assets to the Biden administration and to the people of this country , but I hope in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more new voices coming into government.
” Biden ’ s Cabinet appointments are particularly vital without a united Democratic control of Congress .
With the two tight runoff races in Georgia set to determine the Senate majority , progressives know the legislative route could turn out to be the least fruitful .
Democrats did have new success in Georgia on the presidential level this cycle as Biden became the first Democrat in 28 years to win the state .
Both Senate races in the state — where Ossoff and Warnock are facing off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Kelly Loeffler , respectively — went to runoff elections that will take place on Jan. 5 .
But the races appear to be extremely tight , at least according to FiveThirtyEight ’ s polling analysis , which shows Perdue leading Ossoff by an average of 0.6 % and Loeffler leading Warnock by 0.1 % at the time of publication .
If Republicans hold on , the same issues that have plagued progressives since Democrats took the House two years ago — nearly all legislation has been dead on arrival in the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incredibly important that we remove Mitch McConnell as the Senate majority leader , ” Porter said .
“ This is not a typical partisan disagreement ; this is somebody who simply refuses to do the work of Congress .
So it 's one thing to bring up bills and have someone vote against them .
That 's not what 's happening here .
We simply have someone who is n't putting solutions before members and allowing them to vote them up or down.
” But even with McConnell at the helm , some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some legislative goals .
“ A bold transportation package is again something that 's bipartisan but would signal , I think , the hope and the opportunity for people to be able to get back into jobs , to rebuild our communities , our schools , our water infrastructure , to move towards a green energy future , ” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal , the CPC ’ s other cochair .
“ That would be a huge plus.
” The House can also pass bills that signal to the public that the administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committed to addressing the deep hurt and pain and suffering that people across the country are facing , particularly Black , brown , and Indigenous communities with COVID ” — and she wants to ensure those bills include relief for immigrants .
“ We ca n't say that immigrants are essential workers , putting food in the food banks , and then say that they 're expendable by making them deportable , ” she said .
Jayapal also said she ’ s hopeful Biden will act quickly with executive orders addressing progressive priorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Everything he does by executive action will send a very important signal to people , ” she said .
“ That 's critically important .
”

Ahead of the official announcement, Pocan said he was hoping for a Haaland pick too. He praised Biden’s choice of Alejandro Mayorkas for homeland security secretary and Xavier Becerra to head the Health and Human Services Department.
“What we're not seeing are some of the picks that we were afraid of, right? People coming from the old Democratic Leadership Council or, you know, some of these oldies but not so goodies,” Pocan said. “Really, I think he’s going to pick the people he feels closest to.”
Porter, however, said she hoped to see more generational diversity in the coming Cabinet picks.
“A lot of his appointments so far have been people that he worked with in the past,” she said. “Many of those people are going to be tremendous assets to the Biden administration and to the people of this country, but I hope in the next couple waves of appointments we see more new voices coming into government.”
Biden’s Cabinet appointments are particularly vital without a united Democratic control of Congress. With the two tight runoff races in Georgia set to determine the Senate majority, progressives know the legislative route could turn out to be the least fruitful. Democrats did have new success in Georgia on the presidential level this cycle as Biden became the first Democrat in 28 years to win the state. Both Senate races in the state — where Ossoff and Warnock are facing off against incumbent Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively — went to runoff elections that will take place on Jan. 5.
But the races appear to be extremely tight, at least according to FiveThirtyEight’s polling analysis, which shows Perdue leading Ossoff by an average of 0.6% and Loeffler leading Warnock by 0.1% at the time of publication.
If Republicans hold on, the same issues that have plagued progressives since Democrats took the House two years ago — nearly all legislation has been dead on arrival in the Senate — will continue.
“It's incredibly important that we remove Mitch McConnell as the Senate majority leader,” Porter said. “This is not a typical partisan disagreement; this is somebody who simply refuses to do the work of Congress. So it's one thing to bring up bills and have someone vote against them. That's not what's happening here. We simply have someone who isn't putting solutions before members and allowing them to vote them up or down.”
But even with McConnell at the helm, some lawmakers are hoping for bipartisan agreement on some legislative goals.
“A bold transportation package is again something that's bipartisan but would signal, I think, the hope and the opportunity for people to be able to get back into jobs, to rebuild our communities, our schools, our water infrastructure, to move towards a green energy future,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the CPC’s other cochair. “That would be a huge plus.”
The House can also pass bills that signal to the public that the administration is, as Jayapal said, “committed to addressing the deep hurt and pain and suffering that people across the country are facing, particularly Black, brown, and Indigenous communities with COVID” — and she wants to ensure those bills include relief for immigrants.
“We can't say that immigrants are essential workers, putting food in the food banks, and then say that they're expendable by making them deportable,” she said.
Jayapal also said she’s hopeful Biden will act quickly with executive orders addressing progressive priorities in the first days of his administration. “Everything he does by executive action will send a very important signal to people,” she said. “That's critically important.”


buzzfeed--2020-12-22--Biden Has Vowed To Put Science First To Beat The Pandemic. That Won’t Be Enough.

`` Following the science is necessary but not sufficient , '' said Matthew Seeger , a risk communication expert .
With two coronavirus vaccines available , President-elect Joe Biden ’ s biggest challenge in ending the deadly pandemic will be to convince Americans to take them .
The logistics of distributing the multiple vaccines , securing enough doses for everyone , and maintaining other basic precautions until then — like social distancing and mask-wearing — are hard enough .
But even if all of that goes smoothly , there 's a deeper issue that Biden and his new administration will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's toxic legacy of routinely politicizing and downplaying the deadly disease , which has emboldened anti-vaxxers against a backdrop of rampant misinformation in the months leading up to the vaccine rollouts .
Biden , unlike Trump , has committed to following the science to overcome the pandemic .
But it ’ s not clear what his administration will do about misinformation .
Biden ’ s transition team has declined BuzzFeed News ’ requests to speak with soon-to-be White House chief of staff Ron Klain , who headed up the Ebola crisis response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who could address how they will tackle this crisis .
T.J. Ducklo , a Biden spokesperson , instead offered a short statement and promised details “ in the coming weeks.
” “ The president-elect has made clear that rebuilding the trust of the American people is a priority , which he 'll do by providing accurate , fact-based information about progress in getting the pandemic under control , distributing vaccines , and ensuring testing capacity , ” said Ducklo in an emailed statement .
Besides preparing to lead the vaccine distribution process , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planning on how to communicate in the most creative , transparent and effective ways to reach Americans where they are . ''
But eight experts on the coronavirus , climate change , risk communication , and disinformation told BuzzFeed News that while prioritizing science is a critical first step in tackling the problem , it is not enough .
“ Following the science is necessary but not sufficient , ” said Matthew Seeger , a risk communication expert at Wayne State University who worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dominique Brossard , a science and risk communication expert at the University of Wisconsin , Madison , that is because , “ Humans do not make decisions based on facts .
Facts alone do not change our mind.
” And a lesson learned from studying another , perhaps even bigger crisis — climate change — is that it ’ s not enough for scientists or the government to understand the problem and possible solutions ; you need the public involved as well , said Anthony Leiserowitz , director of the Yale Program on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t an ‘ all of science ’ communication or [ an ] ‘ all of government ’ communication , ” he said , “ this needs to be an ‘ all of society ’ communication.
” So if you want to convince people to get inoculations , having public health officials simply stress the vaccines ’ safety and efficacy won ’ t be enough .
“ We need to demonstrate that people are willing to take the vaccine , ” Seeger said , “ because once you know your neighbor , your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high school ” are all getting it , “ that will create a snowball effect , and more people will be willing to take it.
” Biden was vaccinated in front of TV cameras Monday .
Vice President Mike Pence received his vaccination Friday .
Trump , who was briefly hospitalized with COVID-19 in October , has not committed to taking the vaccine , publicly or otherwise .
Democrats in Congress are also urging Biden to place a greater emphasis on fighting misinformation , sending two separate letters to the president-elect on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a multiagency task force to provide “ guidance for how best to proactively monitor for disinformation and communicate during a disinformation or misinformation event.
” “ During COVID , we 've seen that there has not been clear and concise messaging from the federal government , that they have not been able to really monitor and do anything with disinformation spread , ” Rep. Jennifer Wexton , who heads the Congressional Task Force on Digital Citizenship , told BuzzFeed News .
“ If we have a task force that works across agencies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to do those things.
” The other letter urged the Biden transition team to add a misinformation expert to its COVID-19 task force , singling out Joan Donovan , the research director of Harvard University 's Shorenstein Center on Media , Politics and Public Policy , as a strong candidate .
Donovan herself agrees on the need for the position , even if it 's not presently a reality .
She and her team have been studying disinformation surrounding the virus since it first broke out , and recognizes it wo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I think part of the role has to address public health messaging with an understanding that this is a different problem than public health has dealt with in the past , '' she said in a phone call with BuzzFeed News .
`` I 'm not talking about local rumors .
I 'm not talking about small-scale hoaxes and grift .
I 'm talking more about how the design of social media itself allows very small claims to reach millions of people . ''
The problem has broad implications for both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , and such a position could serve as a blueprint for other issues that disinformation touches .
But she worried about the job being politicized .
`` It does put that person in the crosshairs of those that are calling any kind of content moderation censorship , '' she said .
`` Those that believe social media companies should n't moderate any content , who consider misinformation a natural part of online conversation and therefore do n't want anything done to stop this problem from perpetuating itself . ''
A coalition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration to embrace the “ unique opportunity to begin repairing our broken information ecosystem ” in an open letter sent on Monday and first reported by Axios .
The top recommendation is including a disinformation expert on the COVID task force .
“ There is no panacea for the information crisis — no simple bill or regulation that will alone cure its noxious society-wide impacts , ” said the letter , which was signed by Accountable Tech , Greenpeace , the Center for American Progress , and others .
“ We must instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the start of this pandemic , the Trump administration took steps that flew in the face of every recommendation that experts said was needed in a public health crisis .
Instead of normalizing protective measures like wearing a mask , Trump flouted and even mocked them ; he contradicted , demeaned , and silenced his own public health experts ; he politicized the government ’ s response ; he was not transparent about the crisis , downplaying its severity ; and he amplified misinformation .
His administration only last week began rolling out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign on vaccines .
Meanwhile , the virus ’ s toll has ballooned .
More than 300,000 people have died in the US , and hospitals across the country are at capacity .
Despite the worsening situation , the number of people who said they would take a vaccine is far lower than public health experts say is needed .
According to an Axios/Ipsos poll conducted this month , 53 % of respondents said they ’ d likely get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it ’ s available , up from 38 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — 69 % — said they ’ d get the shots if the vaccine had been proven to be safe and effective by public health officials .
Those numbers are still short of what experts would hope for .
“ I have seen this movie before , ” Sen. Amy Klobuchar , who cosigned one of the two letters urging Biden to appoint a misinformation specialist to his task force , told BuzzFeed News in a telephone interview last week .
“ In Minnesota , we have anti-vax groups , including those that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Somali community .
We 've had outbreaks of measles in our state over the last decade.
” Klobuchar , who competed against Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination this year and quickly endorsed him after dropping out , said she had not yet seen a response to the letters from the president-elect or his transition team .
But , she added , she ’ s confident that he was taking the recommendations seriously .
“ We ’ re not concerned about it , only because we know that Joe Biden is devoted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was what his campaign was defined by the moment he wore a mask out onstage , ” the Minnesota senator said .
She added that the Biden administration would have to work with governors and mayors to combat misinformation and advance an aggressive marketing and communications plan .
“ It ’ s not one-size-fits-all , so a lot of this will be targeted , ” she said , suggesting public service announcements , social media campaigns , and yard signs .
“ People speak about herd immunity , ” Klobuchar said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to need herd reality here .
The more people who hear that it 's going to be OK , it becomes contagious.
” Experts on crisis and science communication offered another suggestion : Bring members from across the political spectrum into the same pro-vaccine messaging campaign .
That means involving community organizations on the ground , especially among groups that have a heightened vaccine reluctance .
One of the letters to the transition singles out hesitancy among Black and Latinx Americans , as well as women , who respectively have legitimate reasons for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Quinn , a professor at the University of Maryland who studies health equity , said , “ Disinformation and misinformation at present is echoing what 's already there and amplifying what 's already there.
” Donovan said Biden ’ s approach will need to go beyond addressing gaps in knowledge and putting out accurate information for people to find — because inaccurate information travels faster online , and it ’ s often more shareable .
“ I think this position , whoever it is , has to call attention to both the supply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and crank up the volume on timely , local , relevant , and accurate information , while also figuring out how to dial down misinformation at scale , ” she said .
“ That requires a strong advocate for the truth [ who also ] understands how social media constitutes a part of the problem.
” Seeger of Wayne State University agrees .
“ Rumors , misinformation , [ and ] distortions occur primarily when there is an absence of credible information , and that ’ s what has happened in this particular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and consistent messaging , and that has allowed some of these other messages to emerge , ” he said .
“ We need to make sure we sort of flood the zone with accurate messages when those inaccurate messages are out there .
”

With two coronavirus vaccines available, President-elect Joe Biden’s biggest challenge in ending the deadly pandemic will be to convince Americans to take them.
The logistics of distributing the multiple vaccines, securing enough doses for everyone, and maintaining other basic precautions until then — like social distancing and mask-wearing — are hard enough. But even if all of that goes smoothly, there's a deeper issue that Biden and his new administration will have to contend with: President Donald Trump's toxic legacy of routinely politicizing and downplaying the deadly disease, which has emboldened anti-vaxxers against a backdrop of rampant misinformation in the months leading up to the vaccine rollouts.
Biden, unlike Trump, has committed to following the science to overcome the pandemic. But it’s not clear what his administration will do about misinformation. Biden’s transition team has declined BuzzFeed News’ requests to speak with soon-to-be White House chief of staff Ron Klain, who headed up the Ebola crisis response during the Obama administration, or others who could address how they will tackle this crisis. T.J. Ducklo, a Biden spokesperson, instead offered a short statement and promised details “in the coming weeks.”
“The president-elect has made clear that rebuilding the trust of the American people is a priority, which he'll do by providing accurate, fact-based information about progress in getting the pandemic under control, distributing vaccines, and ensuring testing capacity,” said Ducklo in an emailed statement. Besides preparing to lead the vaccine distribution process, he added, “we are also planning on how to communicate in the most creative, transparent and effective ways to reach Americans where they are."
But eight experts on the coronavirus, climate change, risk communication, and disinformation told BuzzFeed News that while prioritizing science is a critical first step in tackling the problem, it is not enough.
“Following the science is necessary but not sufficient,” said Matthew Seeger, a risk communication expert at Wayne State University who worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more than a decade.
According to Dominique Brossard, a science and risk communication expert at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, that is because, “Humans do not make decisions based on facts. Facts alone do not change our mind.”
And a lesson learned from studying another, perhaps even bigger crisis — climate change — is that it’s not enough for scientists or the government to understand the problem and possible solutions; you need the public involved as well, said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. “This isn’t an ‘all of science’ communication or [an] ‘all of government’ communication,” he said, “this needs to be an ‘all of society’ communication.”
So if you want to convince people to get inoculations, having public health officials simply stress the vaccines’ safety and efficacy won’t be enough. “We need to demonstrate that people are willing to take the vaccine,” Seeger said, “because once you know your neighbor, your friend, the person you went to high school” are all getting it, “that will create a snowball effect, and more people will be willing to take it.”
Biden was vaccinated in front of TV cameras Monday. Vice President Mike Pence received his vaccination Friday. Trump, who was briefly hospitalized with COVID-19 in October, has not committed to taking the vaccine, publicly or otherwise.


buzzfeed--2020-12-23--Congress Has Passed A Coronavirus Aid Bill Giving Checks To Most US Residents

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Incoming .
WASHINGTON — At the end of a pandemic-plagued year that saw millions of people lose their jobs and fall into poverty , hundreds of thousands of businesses close , and over 300,000 Americans die , Congress passed a COVID relief bill that includes short-term unemployment benefits and $ 600 direct payments .
The Senate passed the $ 900 billion package 91–7 Monday evening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a vote of 327 to 85 .
It was attached to a must-pass $ 1.4 trillion spending bill that will prevent the government from shutting down Monday night .
President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law shortly .
It is the first coronavirus aid passed by Congress since the CARES Act In March , and many of those provisions expired months ago .
The new bill is much smaller and contains less than what both Democrats and even the Trump White House had been proposing .
For much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deadlocked , going for months without holding any serious negotiations , as they focused on the presidential election .
Earlier this month Democratic leaders caved and more than halved their demands earlier this month from $ 2.2 trillion to about $ 900 billion .
A flurry of last-minute negotiations then kicked off with Senate Republicans , who were pushing for an even smaller deal .
The full text of the 5,593-page bill was only released Monday afternoon , just hours before it was voted on .
While the bill does include more direct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are half as big as the previous round of checks delivered this spring .
It also extends federal unemployment benefits , but those too are halved , as the US is hit hard by a third wave of coronavirus cases , which could be exacerbated by the holidays .
Adults who earn up to $ 75,000 will receive $ 600 checks , and couples who earn up to $ 150,000 combined will receive $ 1,200 .
Parents will also receive $ 600 for each child dependent under the age of 17 , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dependents .
For people who earn above $ 75,000 , the size of the checks is phased out at a rate of $ 5 for every $ 100 of income , drawing down to zero at $ 87,000 or $ 174,000 for joint filers .
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC Monday that the checks should arrive next week .
Initially , the new deal did not include direct payments at all , but Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders and Republican Sen. Josh Hawley led a last-minute charge to include checks for $ 1,200 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act .
They ended up getting half of what they were seeking .
The bill also includes $ 300 per week in unemployment payments on top of state benefits for 11 weeks begging Dec. 26 .
The payments are not retroactive .
The bill includes $ 284 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program , which subsidizes businesses that keep their employees on payroll .
If you 're someone who is seeing the impact of the coronavirus firsthand , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill also ends the practice of surprise medical billing , where patients go to a hospital covered by their insurance network only to be hit with unforeseeable medical bills because the staff who treated them were out of network .
Insurance companies will now be forced to cover those charges .
Other provisions of the package include : • None $ 35 billion in rental assistance and an extension of a federal eviction moratorium • None $ 22.4 billion for testing , tracing , and other measures to fight the spread of COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that employers offer paid sick leave to workers who become infected with COVID .
Many employers have been required to offer paid leave since March , but that mandate expires at the end of the year and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked an extension from being included in the bill .
Other notable provisions were left out of the bill entirely .
Democrats had pushed for hundreds of billions of dollars in aid for state and local governments , arguing it was necessary to prevent them from falling into bankruptcy under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ characterized this aid as a “ blue state bailout ” and opposed it .
At the same time , Republicans were pushing for businesses to be granted broad immunity from lawsuits filed by workers and customers who contract COVID .
Many Democrats fiercely opposed this .
In the end , both the local aid and liability sections were taken out of the bill altogether .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Congress could “ live to fight another day ” and debate those measures in future negotiations under the Biden administration .
President-elect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement but called on Congress to start negotiating further aid in January .
“ Immediately , starting in the new year , Congress will need to get to work on support for our COVID-19 plan , for support to struggling families , and investments in jobs and economic recovery .
There will be no time to waste , ” said Biden , who will take office on Jan. 20 .
Some Republican senators have been skeptical about the need for further aid , however .
And after nine months of standstill following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how quickly they will be able to come together again .
Trump called for a bill that included direct payments to individuals but did not play an active role in negotiating the package .
The White House had previously taken the lead on negotiating the CARES Act and headed up talks throughout the fall .
But since the election , Trump ’ s staff took a backseat , and Senate Republicans took over .

WASHINGTON — At the end of a pandemic-plagued year that saw millions of people lose their jobs and fall into poverty, hundreds of thousands of businesses close, and over 300,000 Americans die, Congress passed a COVID relief bill that includes short-term unemployment benefits and $600 direct payments.
The Senate passed the $900 billion package 91–7 Monday evening, shortly after the House passed it by a vote of 327 to 85. It was attached to a must-pass $1.4 trillion spending bill that will prevent the government from shutting down Monday night. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law shortly.
It is the first coronavirus aid passed by Congress since the CARES Act In March, and many of those provisions expired months ago. The new bill is much smaller and contains less than what both Democrats and even the Trump White House had been proposing. For much of this year, the parties remained deadlocked, going for months without holding any serious negotiations, as they focused on the presidential election. Earlier this month Democratic leaders caved and more than halved their demands earlier this month from $2.2 trillion to about $900 billion.
A flurry of last-minute negotiations then kicked off with Senate Republicans, who were pushing for an even smaller deal. The full text of the 5,593-page bill was only released Monday afternoon, just hours before it was voted on. While the bill does include more direct payments to most US residents, they are half as big as the previous round of checks delivered this spring. It also extends federal unemployment benefits, but those too are halved, as the US is hit hard by a third wave of coronavirus cases, which could be exacerbated by the holidays.
Adults who earn up to $75,000 will receive $600 checks, and couples who earn up to $150,000 combined will receive $1,200. Parents will also receive $600 for each child dependent under the age of 17, but no money for older children or adult dependents. For people who earn above $75,000, the size of the checks is phased out at a rate of $5 for every $100 of income, drawing down to zero at $87,000 or $174,000 for joint filers.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC Monday that the checks should arrive next week.
Initially, the new deal did not include direct payments at all, but Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders and Republican Sen. Josh Hawley led a last-minute charge to include checks for $1,200 identical to what was in the CARES Act. They ended up getting half of what they were seeking.
The bill also includes $300 per week in unemployment payments on top of state benefits for 11 weeks begging Dec. 26. The payments are not retroactive.
The bill includes $284 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, which subsidizes businesses that keep their employees on payroll.
If you're someone who is seeing the impact of the coronavirus firsthand, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
The bill also ends the practice of surprise medical billing, where patients go to a hospital covered by their insurance network only to be hit with unforeseeable medical bills because the staff who treated them were out of network. Insurance companies will now be forced to cover those charges.
Other provisions of the package include:
$35 billion in rental assistance and an extension of a federal eviction moratorium
$22.4 billion for testing, tracing, and other measures to fight the spread of COVID
$82 billion for colleges and schools
$10 billion for childcare
$13 billion for food stamps and children nutrition program
$16 billion to airlines to pay salaries
$14 billion for transit agencies
$1 billion for Amtrak
The bill does not extend the mandate that employers offer paid sick leave to workers who become infected with COVID. Many employers have been required to offer paid leave since March, but that mandate expires at the end of the year and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked an extension from being included in the bill.
Other notable provisions were left out of the bill entirely. Democrats had pushed for hundreds of billions of dollars in aid for state and local governments, arguing it was necessary to prevent them from falling into bankruptcy under the economic toll of the pandemic. Republicans characterized this aid as a “blue state bailout” and opposed it.
At the same time, Republicans were pushing for businesses to be granted broad immunity from lawsuits filed by workers and customers who contract COVID. Many Democrats fiercely opposed this. In the end, both the local aid and liability sections were taken out of the bill altogether. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Congress could “live to fight another day” and debate those measures in future negotiations under the Biden administration.
President-elect Joe Biden released a statement celebrating the agreement but called on Congress to start negotiating further aid in January. “Immediately, starting in the new year, Congress will need to get to work on support for our COVID-19 plan, for support to struggling families, and investments in jobs and economic recovery. There will be no time to waste,” said Biden, who will take office on Jan. 20.
Some Republican senators have been skeptical about the need for further aid, however. And after nine months of standstill following the CARES Act, it’s unclear how quickly they will be able to come together again.
Trump called for a bill that included direct payments to individuals but did not play an active role in negotiating the package. The White House had previously taken the lead on negotiating the CARES Act and headed up talks throughout the fall. But since the election, Trump’s staff took a backseat, and Senate Republicans took over.


buzzfeed--2020-12-22--Businesses Will No Longer Have To Provide Paid Leave For Workers With COVID After Mitch McConnell Ob

Businesses Will No Longer Have To Provide Paid Leave For Workers With COVID After Mitch McConnell Objected

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Incoming .
WASHINGTON — Employers will no longer have to provide paid sick leave to workers who get infected with COVID-19 after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked that extension from being included in Congress ’ s latest coronavirus aid package .
In March , Congress passed a law mandating that workers are able to draw two weeks of paid sick leave if they contract @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to care for a quarantining relative , and up to 10 weeks of paid family leave to care for a child whose school or daycare is closed for COVID-related reasons .
BuzzFeed News previously reported that McConnell was pushing to block the paid leave mandate from being extended .
Congressional aides in both parties confirmed Monday that the extension was left out of the aid bill as a concession to McConnell .
The bill does extend a refundable tax credit that fully subsidizes the cost to businesses of paying out sick leave until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal government will continue to foot the bill for businesses that offer paid leave over the next three months , but it will be optional for businesses to opt into this program and let their employees take time off .
The bill is set to pass on Monday night and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law soon thereafter .
The United States is an outlier in not requiring any form of paid sick leave .
The Center for Economic and Policy Research analyzed the sick leave policies of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US was the only country without some form of paid sick leave .
The paid leave mandate had already been watered down in the March bill .
Big businesses with over 500 employees were exempt from the requirement , while businesses with under 50 employees could apply for exemptions .

WASHINGTON — Employers will no longer have to provide paid sick leave to workers who get infected with COVID-19 after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked that extension from being included in Congress’s latest coronavirus aid package.
In March, Congress passed a law mandating that workers are able to draw two weeks of paid sick leave if they contract COVID, two weeks of paid leave to care for a quarantining relative, and up to 10 weeks of paid family leave to care for a child whose school or daycare is closed for COVID-related reasons.
BuzzFeed News previously reported that McConnell was pushing to block the paid leave mandate from being extended. Congressional aides in both parties confirmed Monday that the extension was left out of the aid bill as a concession to McConnell.
The bill does extend a refundable tax credit that fully subsidizes the cost to businesses of paying out sick leave until the end of March. Essentially, the federal government will continue to foot the bill for businesses that offer paid leave over the next three months, but it will be optional for businesses to opt into this program and let their employees take time off.
The bill is set to pass on Monday night and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law soon thereafter.
The United States is an outlier in not requiring any form of paid sick leave. The Center for Economic and Policy Research analyzed the sick leave policies of 22 wealthy nations and found that the US was the only country without some form of paid sick leave.
The paid leave mandate had already been watered down in the March bill. Big businesses with over 500 employees were exempt from the requirement, while businesses with under 50 employees could apply for exemptions.