Weekly Update: 6/8/20
California
California is suing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the U.S. Department of Education for what the state alleges is a failure to implement its student loan forgiveness program for people who work in public-service jobs…
Gov. Gavin Newsom called for California to prohibit a police head restraint technique and to regulate how law enforcement agencies across the state manage protests as demonstrations continue over the death of George Floyd…
California set a new single-day record for confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday, 6/5, as a surge of new positive tests pushed the number of cases statewide above 125,000.
On Friday, 6/5, the California Department of Public Health released interim guidance for schools and school–based programs.
Coronavirus
Trump administration officials increasingly expect to spend up to $1 trillion in the next round of economic stimulus, though action on a measure is unlikely until at least next month…
President Trump announced that there was “tremendous progress” on combatting the coronavirus pandemic and said the development of therapeutics and vaccines is going “incredibly well.”
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn also said the White House Coronavirus Task Force has yet to see a relationship between states reopening and increased cases of COVID-19 (Bloomberg Law).
The White House’s coronavirus task force has all but vanished from public view as President Trump pushes Americans to put the outbreak behind them and resume normal social and economic life…
The World Health Organization is now recommending that people aged 60 or older and people with underlying health conditions should wear a medical mask, rather than a cloth mask, in areas where there is community transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 or where they cannot maintain social distance from others…
President and Administration
On Sunday, 6/7, President Trump ordered the National Guard to begin withdrawing from Washington, D.C., now that “everything is under perfect control” after the protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody…
On Friday 6/8, President Trump signed H.R. 7010 into law, giving businesses more leeway on how they spend funds through the Paycheck Protection Program (Politico).
President Trump and his allies today lashed out at activists and some Democrats for their support of the "defund the police" movement, seeking to draw a contrast with the administration's embrace of law enforcement amid nationwide protests….
Education
“Eighteen attorneys general filed a lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the U.S. Department of Education in an effort to block the department’s final rule under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 from taking effect 8/14…
Congress
With the additional $600-a-week unemployment benefits set to expire in July, Congress is concerned over what to do next…
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has introduced legislation (S 3612) that would make further changes to the PPP and give borrowers a second tax benefit on COVID-19 small-business loans…
House and Senate Democrats are expected to release a bill today to reform the country's police departments…
Senate Democrats introduced legislation to limit presidential power under the Insurrection Act after President Trump warned that he could deploy active military troops into U.S. cities….
Election 2020
After the protests calling to defund police nationwide, President Donald Trump is seeking to tie Joe Biden to activists’ calls to “defund the police” in an attempt to paint his 2020 presidential opponent as weak on crime and vilify Democrats pushing for police reform, even though Biden hasn’t embraced the slogan (Bloomberg).
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee launched a new online hub today, 6/8, aimed at engaging with voters and candidates ahead of November’s general elections. FlipTheSenate.com will help voters register to vote, create a voter protection program, and open field offices in critical states across the country. Additionally, viewers will be able to find out more information about volunteering (The Hill).
Sen. Kamala Harris’ (D-CA) prospects for becoming Biden’s running mate might be complicated by her own record as a prosecutor, in spite of her strong words in support of those protesting police brutality across the U.S…